Continuous Pen Testing and the Rise of the Offensive SOC
Continuous pen testing is quickly emerging as the next step in proactive cybersecurity. While traditional penetration tests provide valuable insights, they’re typically conducted once or twice a year, leaving long gaps where new vulnerabilities can go unnoticed. In today’s fast-changing threat landscape, that approach seems to be no longer enough.
The shift toward continuous testing is being driven by two key developments: Attack Surface Management (ASM) and the Offensive Security Operations Center (SOC). Together, they are redefining how organizations detect, validate, and respond to threats.
ASM continuously maps an organization’s digital footprint, uncovering assets that are often overlooked, like forgotten subdomains, shadow IT, and exposed third-party integrations. These are the entry points attackers are most likely to exploit, and traditional testing windows often miss them. By combining ASM with regular, automated attack simulations, organizations gain a living picture of their risk landscape rather than a static snapshot.
The Offensive SOC takes this one step further. Instead of simply monitoring and responding, it proactively hunts for weaknesses, mimicking the behavior of real adversaries. Offensive SOC teams don’t just wait for alerts; they actively attempt to exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities, test defenses in real time, and provide actionable intelligence to close gaps before attackers can.
The result is a more adaptive, resilient security posture. Continuous pen testing helps strengthen detection, response, and coordination across teams and also ensures that when the threat landscape shifts, as it inevitably will, organizations aren’t relying on outdated assessments but are instead operating from current, validated data.
In an era where digital infrastructures evolve daily and attackers move faster than ever, continuous testing is becoming less of an option and more of a necessity. Paired with ASM and an Offensive SOC, it offers organizations a dynamic and proactive way to reduce risk, protect assets, and stay ahead of adversaries.
Dale, Chris. 2025. “Continuous Penetration Testing and the Rise of the Offensive SOC” SANS Institute. February 5.
READ: http://bit.ly/4neJE4s
- Attack Surface Management
- Breach Readiness
- Continuous Pen Testing
- Cyber Resilience
- CyberSecurity
- Offensive SOC
- Penetration Testing
- Red Team Operations
- Threat Exposure
