What is Autonomous Penetration Testing as a Service (APTaaS)?

Many compliance requirements mandate organizations to assess their environments at least annually, and traditional (or manual) penetration testing is a key component of that process. But what about the other 364 days a year? What if significant upgrades to the code have been deployed, new software is implemented, or substantial infrastructure changes have taken place? It’s here where autonomous penetration testing as a service (APTaaS) shines. 

Continuously securing and checking your digital perimeter has never been more important for businesses across virtually all industries. The economic toll from cybercrime continues to grow exponentially, with estimates for the worldwide cost for cybercrime expected to exceed 10.5 trillion in 2025. What’s more, most organizations are still lagging behind when it comes to prioritizing vulnerability management. In a recent survey, 59% of organizations surveyed reported they do not plan to place emphasis on such measures, and only 33% said critical tools like multifactor authentication (MFA) and Zero Trust approaches are in their immediate plans.  

However, APTaaS gives businesses an ‘always on’ resiliency solution that addresses potential vulnerabilities without devouring your team’s time and energy. Today we’re exploring autonomous penetration testing in depth, reviewing what it entails, and how it can benefit every organization.  

Eliminate Reactive: Talk to one of our experts to begin adding tailored security solutions paired with innovative technologies to safeguard your business.  

How APTaaS Works 

At a base level, penetration testing identifies vulnerabilities within a security system and then tries to exploit them to understand what kind of threat they pose, and the potential damage they could lead to as the result of an attack. Penetration testing, traditionally, was a complex effort that most organizations couldn’t implement more than once or twice a year. Additionally, the results generated after the testing were more historical in nature and not a completely accurate picture of the present—making it difficult to prioritize fixes.  

Autonomous penetration testing, and the APTaaS model, empower organizations to run automated tests and view data on demand. With the help of automated tooling, it offers more frequent and cost-effective access to penetration tests. It covers gaps between manual pentests and can accommodate all business needs, including ongoing tracking of potential risks and custom reporting features for regulatory compliance. It helps you understand your current protective and preventive controls—and fix vulnerabilities before they become bigger problems. 

The Benefits of APTaaS 

Continuous Security Assessment 

APTaaS allows for continuous and automated security assessments, providing ongoing monitoring of potential vulnerabilities and threats. This ensures that the security posture of the system is regularly evaluated, allowing for prompt identification and remediation of issues. 

Time and Cost Efficiency 

Automation significantly reduces the time required for penetration testing compared to manual testing. This leads to cost savings, as the process becomes more efficient, allowing security teams to focus on addressing identified vulnerabilities rather than spending excessive time on testing procedures. 

Scalability 

Automated penetration testing is easily scalable, making it suitable for organizations with varying infrastructure sizes. Whether an organization has a small or extensive network, APTaaS can adapt to the scale of the environment, ensuring comprehensive security coverage. 

Faster Remediation 

With automated testing, vulnerabilities can be identified and reported promptly. This accelerates the remediation process, reducing the window of exposure for potential threats. Quick remediation enhances overall cybersecurity by minimizing the time that systems are susceptible to exploitation. 

Comprehensive Coverage 

Automated penetration testing tools can scan large and complex networks comprehensively, identifying vulnerabilities across various attack vectors. This level of coverage is challenging to achieve consistently through manual testing alone. 

Compliance and Reporting 

APTaaS solutions often provide detailed reports that can be used for compliance purposes. These reports document the security posture of the system, the identified vulnerabilities, and the actions taken for remediation, which is valuable for regulatory compliance and audits. 

Four Key Cloud Concepts: Overlooking important aspects of cloud vulnerability management can open your organization up to digital threats.  

APTaaS Just One Part of Inversion6’s Toolkit 

Inversion6 delivers a complete suite of cybersecurity solutions that allow your organization to remove reactivity from its approach to risk management. Our autonomous penetration testing service unlocks always-on network protection that combats security risks and ensures your limited resources are spent fixing problems.  

But that’s only one part of the capabilities we can bring to bear to add resilience to your digital infrastructure.  

• Security Operations Center (SOC) — Our professional cybersecurity team operates from a SOC powered by best-in-class technology and is equipped to handle everything from prevention and monitoring to incident response, recovery, and remediation.  

• Managed Detection & Response (MDR) — This proactive method of threat prevention combines technology, SOC resources, advanced analytics and threat intelligence to ensure your endpoints are protected, regardless of location.  

• Fractional CISOs — Our tenured chief information security officers (CISOs) get to know your business, tailor solutions to fit your objectives and are readily available when you need them.  

Schedule a consultation today to learn how we deploy APTaaS to find and fix vulnerabilities in your digital environment.