Threat actors and cybersecurity teams come at the ongoing cyberwar from completely different perspectives. .Threat actors simply want to generate the best return they can. They have no deadline for planning the next exploit. If they discover a vulnerability within just a single asset, they can begin working their way through a corporate network, causing huge damage to systems and networks. Security teams hope that the limited resources they apply to their defensive strategies will be enough to stop the next attack.
The way that attackers are operating is changing. Isn’t it time cybersecurity followed suit? With 82% of private sector cybersecurity leaders expecting a cybersecurity incident within the next two years, there’s little time to waste.
The Drawbacks of Defensive-Only Security
Traditional cybersecurity approaches have predominantly focused on defense—detecting and responding to threats. However, this reactive mindset leaves organizations vulnerable to well-prepared threat actors who have the luxury of time to plan and execute attacks. The growing scale and complexity of attack surfaces only compound this issue, providing criminals with an increasing number of potential entry points. Modern attackers also leverage cutting-edge tools, such as generative AI and large language models (LLMs), to develop sophisticated attacks, while state-sponsored actors bring unprecedented resources to the table.
Despite these evolving threats, many organizations still rely on outdated methods like the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). These reactive approaches are inherently slow, giving attackers ample time to exploit vulnerabilities. Similarly, traditional penetration testing remains a labor-intensive process—expensive, infrequent, and often producing inconsistent or unverifiable results. Point solutions like vulnerability scanners lack the scope to address the dynamic and expansive nature of modern attack surfaces, and Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) or bug bounty programs come with their own trust and reliability concerns.
The opportunity for organizations lies in shifting toward a proactive model: modern offensive security. This approach enables security teams to continuously test their entire attack surface, simulating adversarial behavior to uncover and address vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Offensive security bridges the gap left by reactive methods, offering a scalable, continuous, and comprehensive way to stay ahead of evolving threats in an ever-changing landscape.
Going On The Offensive
Offensive cybersecurity looks at network and asset protection through an entirely different lens. Rather than defending the perimeter in a reactive way, offensive cybersecurity co-opts the hacker’s mindset, focusing on the realistic current ways threat actors exploit vulnerabilities - so attacks can be defended against before they take place.
A good offensive cybersecurity program identifies vulnerabilities and takes a proactive approach to address potential threats. This includes red teaming exercises, vulnerability assessment, and simulated attacks that reveal weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them. Ethical hackers play a crucial role here, utilizing methods like social engineering and ethical hacking to anticipate and counteract cyber threats.
A proactive and offensive approach should also promote collaboration and employ automation where possible. This can greatly reduce cybersecurity spend, decreasing the manual burden on cybersecurity personnel. An offensive approach also allows firms to pursue their digital transformation efforts without worrying whether they might introduce unforeseen threats. In a climate of increasing digitalization, it is little surprise that SANS’ Building a Resilient Offensive Security Strategy found that 75.2% of organizations have increased their offensive cyber security practices because of unknown risks.
Penetration testing, or pen testing, can still be useful - albeit in a slightly altered form.
Forward-thinking businesses are moving beyond the limitations of traditional pen testing—such as its narrow scope, disruptive processes, and lengthy reporting—by embracing automated penetration testing. This approach integrates AI and automation extensively across offensive security workflows, including attack surface management (ASM), red teaming, and posture management.
According to recent findings, organizations that leverage AI in prevention workflows saw an average reduction of USD 2.2 million in breach costs compared to those without AI. Additionally, 40% of organizations increase investments in offensive security testing following a breach, underscoring its critical role in mitigating future risks. Automation not only enhances 24/7 vulnerability scanning and digital asset visibility but also simplifies security reporting and accelerates risk identification and remediation, giving businesses a proactive edge against threat actors.
Choosing A Vendor That Offers Automation
The amount of different cybersecurity solutions on the market can, at times, seem overwhelming for businesses. There are, however, a number of key features to look out for when choosing a vendor promising offensive and defensive security solutions.
Look for an automated pen testing vendor that is able to continuously identify and test all of your assets while delivering centralized asset management. The provision of real-time feedback will also enable your security teams to respond quickly to any issues and collaborate more easily. The offer of contextualization will help businesses to prioritize test results, and validation will help inform your team about which threats are worth focusing on.
And automated processes, including the use of AI to augment penetration testing, are essential for future-proofing your security solutions. They make it easier to sell your choice of vendor to the board. Automated penetration testing can deliver significant ROI, allowing firms to replace outdated security licenses, reduce time wasted on false positives, and form part of a more cost-effective and secure security roadmap.
At Hadrian, our best-in-class offensive security solutions are centered around the hacker’s mindset. They are proactive, continuous, and backed by our Orchestrator AI tool to deliver strong ROI - now and in the future.
If you want to know more about the benefits of an offensive approach to security and how Hadrian’s AI-backed automated pen testing combines the accuracy, frequency, and cost-savings businesses need to operate safely in the modern threat landscape, be sure to download our Buyer’s Guide on Offensive Security. It makes the kind of compelling case for offensive cybersecurity your board won’t be able to say no to.
