vPenTest is a scripted network penetration testing platform that runs the exact same steps and processes performed by a security consultant doing a live pentest. This includes technical tasks such as host discovery, service enumeration, vulnerability analysis, exploitation, post-exploitation, privilege escalation and lateral movement, as well as documentation and reporting.

vPenTest combines the knowledge of multiple highly skilled penetration testers along with numerous tools and techniques used in the industry by penetration testers with over a decade of experience and certifications.

A vulnerability assessment actually compliments a penetration test in many ways. First, a vulnerability assessment can identify the weaknesses within your environment, providing you with valuable information on security vulnerabilities that you need to fix. Secondly, a security consultant can, but may not always, use some or all of the results of a vulnerability assessment to assist with their penetration test.

In many cases, consultants that perform a penetration test also include a vulnerability assessment to provide additional value during security assessment. If a consultant is performing an internal security assessment, it’s best to maximize the value of this time and service by identifying as much as they can to help your organisation.

The main difference is that automated penetration testing uses software to quickly scan for known vulnerabilities, making it fast and cost-effective for routine checks, while manual penetration testing relies on human expertise to creatively and deeply find complex, logic-based flaws that automated tools miss. Manual testing is slower and more expensive but provides crucial human context and can uncover more realistic attack vectors, while automated testing excels at finding many known issues across large environments