Security Tester
A Security Tester specializes in finding vulnerabilities in software — performing penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and security code review — combining traditional QA thinking with a deep, adversarial understanding of how systems actually get attacked in practice.
Unlike general functional testing, which assumes users are trying to use a system correctly, security testing requires thinking like an attacker — understanding common vulnerability classes (the OWASP Top 10), attack techniques, and how to responsibly probe for and document exploitable weaknesses without causing real harm.
The role often requires specialized certifications (OSCP, CEH) beyond typical QA credentials, and security testers frequently work semi-independently from the rest of a QA team, reporting into a dedicated security organization — reflecting how specialized and distinct the required skill set genuinely is from general software testing.
