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Build or Buy AI Pentesting? 5 Tests to Judge Production Readiness
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Build or Buy AI Pentesting? 5 Tests to Judge Production Readiness

Before you build an AI pentesting agent, run it through 5 tests for production readiness. Mark Kuhr breaks down what separates a prototype from a system.

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Mark Kuhr
Mark Kuhr
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Penetration Testing for Compliance Officers: A Non-Technical Buyer’s Guide Penetration Testing

Penetration Testing for Compliance Officers: A Non-Technical Buyer’s Guide

Why Pentest Proposals Never Seem to Match A compliance officer receives a request for a penetration test, contacts several providers, and receives proposals that appear to describe completely different services. One covers external IP addresses, another includes applications and APIs, and a third promises audit-ready evidence without explaining what was tested. This guide to penetration […]

PM
Paul Mote
Paul Mote
14 min read
Penetration Testing RFP: What to Include and How to Evaluate Responses Penetration Testing

Penetration Testing RFP: What to Include and How to Evaluate Responses

Most penetration testing RFPs ask vendors to price "one web application" or "an annual pentest" and leave the rest open to interpretation. This guide gives you a complete penetration testing scope-of-work template, a standard vendor response format, a weighted scorecard, and a pass/fail checklist, so every proposal answers the same questions and gets measured against the same bar.

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Tim Nordvedt
Tim Nordvedt
13 min read
Penetration Testing for Third-Party Risk Management Programs Penetration Testing

Penetration Testing for Third-Party Risk Management Programs

Penetration testing for third-party risk works best as a deeper assurance layer for suppliers whose compromise would meaningfully affect the enterprise, not as a blanket requirement. Tier vendors by data access, system access, operational weight, and external exposure, then match testing depth and cadence to that tier. Combine vendor-supplied reports, enterprise-commissioned tests, and shared platforms depending on the relationship. Get written authorization first, scope the test to the product and integration that matter, and feed validated findings into remediation plans and risk scores.

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Paul Mote
Paul Mote
14 min read
How to Scope an Enterprise Penetration Test: Free Scope-of-Work Template Penetration Testing

How to Scope an Enterprise Penetration Test: Free Scope-of-Work Template

A penetration testing scope defines the assurance an enterprise needs, not just the assets a vendor will touch. Start with the business or compliance objective, then map the system boundary before counting assets. List applications, APIs, infrastructure, roles and integrations separately, specify authenticated and unauthenticated testing, and clarify whether production, staging or both will be […]

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Tim Nordvedt
Tim Nordvedt
25 min read
Third-Party Penetration Testing: What Security and Procurement Teams Need to Know Perspectives on Security

Third-Party Penetration Testing: What Security and Procurement Teams Need to Know

Third-party penetration testing means two different things: testing your own organization through an independent provider, and testing or reviewing testing on a supplier, partner, or acquisition target. This guide focuses on the second use case. It works best as a governed risk process, not a document request, built on clear authorization, risk-based scope, defensible evidence, and contractual follow-up.

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Paul Mote
Paul Mote
13 min read
Questions to Ask a Penetration Testing Vendor Before You Sign Penetration Testing

Questions to Ask a Penetration Testing Vendor Before You Sign

Before you sign with a penetration testing vendor, ask precise questions that turn marketing claims into measurable commitments. Confirm exact scope, learn which work is automated, AI-led, or human-led, and require that findings get reproduced and validated before they reach a report. Ask who can access your environment, how testers are vetted, and what the rules of engagement and stop conditions look like. Review sample reports, confirm remediation and retesting terms, and normalize every cost. Place every material promise in the contract rather than a slide deck.

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Tim Nordvedt
Tim Nordvedt
1 min read
HIPAA Penetration Testing Requirements for Healthcare Enterprises Penetration Testing

HIPAA Penetration Testing Requirements for Healthcare Enterprises

Many healthcare organizations have been told that HIPAA requires an annual penetration test. The current rule is more nuanced. Penetration testing for HIPAA compliance is not prescribed as one universal annual obligation, but regulated entities must conduct a comprehensive risk analysis, manage identified risks, and evaluate whether their safeguards remain effective. A well-scoped pentest can provide important evidence supporting those responsibilities. HHS has also proposed making annual penetration testing explicit, although that proposal is not yet binding.

PM
Paul Mote
Paul Mote
15 min read
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