When a software production company requests a security assessment of its Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) pipeline, they usually want an evaluation of the strength of its existing security measures and identification of potential security risks associated with the different components involved in storing, updating, building, and deploying their application.

Penetration testing and red team assessments are often conflated or confused—though they’re both advantageous cybersecurity solutions, there are distinct differences between them that any organization considering either should know. Just to be clear, a penetration test is not a red team assessment.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security standards designed to protect cardholder data. One of the key (and almost always applicable) requirements of PCI DSS is that organizations must perform internal and external penetration testing for the entire scoped environment—this not only applies to systems that store, process, or transmit cardholder data, but also those that can impact the security of cardholder data.

Red teaming is a proactive approach to cybersecurity, where a group of ethical hackers simulates real-world attacks on an organization's systems to identify vulnerabilities and test its defenses. This process helps organizations improve their security posture by revealing weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them.

As cybersecurity practices go, you have a lot of options, with penetration testing being just one of them. However, a penetration test has more value than many may initially recognize—in addition to how they serve your compliance initiatives.

Some might say a good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.

The world of information security is ever-evolving as further innovation and development continue to drive the market forward. Web applications are no exception, but as they grow more complex with the addition of new features and supporting technology, so do their attack surfaces. Sometimes, it can feel like the latest risk to your web application is seemingly around the corner, and really, that might be true—it’s become more important than ever to maintain a good security posture.

There’s a Latin proverb that says, “if the wind will not serve, take to the oars.” If you’ve ever hunted for a (new) job, you likely can relate. Of course, every workplace has its idiosyncrasies, but you need to find the “wind” that serves you best.