How AI augmentation is revolutionizing penetration testing in cybersecurity (www.techradar.com)

AI augmentation is reshaping penetration testing from periodic, manual exercises into continuous, data-driven security validation. Faced with roughly 7.78 million UK cybercrimes in the past year, organizations are adopting AI-enhanced platforms that automate vulnerability discovery, provide real-time insights, validate fixes, and produce prioritized, actionable reports. This shift fuels the growth of Pentesting-as-a-Service (PTaaS)—subscription-based, on-demand testing—which addresses accessibility gaps (only 8% of UK organizations ran pentests in 2024) and scales coverage across increasingly hybrid cloud/on-prem environments (43% operating hybrid in 2024). Technically, AI speeds up repetitive tasks (scanning, pattern recognition, triage), integrates cloud-specific testing tools, and enables continuous validation in CI/CD pipelines, while humans remain essential for threat modeling, creative exploitation, and contextual risk assessment. Human experts also refine ML models by encoding nuanced attack strategies beyond scripted logic. For security leaders the implications are clear: embed pentesting into development lifecycles, adopt AI-augmented services to improve speed and coverage, prioritize risk-based testing for high-value assets, and centralize coordination across Dev, Sec, and Ops. Addressing the talent gap—highlighted by initiatives like the UK’s £187m TechFirst fund—will be critical as organizations combine automation with expert human judgment to stay ahead of agile adversaries.