Why are pentest preferably executed on the acceptance/test environment?

Pentests are preferably executed on the acceptance/test environment for several important reasons:

1. Minimized Risk to Production Systems: Testing on a production environment can disrupt business operations, leading to downtime or other issues that affect end users. Running pentests on the acceptance/test environment helps ensure that any potential disruptions or adverse effects do not impact the live systems.
2. Controlled Environment: The acceptance/test environment is a controlled setting that closely mimics the production environment. This allows testers to identify vulnerabilities and issues in a space that accurately reflects the production environment's configuration, without the associated risks.
3. Safety and Data Integrity: Pentesting often involves aggressive techniques that can compromise data integrity or cause system crashes. By using the acceptance/test environment, sensitive data in the production environment remains safe, and any negative impacts are contained within a non-critical environment.
4. Detection and Remediation Without Impact: Issues found during a pentest can be addressed and remediated in the test environment before deploying the fixes to production. This process allows for thoroughly testing the fixes without affecting the live systems.
5. Compliance and Best Practices: Many compliance standards and best practice guidelines recommend or require that security testing be conducted in a non-production environment to ensure that the testing does not interfere with business operations or compromise sensitive data.
6. Realistic Simulation: An acceptance/test environment should replicate the production environment as closely as possible. This allows for realistic testing scenarios that provide accurate insights into how vulnerabilities and attacks might manifest in the live environment.
7. Staging for Deployment: The acceptance/test environment serves as a staging area where updates, patches, and configurations can be tested before being deployed to production. Pentests in this environment ensure that security measures are effective and that new vulnerabilities have not been introduced during the update process.
8. Safe Exploration of Attack Vectors: Pentesters can explore a wide range of attack vectors and techniques in the acceptance/test environment without the fear of causing real-world damage. This freedom enables a more thorough and effective assessment of the system's security posture.

In summary, performing pentests on the acceptance/test environment helps balance the need for thorough security testing with the necessity of maintaining the integrity and availability of production systems. This approach allows for the identification and remediation of vulnerabilities in a safe and controlled manner, ultimately leading to a more secure production environment.