Lower Risk

Technology

Penetration Tester

AI is beginning to impact penetration testing by automating vulnerability scanning and report generation. LLMs can assist in code analysis and generating attack strategies, while specialized AI tools can automate repetitive testing tasks. However, the need for creative problem-solving, understanding complex system interactions, and ethical considerations will limit full automation in the near term.

Top risks:

Conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on networks, systems, and applications40%
Analyze security systems and seek vulnerabilities50%
Develop and execute exploit code to test security measures30%

Technology

Security Engineer

AI is poised to significantly impact Security Engineers by automating routine tasks like vulnerability scanning, threat detection, and security monitoring. AI-powered tools can analyze vast datasets to identify anomalies and potential threats more efficiently than humans. However, tasks requiring complex problem-solving, incident response, and strategic security planning will remain crucial human responsibilities. Relevant AI systems include machine learning for anomaly detection, natural language processing (NLP) for threat intelligence analysis, and robotic process automation (RPA) for automating security tasks.

Top risks:

Conducting vulnerability assessments and penetration testing40%
Monitoring security systems and networks for intrusions and anomalies70%
Responding to security incidents and breaches30%

Side-by-Side Metrics

Metric	Penetration Tester	Security Engineer
Risk Score	67%	69%
Risk Level	High Risk	High Risk
Timeline	5-10 years	5-10 years
Category	Technology	Technology
Tasks at Risk	6 tasks	7 tasks
Skills at Risk	4 skills	5 skills
Safe Skills	5 skills	6 skills

Risk Comparison

Penetration Tester67%

Security Engineer69%

Penetration Tester has 2 percentage points lower risk than Security Engineer.

Tasks at Risk

Penetration Tester Tasks at Risk

Conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on networks, systems, and applications40%

5-10 years

Analyze security systems and seek vulnerabilities50%

5-10 years

Develop and execute exploit code to test security measures30%

10+ years

Document security vulnerabilities and provide recommendations for remediation60%

5-10 years

Collaborate with IT teams to implement security improvements20%

10+ years

Security Engineer Tasks at Risk

Conducting vulnerability assessments and penetration testing40%

5-10 years

Monitoring security systems and networks for intrusions and anomalies70%

1-3 years

Responding to security incidents and breaches30%

5-10 years

Developing and implementing security policies and procedures20%

10+ years

Managing and configuring security tools and technologies50%

5-10 years

Skills Comparison

Penetration Tester -- Safe Skills

Creative problem-solvingEthical hackingUnderstanding complex system interactionsInterpersonal communicationCritical thinking

Penetration Tester -- Skills at Risk

Vulnerability scanningReport generationBasic code analysisThreat intelligence gathering

Security Engineer -- Safe Skills

Complex incident responseSecurity architecture designStrategic security planningSecurity policy developmentEthical hacking (advanced)Security awareness training (interactive)

Security Engineer -- Skills at Risk

Vulnerability scanningThreat detectionSecurity monitoringLog analysisBasic incident triage

Shared Vulnerable Skills(at risk in both careers)

Vulnerability scanning

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