Penetration Testing Services

Think your system is secure? Penetration testers would like a word. Penetration testing goes beyond simple security checks. It’s an active attempt to breach your system, mimicking real-world attackers who scour for vulnerabilities. Unlike casual scanning, a pen test involves strategic thinking, social engineering, and exploitation of chain vulnerabilities—where a seemingly harmless gap leads to deeper system access. It’s intense, sometimes uncomfortable, but ultimately enlightening. Penetration testing reveals not just technical flaws, but also organizational blind spots. Maybe your staff is lax with password policies or your environment is missing key patches. Forewarned is forearmed: once you know your weaknesses, you can act before malicious actors do.

❗Vulnerability Assessment ≠ Penetration Test ❗ 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 Vulnerability assessments are broad in coverage but narrow in depth in terms of understanding organisational risk. For example: Conducting a vulnerability scan against servers and workstations within an internal enterprise environment will provide information about flaws affecting these systems and some conclusions about the overall risk to the organisation could be drawn, but it would be limited to a workstation/server perspective. Penetration tests go deeper than vulnerability assessments by not only identifying, but also exploiting and demonstrating attack paths through an environment. The goal here is to identify and measure the risks associated with the exploitation of the targets attack surface. For example: A flaw was discovered on an internal environment. Through exploitation, it was discovered that this flaw grants privileged access to the server. It was possible to exploit this flaw, gain privileged access and then move laterally and compromise other critical systems on the network. In the example above, by adding in exploitation and attack path validation, the business can quickly see how much risk the organisation would face if they did not properly mitigate the identified flaw/s. 𝗧𝗟𝗗𝗥: 💥 Vulnerability assessment: Focuses on flaw identification with a wide scope, lots of coverage but only information about organisational risk from the level at which they are conducted at. 💥 Penetration test: Focuses on exploitation and attack path validation against a wide scope to help determine the overall risk to the organisation from identified flaws. So which approach? Use both! But if your penetration test reports don't include any exploitation whatsoever and provide no insight into helping your org determine the overall risk, you've probably had a vulnerability assessment. Want to talk to offensive security testing experts 👇 https://lnkd.in/eMeS6W_H

𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗢𝗧/𝗜𝗖𝗦 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼 𝗜𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 Airports rely on complex OT/ICS systems like baggage handling, lighting, and fuel management where uptime is non-negotiable. Traditional IT pen testing methods can cause catastrophic disruptions here. The ACI EUROPE guidelines outline a risk-based, compliance-aligned framework for safe and effective penetration testing in these environments. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:  • 𝗢𝗧/𝗜𝗖𝗦-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀   1. Systems like ILS, BHS, AGL, ATC, CCTV, Fuel Management, Fire Alarm Systems are critical and uptime-sensitive.  2. Even basic vulnerability scanning can cause critical errors in OT environments.    • 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗧 𝗣𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗧  1. OT prioritizes availability over confidentiality.  2. Automated tools can disrupt operations; manual or semi-automated approaches are recommended.  3. Legacy systems and clear-text protocols (e.g., