Pink Teaming: The Dilution of Pentesting

**Executive Summary:** This article warns that penetration tests are increasingly being watered down into 'Pink Teams' by overly restrictive policies and actions (e.g., pre-blocking test IPs, disabling tools during tests, excluding key targets), and recommends ongoing education—such as lunch-and-learns, webcasts, and regular stakeholder briefings—to build trust and preserve the integrity and effectiveness of security testing.