The PTES, or Penetration Testing Execution Standard, is an international methodological framework designed to standardise the way penetration tests are conducted. It was developed to provide a clear, structured and recognised reference framework that brings consistency, rigour and transparency to offensive security audits. By defining specific steps and setting standards shared by the community, this model enables companies to better understand how a pentest is conducted and provides service providers with a common guideline.
What is PTES?
The Penetration Testing Execution Standard was developed by a group of cybersecurity experts seeking to address a recurring issue: the lack of standardisation in pentest practices. Before its creation, each security company adopted its own methodology, which was sometimes opaque or incomplete, making it difficult to compare results and assess the quality of services.
The objective of the PTES is to provide a universal framework that defines not only the steps to be followed but also the expected deliverables, with an emphasis on communication between the client and the auditor. This approach aims to establish better mutual understanding and ensure the added value of penetration testing for the audited organisation.
A methodology structured in several phases
A PTES-compliant pentest follows a series of well-defined steps covering the entire process, from initial preparation to final reporting. The first phase, known as pre-engagement, involves clarifying the objectives, scope, conditions and rules of the test with the client. This is followed by the information gathering phase, where the auditor collects all relevant data on the target, including domains, active services, technologies used and inter-system relationships.
Next comes the threat modelling stage, which involves identifying relevant attack scenarios based on the business context and the company’s critical assets. The next phase involves vulnerability analysis, which uses automated tools and manual checks to identify potential weaknesses. This is followed by the exploitation phase, where the auditor attempts to confirm these vulnerabilities by using them to access sensitive resources. Finally, the post-exploitation phase assesses how far an attacker could go once a vulnerability has been exploited, before concluding with the reporting phase, which provides a comprehensive and prioritised overview of the results.
The importance of communication in the PTES
One of the distinctive features of PTES is its emphasis on communication between pentesters and audited organisations. Unlike some purely technical approaches, this standard stresses the need for constant dialogue to ensure that objectives are clearly understood and that results will be actionable.
This relational dimension helps to avoid misunderstandings, clarify priorities and ensure that the test meets the real needs of the company. The final report is not just a technical document; it is designed as a strategic tool for both technical teams and decision-makers, to facilitate decision-making and the implementation of corrective measures.
The benefits of a PTES-compliant pentest
Using a PTES-based audit offers several major benefits for businesses. Standardisation allows for comparable results and ensures that all critical steps have been covered. Compliance with this standard increases transparency, as customers know what to expect at each stage and understand the process followed by auditors.
This approach also improves the quality of deliverables, ensuring that vulnerabilities are not only identified but also contextualised in terms of business issues. Finally, adopting an international standard enhances the credibility of service providers and gives greater weight to the reports they produce, particularly in the context of regulatory compliance initiatives.
The skills required to implement the PTES
A pentest expert working according to PTES must have solid technical expertise as well as methodological and interpersonal skills. On a technical level, they must know how to use tools such as Nmap, Burp Suite, Metasploit, and Nessus to detect and exploit vulnerabilities.
But PTES is not limited to the use of tools: it also requires the ability to analyse the business context, understand the organisation’s critical assets and model threats realistically. On a human level, the auditor must be able to explain complex results in layman’s terms and communicate effectively with various stakeholders, whether they be technical teams, management, or compliance officers.
A response to regulatory and normative requirements
In a context marked by the GDPR in Europe, ISO 27001 certifications and PCI-DSS standards in the banking sector, PTES is an asset for meeting security requirements. By adopting a recognised methodology, companies can demonstrate that they have conducted serious, documented penetration tests in line with international best practices.
This helps reduce their liability in the event of an incident and strengthens the confidence of their customers, partners and regulatory authorities. PTES is therefore establishing itself as a strategic tool for cybersecurity compliance and governance.
An evolving approach to new threats
The Penetration Testing Execution Standard is not a fixed framework. It is designed to evolve continuously in order to adapt to new technologies and emerging threats. Cloud applications, hybrid architectures, containerised environments and APIs now play a central role in information systems.
PTES allows these new environments to be integrated into its audit scenarios, thus offering coverage that remains relevant in the face of digital transformations. This adaptability is essential in a world where cybercrime is constantly innovating and attack surfaces are constantly expanding.
Integrating PTES into an overall security strategy
A PTES-compliant pentest should not be viewed as a standalone exercise, but rather as part of an overall cybersecurity strategy. It complements other actions such as configuration audits, code analysis, patch management and red teaming exercises.
The PTES provides a methodological framework that ensures consistency between these various actions and their integration into a long-term security policy. By adopting it, an organisation does more than simply verify the robustness of its defences on an ad hoc basis; it commits to a process of continuous improvement and sustainable resilience in the face of cyber threats.