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Penetration Tests Are The Check Engine Light On Your Security Operations

• SEI Report
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Describes a set of controls organizations should implement before performing penetration testing, offers pointers, and outlines next steps.
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Software Engineering Institute

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Abstract

Penetration testing is a way of testing your security controls against realistic attacks. However, it assumes that you have a known set of controls to test. Just as you wouldn't build a vehicle maintenance plan based on the check engine light alone, it's suboptimal to start improving network security operations with a penetration test.

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Householder, A., & Klinedinst, D. (2020, January 7). Penetration Tests Are The Check Engine Light On Your Security Operations. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/penetration-tests-are-the-check-engine-light-on-your-security-operations/.

@techreport{householder_2020,
author={Householder, Allen and Klinedinst, Dan},
title={Penetration Tests Are The Check Engine Light On Your Security Operations},
month={Jan},
year={2020},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/penetration-tests-are-the-check-engine-light-on-your-security-operations/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-22}
}

Householder, Allen, and Dan Klinedinst. "Penetration Tests Are The Check Engine Light On Your Security Operations." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, January 7, 2020. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/penetration-tests-are-the-check-engine-light-on-your-security-operations/.

A. Householder, and D. Klinedinst, "Penetration Tests Are The Check Engine Light On Your Security Operations," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, 7-Jan-2020 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/penetration-tests-are-the-check-engine-light-on-your-security-operations/. [Accessed: 22-Sep-2026].

Householder, Allen, and Dan Klinedinst. "Penetration Tests Are The Check Engine Light On Your Security Operations." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 7 Jan. 2020. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/penetration-tests-are-the-check-engine-light-on-your-security-operations/. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Householder, Allen; & Klinedinst, Dan. Penetration Tests Are The Check Engine Light On Your Security Operations. Software Engineering Institute. 2020. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/penetration-tests-are-the-check-engine-light-on-your-security-operations/

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