Manual Pentesting for Audits

If your client is preparing for an audit, it matters how their pentest is done.
For PCI DSS, manual penetration testing isn’t optional—it’s written directly into the standard.
With frameworks like SOC 2 and HIPAA, the lines aren’t as strict—but many CPAs and assessors will still look for manual testing as a signal of maturity and credibility.

Automated tools may be faster and cheaper, but they don’t always satisfy the people reviewing the reports.

Where Manual Testing Is Required

The PCI Security Standards Council is clear that vulnerability scans , automated penetration testing, and AI powered hackers are not a substitute for a manual penetration tests for compliance. Their official guidance requires organizations to perform manual testing that goes beyond surface-level scanning to identify security issues.

Automated tools can identify missing patches or misconfigurations. But they can’t simulate a real attacker chaining those flaws together. They can’t test business logic. And they can’t adapt in real-time to how your environment actually functions.

SOC 2 & HIPAA: Manual Pentesting and Trust

In these frameworks, the focus is on how data is protected. If your pentest doesn’t demonstrate an actual audit of your system but another security SaaS solution, an auditor may question whether the security controls are actually effective.

Manual pentesting provides the testing needed to evaluate how the data is protected. It shows how systems behave under attack.

AI Pentesting Is a SaaS, Not an Audit

“AI-powered” or “automated” pentest tools promising results at a low price to prey on users looking to check the box. While these tools have their place—for continuous testing or baseline scanning—they don’t meet the bar for audits.

An AI-generated pentest report is a SaaS product. A manual pentest is part of the audit. If the goal is to check a box, automation might get you there. But if the goal is to validate real security and pass a credible audit, it needs to be human-led.

Why Are You Getting the Pentest?

Audits demand evidence of real security validation, and that means manual testing. It’s what auditors trust, it’s what frameworks increasingly expect, and it’s the only way to ensure that what gets tested truly reflects the organization’s risk.

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