X
December 9, 2025
Security teams cannot keep up with the pace of modern DevOps. With organizations deploying code dozens of times per day through CI/CD pipelines, traditional manual penetration testing—scheduled quarterly or annually—simply can't provide the continuous validation that modern applications require. Security becomes a bottleneck, slowing releases and creating friction between teams.
Contrast Security pioneered a different approach. Using instrumentation-based automated penetration testing, the Contrast runtime security platform delivers the speed of automation with accuracy that developers trust. Organizations using Contrast identify and remediate vulnerabilities in real-time without the alert fatigue and development friction that plague conventional tools.
This guide explores how automated penetration testing works, why Contrast's approach delivers superior results with pinpoint accuracy, and how modern AppSec teams use Contrast to secure applications at the speed of DevOps.
Try Contrast in a 20-minute sandbox experience
Automated penetration testing is a security testing methodology that uses software tools and instrumentation to continuously identify vulnerabilities throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Unlike traditional manual penetration testing, which requires security experts to manually probe applications at scheduled intervals, automated penetration testing uses intelligent agents and runtime analysis to detect security flaws as code executes.
The critical difference: Manual penetration testing provides a point-in-time assessment—a snapshot of security posture at a specific moment. Automated penetration testing provides continuous security validation, testing applications every time code changes, during builds, and even in production environments.
The Contrast runtime security platform automates penetration testing by embedding intelligent agents directly within your applications.
Here's how Contrast works:
Rather than choosing one or the other, the most effective approach combines both methods—and Contrast is designed to excel in this hybrid model.
Dimension |
|
Manual pen testing |
Contrast approach |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Frequency |
Periodic scans |
Quarterly/annually |
Continuous, real-time |
|
Speed |
Hours to days |
Days to weeks |
Real time to minutes |
|
Accuracy |
40-60% false positives |
Variable |
As low as 7% false positives |
|
Coverage |
Surface-level, limited context |
Deep but narrow scope |
Comprehensive runtime coverage |
|
Cost per test |
Moderate, limited scalability |
High, very limited scale |
Low scales across portfolios |
|
Integration |
Requires separate pipeline steps |
External, point-in-time |
Native developer pipeline integration |
|
Best for |
Initial scanning |
Compliance, creative scenarios |
Continuous validation and strategic testing |
Contrast excels in the hybrid model: continuous automation maintains baseline security posture, while targeted manual penetration testing provides periodic deep-dive assessments and compliance validation.
Traditional penetration testing cycles can take months from discovery to remediation. Contrast compresses this timeline dramatically: vulnerabilities are detected in real-time as code executes, developers are notified immediately with actionable guidance, fixes are implemented within the current sprint, and verification occurs automatically on the subsequent execution.
This reduces exposure windows from months to hours, enabling organizations to maintain security without sacrificing development velocity.
Contrast's runtime application security approach can achieve approximately 93% accuracy with false positive rates as low as 7%. This compares favorably to traditional vulnerability scanners that struggle with false positive rates of 40-60% or higher.
Lowering false-positive rates means security teams can spend more time on actual remediation rather than investigating non-existent vulnerabilities. Developers trust Contrast findings because they're confirmed through runtime validation, leading to faster fixes.
Contrast scales efficiently across growing application portfolios because testing runs automatically in parallel, requires no scheduling overhead, and ensures every application receives ongoing security validation regardless of portfolio size.
Contrast integrates throughout your development lifecycle: from IDEs providing immediate feedback as developers write code, to CI/CD pipelines preventing vulnerable code from advancing, to production monitoring with runtime protection capabilities that detect and block exploitation attempts in real time. This seamless integration means security testing becomes an automatic part of your workflow rather than a separate, disruptive process.
Unit4, a global technology company serving over 6,000 customers worldwide, needed to adopt DevOps methodology companywide and streamline application security across all products with consistent standards. Previously, application security relied on initial architectural reviews and manual penetration testing by third parties. As José Oca, Lead Quality Manager, explains: "We knew we needed to deliver an automated approach to application security tools and practices for our development process."
Unit4's Quality team evaluated various application security tools, including traditional SAST, DAST and SCA solutions. "We started to create our own rules in some of these tools, but we quickly realized that using these tools requires a high level of expertise and a lot of customization," Oca recalls.
When they discovered Contrast Assess, the difference was immediate. "It was one of the fastest proofs of concept that we had," says Oca. "This was precisely the level of automation we were looking for, and it only required a pretty basic setup."
Within months of deploying Contrast, Unit4 realized measurable benefits that transformed their security posture:
87% reduction in false positives: From 57% false positives in traditional pen test reports to just 7% with Contrast Assess. "With Contrast Assess we had an average of 7% of false positives against the 57% in the pen-test reports received from our customers," states Oca. This dramatic reduction meant security teams could focus entirely on real vulnerabilities.
72 hours saved per penetration test report: Estimated time savings in staff hours investigating false positives and preparing reports. These hours were redirected to actual security improvements and strategic initiatives.
2-3x faster remediation times: Vulnerabilities are remediated before additional code layers are added, making fixes less complicated and costly. The immediate feedback loop meant developers fixed issues in the same sprint.
Security culture transformation: "The immediate feedback is very good at helping engineers learn not to create the same vulnerability twice," notes Oca. "It is very didactical."
As Oca concludes: "We have the right automation in place for our application security, and our engineers are learning to write more secure code. As a result, we are in a great place and the future is looking bright for us."
This level of transformation is only possible because Contrast's instrumentation-based approach provides accurate, actionable feedback that developers trust and act upon immediately.
Many automated tools require extensive configuration and custom rule writing that delays time-to-value. Contrast's solution: Basic setup with minimal configuration required. As Unit4 experienced: "It was one of the fastest proofs of concept that we had." Contrast agents instrument applications automatically with no code changes required, and native integrations mean developers use their existing tools without disruption.
Traditional scanners generate overwhelming false positives (40-60% or higher), creating alert fatigue where teams stop trusting findings. Contrast's solution: Low false-positive rates through runtime validation. Contrast confirms vulnerabilities by observing actual application behavior rather than making static assumptions. Risk-based prioritization automatically surfaces critical issues first, so developers trust findings and act immediately.
Organizations struggle to hire and retain enough security expertise to manually test growing application portfolios. Contrast's solution: Clear remediation guidance with detailed roadmaps showing exactly where vulnerabilities exist and how to fix them. Developers can act on findings without requiring deep security expertise, while the immediate feedback loop helps them learn secure coding practices over time.
See how Contrast can solve your specific challenges with a personalized demo
Automated penetration testing represents a fundamental evolution in application security, enabling organizations to secure applications at the speed of modern software development. Contrast Security pioneered the instrumentation-based approach that delivers:
Organizations implementing Contrast enable true DevSecOps transformation, where security becomes a competitive advantage rather than a bottleneck. As deployment velocity accelerates and application portfolios grow, automated penetration testing with Contrast becomes essential.
Ready to transform your application security program? The Contrast runtime security platform delivers the speed and accuracy modern AppSec teams need to secure applications at DevOps pace.
Request a demo to see how Contrast can reduce your false positives significantly, save 72+ hours per testing cycle, and accelerate remediation across your application portfolio.
Try it out and experience what it’s like to stop application attacks in the Contrast sandbox environment.
Read the Unit4 case study to see the full transformation story and measurable results.
Automated penetration testing uses software tools and instrumentation to identify vulnerabilities throughout the software development lifecycle continuously. Unlike manual testing conducted at specific intervals, automated testing uses intelligent agents and runtime analysis to detect security flaws as code executes.
Contrast's approach instruments applications from within, analyzing actual runtime behavior rather than making static assumptions. This runtime validation is why Contrast customers can achieve significantly lower false-positive rates than traditional scanners.
Automated testing runs continuously with real-time detection and low false-positive rates when using runtime validation approaches, such as Contrast. Manual testing is conducted periodically by security experts who excel at identifying complex business logic flaws and creative attack scenarios. The most effective security programs use both automation for continuous validation and manual testing for deep-dive assessments and compliance requirements.
Contrast enables this hybrid approach by handling continuous baseline security validation, freeing your security experts to focus on strategic manual testing that requires human judgment and creativity.
Accuracy varies dramatically by approach. Traditional automated scanners struggle with 40-60% false-positive rates or higher.
With Contrast's runtime application security approach, organizations can achieve approximately 93% accuracy with false-positive rates as low as 7%. This exceptional accuracy comes from testing applications in real-world runtime contexts rather than making static assumptions about code behavior. Contrast instruments applications from within, observing actual data flows and confirming exploitability through runtime validation.
Unit4 reported this dramatic improvement when they switched to Contrast Assess: "With Contrast Assess we had an average of 7% of false positives against the 57% in the pen-test reports received from our customers." This 87% reduction in false positives saved an estimated 72 hours per penetration test report cycle.
Automated penetration testing with Contrast identifies comprehensive vulnerability categories, including:
Contrast's runtime analysis detects these vulnerabilities as they occur during actual execution, confirming exploitability rather than reporting theoretical possibilities.
Getting started with Contrast is designed to be fast and straightforward:
Contrast's instrumentation approach requires minimal configuration—no custom rule writing or extensive tuning like traditional SAST tools. Most organizations see first results within hours of deployment.
Start your Contrast proof of concept today
Contrast Security empowers organizations to build, deploy, and protect applications faster and more securely by embedding security into the software development lifecycle. The Contrast runtime security platform provides comprehensive application security with real-time vulnerability detection, industry-leading accuracy, seamless CI/CD integration and runtime protection, enabling true DevSecOps at enterprise scale.
Ready to transform your application security? Request a demo or watch live as it blocks attacks to experience Contrast.
Jake Milstein is Vice President of Corporate Marketing & Communications at Contrast Security, where he drives awareness of Application Security and Application Detection & Response (ADR). Before entering cybersecurity, Jake spent much of his career leading newsrooms and newscasts at CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC affiliates nationwide, earning multiple Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. He has since led sales and marketing teams at leading cybersecurity companies, helping customers stop breaches with Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Application Detection and Response (ADR), and a wide range of consulting services.
Get the latest content from Contrast directly to your mailbox. By subscribing, you will stay up to date with all the latest and greatest from Contrast.
