The penetration testing can be confusing, and it depends on many factors, such as the type of penetration testing, application size and type, complexity, experience and skills of the penetration tester, and duration. This article will discuss the average penetration testing cost in detail.
IBM research found that in 2023, the data breach cost was around 4.5 million. In the past, malicious actors tended to attack large enterprises; in recent years, small businesses have frequently become victims of cyber attacks. Most small companies shut down their operations after facing a first cyber attack. To protect from unexpected cyber attacks, it is now crucial for companies to invest in cybersecurity.
One of the most practical ways to invest in penetration testing. However, it cannot be very clear to determine the cost of penetration testing. We have researched the market price to help you in advance, and we have found the average costs are:
| Testing Type | Price range |
|---|---|
| Application penetration testing | $5000 to $40000 |
| Network penetration testing | $6000 to $55000 |
| Red Team assessment | $50000 to $100000 |
Note: These are not service prices if you choose Bytium.
What is penetration testing?
Before discussing the average cost of penetration testing, it is essential to define what penetration testing is!
Penetration testing is a simulated security assessment of IT infrastructure and systems networks or applications by skilled, experienced, and professional cybersecurity experts or a team of experts to identify security vulnerabilities. After obtaining written permission from the business owner, the tester uses different tools and techniques that cybercriminals use to address known or unknown vulnerabilities. Let’s highlight some key benefits of penetration testing:
- Identify security vulnerabilities.
- Prioritize risk and impact.
- Strengthening the organization’s defense.
- Preventing costlier data breaches.
- Avoiding financial penalty.
- Protecting business reputation, etc.
Key Factors Influence the Penetration Testing Cost
The cost of penetration testing is not actually fixed. Sometimes, it can be less or higher based on different factors. What factors are we talking about? Let’s have a look!
- Scope and Complexity: A larger environment significantly affects the cost.
- Penetration testing type: Penetration testing types include network testing, application testing, mobile testing, black box, white box, or gray box, which have an impact on the cost.
- Tester’s Expertise: The cost will increase If the tester is highly qualified and trained. Some low-quality testers even charge only $5-$10 hourly, whereas an OSCP holder is more experienced and mostly likes to charge more than $50 hourly.
- Automated versus Manual Testing: Automated testing is cheaper, has fewer insights, and is usually performed by less experienced or new testers. Manual testing is costlier but more accurate but requires a skilled tester.
Let’s dive deeper!
Scope and Complexity
The cost of penetration testing is influenced by the scope and complexity of the environment, too. Practically, the scope of testing means how systems, networks, and applications need to be tested.
For example, Penetration testing of a single website for a small business is less expensive, ranging from $3000 to $8000. On the other side, it will cost between $30000 to $80000 or even more to pentest a large enterprise with the following scope:
- Ten web applications
- Complex IT infrastructure
- An extensive internal network.
- More than 100 endpoints are running different types of applications/services.
The cost can be reduced with a risk assessment, too. High-risk applications can be tested only, and expenses can be as low as between $10000 and $30000.
Penetration testing types and their cost
There are many types of penetration testing, such as white box, gray box, black box, internal, and external penetration testing. Different types of penetration testing can have an impact on the original cost of penetration testing service. Each test has its unique features and may vary in price. Let’s look closer at the average costs of the various types of penetration testing.
White Box Penetration Testing
White box penetration testing is also known as precise box testing. The tester will have full knowledge of the internal systems, architectures, and source code with white box testing. This testing method is often used to pinpoint as many vulnerabilities as possible. White box testing takes longer to complete as the tester needs to manually review every possible source code, network, and system.
Cost: The cost can be between $ 7,000 to $50000.
Bytium’s Offer: Currently, we only offer source code review for small application. And it is only between $1000-$2500.
How much does Black Box Penetration Testing Cost?
In Black box penetration testing, the tester will have no knowledge of the internal system. Usually performed over the Internet with a minimum of information. Black box testing is perfect if an organization wants to know its infrastructure, network, systems, and applications are secure from outside cyber threats. The expert will have 0 to minimum knowledge about the scope; for example, the web application’s URL can be given to the tester if it is a black box testing of a web application.
The key benefits of black box penetration:
- Simulated real-world attack scenarios.
- A fresh perspective to uncover vulnerabilities.
- It is quick, practical, and cost-effective.
Cost: Average cost can be between $4000 to $30000. depending on the size and complexity of the application.
Bytium’s Offer: We are best at black box penetration testing. And our services fee usually doesn’t exceed $10,000 and start at only $500. Cost depending on your requirements.
Contact us For real Balck Box Penetration TestingGray Box Penetration Testing Cost
Gray box penetration testing is a mixture of white and black box penetration testing. Limited information, such as limited access to the source code, credential access with limited rights, and partial architectural diagrams, are provided to the tester.
