How does the daily activity of a Penetration Tester differ from that of a Cybersecurity Analyst in terms of system interaction?

The Penetration Tester gets paid to try and break into systems to expose weaknesses before malicious actors do, while a Cybersecurity Analyst often monitors systems, responds to alerts, and ensures compliance.

Cybersecurity encompasses both proactive defense (testing) and reactive/ongoing defense (monitoring). A Penetration Tester, often called an ethical hacker, employs creative and unconventional methods to actively probe a system's defenses, simulating an attack to identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited maliciously. This is the offensive side of security. The Cybersecurity Analyst, however, operates largely on the defensive side by maintaining continuous vigilance—monitoring logs, responding immediately to generated security alerts, enforcing established security protocols, and verifying that the organization adheres to necessary compliance standards.