PenTest++: Elevating Ethical Hacking with AI and Automation
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| author | Al-Sinani, Haitham S. Mitchell, Chris J. |
| author_facet | Al-Sinani, Haitham S. Mitchell, Chris J. |
| contents | Traditional ethical hacking relies on skilled professionals and time-intensive command management, which limits its scalability and efficiency. To address these challenges, we introduce PenTest++, an AI-augmented system that integrates automation with generative AI (GenAI) to optimise ethical hacking workflows. Developed in a controlled virtual environment, PenTest++ streamlines critical penetration testing tasks, including reconnaissance, scanning, enumeration, exploitation, and documentation, while maintaining a modular and adaptable design. The system balances automation with human oversight, ensuring informed decision-making at key stages, and offers significant benefits such as enhanced efficiency, scalability, and adaptability. However, it also raises ethical considerations, including privacy concerns and the risks of AI-generated inaccuracies (hallucinations). This research underscores the potential of AI-driven systems like PenTest++ to complement human expertise in cybersecurity by automating routine tasks, enabling professionals to focus on strategic decision-making. By incorporating robust ethical safeguards and promoting ongoing refinement, PenTest++ demonstrates how AI can be responsibly harnessed to address operational and ethical challenges in the evolving cybersecurity landscape. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_09484 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | PenTest++: Elevating Ethical Hacking with AI and Automation Al-Sinani, Haitham S. Mitchell, Chris J. Cryptography and Security Artificial Intelligence Traditional ethical hacking relies on skilled professionals and time-intensive command management, which limits its scalability and efficiency. To address these challenges, we introduce PenTest++, an AI-augmented system that integrates automation with generative AI (GenAI) to optimise ethical hacking workflows. Developed in a controlled virtual environment, PenTest++ streamlines critical penetration testing tasks, including reconnaissance, scanning, enumeration, exploitation, and documentation, while maintaining a modular and adaptable design. The system balances automation with human oversight, ensuring informed decision-making at key stages, and offers significant benefits such as enhanced efficiency, scalability, and adaptability. However, it also raises ethical considerations, including privacy concerns and the risks of AI-generated inaccuracies (hallucinations). This research underscores the potential of AI-driven systems like PenTest++ to complement human expertise in cybersecurity by automating routine tasks, enabling professionals to focus on strategic decision-making. By incorporating robust ethical safeguards and promoting ongoing refinement, PenTest++ demonstrates how AI can be responsibly harnessed to address operational and ethical challenges in the evolving cybersecurity landscape. |
| title | PenTest++: Elevating Ethical Hacking with AI and Automation |
| topic | Cryptography and Security Artificial Intelligence |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.09484 |