The key benefits of gray box penetration testing:
- A balanced approach for in-depth testing is better than a black box.
- Limited knowledge about the system tester can strategically focus on specific areas.
- A well-rounded assessment to cover more vulnerabilities.
Cost: The gray box test is considered the best world of both tests, so the price falls between the white box and black box testing. The average cost can range from $5000 to $40000.
Bytium’s Offer: Between $500 to $5000.
Internal Penetration Testing Cost
Internal penetration testing is a systematic method to discover vulnerabilities in the internal network from an insider threat perspective. Internal penetration is usually performed after external penetration testing to understand what vulnerabilities exist and how much damage an insider threat can do. Usually, the tester will have access to the same network as the organization.
Average Cost: Internal penetration testing costs range between $5000 to $50000. It depends on the size of the scope and complexity, too.
Bytium’s Offer: $1000 to $10000
Automated Testing Is Cheaper
Automated testing can be called automatic vulnerability scanning using open sources or commercial tools like Nessus. If we search the Internet, many vendors offer low-cost penetration testing, but they also call it scanning. It is a vulnerability scanning. Automatic vulnerability scanning lists vulnerabilities by finding the application or service’s version or sending various crafted fuzzing requests and monitoring the behavior or error of the applications without exploring further for exploiting purposes. Automatic vulnerability scanning is cheaper because it does not require a human to apply advanced hacking techniques. The main drawbacks of automatic vulnerability scanning are:
- False positive if there is no human interaction.
- No verification of the vulnerabilities.
- Unexpected downtime.
Average Cost: As it is easy to perform an automatic scan, the cost ranges between $10 to $500.
Tester Expertise Impacts Penetration Testing Costs
The expertise of penetration tester has a vital role in determining the cost of penetration testing. We have found that many freelance experts charge between $10 to $20 hourly or $100 to $500 per project. Some of them also claim to be CEH-certified ethical hackers.
The cost will increase if you hire a more experienced and trained penetration tester(AKA: ethical hacker). For example, if we consider hiring an OSCP-certified tester, the price may range from $30 to $50. If the tester is more advanced, like an OSCE3-certified penetration tester; the hourly rate can range from $40 to $300.
How to reduce the cost of penetration testing?
Different companies or experts demand different rates. A small business may be unable to invest $10000+ for a penetration testing service. Instead, they may choose not to perform penetration testing for their systems or applications, which keeps them at risk of being a victim of a cyber attack.
But wait, there are key points we can consider to reduce the cost, such as
- Get engaged with the right service provider.
- Prioritizing critical assets and limiting the testing scope might hugely reduce the cost.
- Choose the proper penetration testing method. We recommend black box testing.
- Combine the automatic and manual testing on specific areas.
- Negotiate the price and scope of testing.
Still, if it is affordable, then utilize low-cost automatic vulnerability scanning.
Choosing a Penetration Tester
It is essential to select a qualified penetration tester or service provider with practical knowledge of penetration testing, even though less capable may offer a very low-cost service. The main goal is to protect your assets from modern and advanced cyber attacks. Here are some key considerations:
- Look for a tester or service provider with OSCP or relevant certifications.
- Look closely at their testing approach and if it matches your requirements.
- Inquire about the tools and technologies used.
- Ask for their experience.
- Ask for details of what they will deliver.
- Compare your budget with their value.
Cost of Penetration Testing in Bytium
The cost of penetration testing we have discussed is collected from various sources on the Internet. Before telling you the price we offer, let’s have a look at some of our qualifications:
- Our experts are OSCE3, OSED, OSEP, OSWE, OSCP, Pentest+, Security+, CISSP, CEH certified.
- Several years of experience in delivering high-quality services globally.
- Bytium is globally recognized.
- Services are designed for small, medium, and large enterprises and individuals.
- Customizable and Highly affordable.
- Combination of automated and manual testing.
Even though we have the highest quality to provide penetration testing services, our prices are still cheaper than other providers. Don’t trust? Here is our pricing:
| Service type | Price |
|---|---|
| Web Application Penetration Testing | $700 small – $1000 Medium – $1500 Large |
| Network Penetration Testing | $500 to $20000 |
Is it not much cheaper, but still, you are getting top-rated testers for high-quality results? The cost can even be reduced more with a yearly agreement. Most importantly, we are humans doing the job, not automated tools.
Conclusion
We have discussed in detail the scope of testing, complexity, various types of penetration testing, the expertise of testers, and other factors that impact the cost of penetration testing. As cyber security can’t be taken lightly anymore, companies or those doing business online need to overcome budget constraints to protect their business from cyber-attacks and prevent data leaks, as these kinds of incidents are more expensive to recover. We recommend using Black box testing or automatic vulnerability scanning for an initial security assessment.
