Penetration Testing Execution Standard

PTES pentest methodology 7 phases.

Definition

PTES provides detailed guidelines per phase and level (Tier 1 SMB, Tier 2 Enterprise, Tier 3 Government / Critical). Technical Guidelines cover tools, methods, evidence collection. Reporting standardizes executive + technical sections. Complementary to NIST SP 800-115, OSSTMM, OWASP Web Security Testing Guide.

Origin

PTES Working Group (Chris Nickerson, Dave Kennedy, Iftach Ian Amit, Joshua Wright + 100+ contributors), v1 2010.

Usage

Reference for pentest providers (Offensive Security, Bishop Fox, NCC Group, Trustwave, Rapid7).

Related terms

• OSSTMM — standard concurrent.
• NIST SP 800-115 — standard NIST.
• OWASP WSTG — guide web.