Rapid Growth Predicted for Penetration Testing Market by 2030

In 2024, the worldwide penetration testing industry will produce revenue of USD 1,818.2 million, which is projected to experience a CAGR of 17.2% over the projection period, to attain USD 4,707.8 million by the end of the decade.

The development of the industry is because of the growing requirement for protection from cyberattacks in a progressively digital world. Because of this, industries and firms are at a high risk of being breached for data and other malicious purposes. Therefore, safety and privacy being a key concern for businesses is propelling the focus on penetration testing.

AI integration in penetration testing is enhancing the testing needed in industries. AI can do so by analyzing the different stratagems and the weak links of the system. AI can be incorporated in diagnosing vulnerabilities and in the vulnerability assessment and scanning phases of testing to aid in the comprehension of the results of the scans, provide additional information to the results, and eliminate unnecessary data.

AI helps keep attack/ intruder away from the system by ensuring that its access is not continuous, and its flexible nature provides continuous different approaches to the exploitation of the system. These abilities of AI aid in mimicking more elaborate and advanced attack scenarios, thus allowing IT departments to remain one step ahead of the miscreants by strengthening their frameworks with the right software employment.

Key Insights

In 2024, the on-premises category is leading the industry with 70% revenue because of the requirement for high-level security and direct control over the testing environment.

The key benefit of on-premises deployment is entire control over the system and complete data privacy.

Multinational businesses with sensitive data and economic resources prefer on-premises deployment because of data privacy and security concerns.

The cloud category is estimated to advance at a higher CAGR of 17.5% over the projection period because of the flexibility of public, private, and hybrid cloud modes.

In 2024, the large enterprises category leads the industry with 75% revenue because of their economic strength, industry knowledge, and requirement for robust IT infrastructure protection.

The SME category is estimated to advance at a higher CAGR of 17.4% during the projection period because of the acceptance of cloud-based deployment, which provides affordability and less hassle.

The vulnerability scanners category is the largest in the market with 40% revenue in 2024 and is the fastest-growing due to cost-effective, automated continuous monitoring and proactive security.

The gray box testing category holds the largest share and will be the fastest-growing with a 17.8% CAGR during 2024–2030 due to the surge in web application testing and high accuracy for complex applications.

The mobile application category is the fastest-growing with an 18.0% CAGR over this decade, driven by the BYOD policy, increased cyberattack risk, and targeted mobile banking services.

The BFSI category is the largest with a 35% share in 2024 due to the high risk of cyber fraud and regulatory requirements for regular penetration testing.

 North America holds the largest market share at around 50% due to the presence of many tech companies, adoption of innovative technologies, and increased cyberattack risk.

Asia-Pacific region is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 17.6% due to the rapid adoption of cloud computing and mobile applications, with many SMEs availing penetration testing services due to increased cybercrime risk.