What Is the Difference Between Pentesting and Bug Bounty?

What Is Pentesting?

Pentesting attempts to ethically breach a system's security for the purpose of vulnerability identification. In most cases, both humans and automated programs research, probe, and attack a network using various methods and channels. Once inside the network, pentesters see exactly how deep they can get into a network with the ultimate goal of achieving full administrative access, or "root."

Learn more about Pentesting and How It Works Step-by-Step.

Different Pentesting Methods

Different pentest methodologies offer different benefits, and many of the more “traditional” methods are redundant or cumbersome to manage. Modern pentesting approaches use freelance security researchers and advanced software platforms to streamline the process. However, with many vendors focusing on other core security products and services, it’s important to make sure that the pentest offering you choose provides you with both the compliance and verification you need and the findings you’d expect from skilled security researchers.

Here are the different pentesting options.

1. Traditional Pentesting via Consultancies: Pentesting services delivered by professional service providers, primarily leveraging their in-house salaried pentesters or long-term contractors.
2. Traditional Pentest as a Service (PTaaS): Essentially, traditional pentesting with an added user interface.
3. Community-driven Pentest as a Service (PTaaS): A modern evolution of pentesting, harnessing the collective expertise of a global community of vetted security researchers.
4. Automated Pentesting: Including autonomous approaches powered by generative AI (GenAI) algorithms and advanced machine learning models, uses predefined scripts or tools to systematically scan and assess systems for vulnerabilities based on recognized signatures or patterns.

Which Pentesting Option Is Right for Your Organization?

We break down and evaluate the different pentesting methodologies by three categories: Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Value. These criteria empower decision-makers to align their choice of pentesting approach with their overarching business, security, and technological objectives.

Upon assessment, community-driven pentesting via PTaaS stands out. It offers a flexible, tailored, and competitively priced solution that meets unique organizational needs. As the leading option, community-driven PTaaS provides thorough testing and detailed analysis, ensuring rapid setup and timely completion of assessments.

To see the full breakdown, download The Pentesting Matrix: Decoding Traditional and Modern Approaches.

What About a Bug Bounty Program?

Bug bounty programs incentivize ethical hackers via monetary rewards for successfully discovering and reporting vulnerabilities or bugs to the application's developer. 

These programs allow organizations to access the ethical hacking and security researcher community to continuously improve their systems' security posture. Bounties complement existing security controls and pentesting by exposing vulnerabilities that automated scanners might miss and incentivizing security researchers to emulate potential bad-actor exploits.

Learn more about Bug Bounties and How They Work [With Examples].

What Is the Difference Between Community-driven Pentesting and Bug Bounties?

Bug bounty programs yield superior results over time due to a stochastic model, making them an optimal choice for organizations striving for comprehensive, ongoing testing that encompasses a diverse set of security researchers. The long-term value of this approach is evident in the lower average cost per discovered vulnerability, as well as leading global companies’ commitment (like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook) to long-running bug bounty programs.

In contrast, community-driven pentests via PTaaS deliver immediate results through a select group of security researchers. These experts, compensated for their skill sets and backgrounds, meticulously follow specific checklists to ensure comprehensive testing. Organizations that need immediate results for compliance or commitments to stakeholders tend to gravitate toward pentests. Events like the release of a new product or a recent acquisition also catalyze the demand for such tests.

Why Organizations Need Community-driven Pentesting and Bug Bounty

For comprehensive security testing of production applications, organizations should implement a wide-ranging bug bounty program and supplement it with targeted pentests where testing assurance is required. 

Complete Your Security Program With HackerOne 

Whether you start with a pentest or implement a bug bounty program simultaneously for more comprehensive coverage, certain benefits are consistent across both types of programs. Both draw from a vast pool of ethical hackers, ensuring the best experts for the task at hand. Some researchers exclusively focus on bug bounties, while carefully vetted researchers concentrate on pentests, with the most proficient often engaging in both. 

Both methods utilize HackerOne's HackerOne Attack Resistance platform, delivered as SaaS, providing real-time results and advanced analytics. This platform offers a live view of ongoing pentest progress and allows you to track key metrics from kickoff to remediation. It also manages everything from vulnerability disclosure to payout in a single dashboard. The vulnerabilities identified through both methods integrate seamlessly into your workflows and other systems.

Together, bounties and pentesting strike a balance between continuous, proactive vulnerability discovery and in-depth, time-bound testing. To learn more about the right approach to pentesting for your organization’s unique needs and goals, download The Pentesting Matrix: Decoding Traditional and Modern Approaches.