Pivoting From Offensive To Defensive Security
ITProToday, Monday, June 2nd, 2025
Here's how to transition from an offensive to defensive cybersecurity professional.
The most secure companies in the world use a combination of offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies to protect their digital assets from outside threats. Defensive security engineers build secure infrastructure from the ground up, while pen testers take an offensive stance and identify ways hackers could penetrate a system.
Offensive and defensive skills rely on a deep understanding of software architecture, yet each requires a different mindset and technical expertise. Education and skills training are the place to start for pen testers seeking to transition from offensive to defensive security. Over time, the shift in mindset from offensive to defensive security leads to an entirely new way of looking at software.