From point-in-time to all the time: Why security testing needs to evolve

For years, penetration testing has been the go-to method for validating an organization’s cybersecurity posture. But development cycles move at lightning speed and threats evolve by the hour. So, is point-in-time testing still fit for purpose?

Very often, it means security teams are left reacting to yesterday’s vulnerabilities instead of preventing tomorrow’s breaches. 

The legacy and limitations of penetration testing

Traditional penetration testing was born in an era when software updates were infrequent and release cycles stretched over months. Today, with continuous delivery pipelines and cloud-native applications, many are questioning whether that model fits our reality.

Penetration tests typically happen annually, often as a compliance checkbox or post-incident exercise. These one-off assessments identify vulnerabilities at a specific moment in time, but they can’t account for what happens in the weeks and months that follow. As such, you can end up with long windows of exposure between tests. New vulnerabilities can appear the very next day, and attackers don’t wait for your next cycle.

Even worse, testing too late in the development cycle can slow releases or create tension between your security and development teams. The latter, under pressure to ship features fast, often sees security as a handbrake. When penetration testing becomes a roadblock rather than a guide, it risks derailing the very innovation it’s meant to protect.

The quiet periods aren’t so quiet

Between tests, much can change: Code evolves, configurations drift and new application programming interfaces (APIs) are added, meaning each change introduces potential weak spots that remain unchecked until the next scheduled test.

To address these weak spots, you can either run a quick, surface-level scan, which can give a false sense of security, or perform a deep, manual test that delays the pace of business. Neither is ideal.

This so-called “quiet period” is where the biggest risks hide. Many real-world breaches occur because organizations fail to test continuously, making it easier for attackers to exploit those gaps — sometimes within hours of a new vulnerability being introduced.

Continuous validation: Security that moves with you

Forward-thinking security leaders are breaking this reactive cycle by embedding continuous validation into their DevSecOps processes. Security testing is no longer seen as a one-off event; rather, it’s an ongoing discipline that evolves alongside the business.

NTT DATA works with a global retailer that runs quarterly incremental tests aligned with new releases while maintaining a baseline of business-specific security requirements. Each test builds on the last, rather than starting from scratch. The retailer also runs external “attack surface validations,” which use external intelligence feeds to mirror real-world attacker behavior. This keeps testing relevant and adaptive.

Other NTT DATA clients integrate automated scanning and threat intelligence directly into their continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Instead of relying on manual approvals, these tests run quietly in the background, surfacing issues early and educating developers in real time.

Automation has made the relationship between security and developers much healthier. When testing happens in the pipeline, it’s nondisruptive. Security becomes an enabler, not an obstacle.

Building the mindset for continuous security

Continuous validation is also about mindset. Security teams are gradually moving from being gatekeepers to being collaborators, and developers also need to see security as integral to quality, rather than a box to tick.

This cultural shift often starts small: Embedding scanning tools into the pipeline, scheduling more frequent tests or aligning testing calendars with known release cycles. The goal is not to test everything all the time, but to build a rhythm where testing and development evolve together.

Over time, the benefits become apparent:

• Fewer surprises: Vulnerabilities are caught earlier, reducing rework and delays.
• Greater resilience: Continuous insights help organizations adapt to changing threat landscapes.
• Faster innovation: Security becomes part of the flow, not a blocker of it.

A living, breathing approach to assurance

In the end, the future of offensive security is about evolving penetration testing, not replacing it. And by adopting continuous validation, organizations turn testing from a reactive activity into a proactive capability.

Ultimately, we need to stop treating testing as an event and start treating it as an ecosystem — one that never sleeps.

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