SIGNALInfrastructure Software·Jun 30, 2026, 7:38 PMSignal60Short term

Infosec professionals sour on automated pentesting tools

Source: The Register

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Infosec professionals sour on automated pentesting tools

29% of security pros were open to fully autonomous pentesting last year; now only 9% are

Why this matters
Why now

Security professionals are gaining more hands-on experience with new automated pentesting tools as they become more prevalent, leading to a more informed and critical assessment of their current capabilities and limitations.

Why it’s important

The shift in sentiment regarding automated pentesting indicates a growing realization among security experts that fully autonomous AI solutions may not be suitable for critical security functions, challenging previous assumptions about AI's immediate broad applicability.

What changes

Confidence in fully autonomous pentesting has significantly decreased, suggesting a need for a more nuanced approach to AI integration in cybersecurity, likely focusing on AI-assisted tools rather than full automation.

Winners
  • · Human cybersecurity professionals
  • · Hybrid AI-human security solutions
  • · Developers of specialized security AI tools
Losers
  • · Providers of fully autonomous pentesting solutions
  • · Early-stage AI security startups promising full automation
  • · Cybersecurity consultancies reliant on simple 'set and forget' AI
Second-order effects
Direct

Demand for AI-augmented human security services will likely increase, as companies seek the efficiency of AI without sacrificing the critical judgment of human experts.

Second

Investment in AI for cybersecurity may pivot towards more specialized, task-specific AI agents that enhance rather than replace human capabilities, focusing on tools rather than fully autonomous systems.

Third

This could lead to a broader philosophical re-evaluation within other professional fields regarding the immediate prospects of full AI autonomy versus intelligent AI assistance, especially in high-stakes domains.

Editorial confidence: 90 / 100 · Structural impact: 40 / 100
Original report

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