Penetration Tester Salary

The average salary for a Penetration Tester is $84,160.

10%

$57k

MEDIAN

$84k

90%

$136k

Salary

$57k - $136k

Bonus

$971 - $15k

Profit Sharing

$412 - $21k

Commission

$0 - $8k

Total Pay

$52k - $141k

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What Do Penetration Testers Do?

The integrity of internal systems connected with the wider Internet is crucial to the operations of many organizations, from financial institutions to health care companies to government agencies. Organizations often employ cybersecurity experts to help protect their vital systems from malicious attacks. One of the basic tasks that must be accomplished to secure a system is to find where vulnerabilities exist. The penetration tester uses a wide variety of tools (some of which may be self-constru

Penetration Tester Tasks

Conduct IT/Cyber Security assessments / penetration tests (hands-on work), as an individual, self-managed tester, or in small project teams.
Work with customers to determine their need for security assessments, present and explain the employed methodology, and support them with feedback and verification during mitigation.
Document findings for management and technical staff and recommend mitigating actions.
Follow industry best practice methodologies for penetration testing, and be able to use tools for a basis level assessment.
Search for security vulnerabilities in web applications, fat/thin client applications, and standard applications, and assess the secure configuration of operating systems and network devices.

Job Satisfaction for Penetration Tester

4 out of 5

(77)

Highly Satisfied

8Reviews

Popular Employer Salaries for Penetration Tester

Booz, Allen, and Hamilton

$79k

Acme, Inc.

$110k

Paylocity

$98k

International Business Machines (IBM) Corp.

$103k

The top respondents for the job title Penetration Tester are from the companies Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, Acme, Inc. and Paylocity. Reported salaries are highest at Acme, Inc. where the average pay is $109,927. Other companies that offer high salaries for this role include International Business Machines (IBM) Corp., earning around $102,510. Booz, Allen, and Hamilton pays the lowest at around $79,497. Paylocity also pays on the lower end of the scale, paying $97,663.

Penetration Tester Job Listings

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Job Title / Company

Location

What Are Popular Skills for Penetration Testers?

Security Testing and Auditing

$85,100

330 responses

Penetration Testing

$88,542

306 responses

Cyber Security

$85,471

242 responses

Web Security & Encryption

$83,103

173 responses

Network Security Management

$82,910

142 responses

Skills in Security Testing and Auditing, Penetration Testing and Cyber Security are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that pay less than market rate include Network Security Management and Web Security & Encryption.

What is the Pay by Experience Level for Penetration Testers?

An entry-level Penetration Tester with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $66,384 based on 65 salaries. An early career Penetration Tester with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $77,161 based on 348 salaries. A mid-career Penetration Tester with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $104,217 based on 152 salaries. An experienced Penetration Tester with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $117,652 based on 94 salaries. In their late career (20 years and higher), employees earn an average total compensation of $125,903.

Pay Difference by Location

Learn more about cost of living by city.

Washington, District of Columbia

▲31%

▲17%

▲12%

▲2%

▼2%

▼8%

▼38%

Employees with Penetration Tester in their job title in Washington, District of Columbia earn an average of 30.7% more than the national average. These job titles also find higher than average salaries in Seattle, Washington (16.8% more) and Chicago, Illinois (12.4% more). The lowest salaries can be found in Salt Lake City, Utah (37.6% less), New York, New York (7.7% less) and Austin, Texas (2.1% less).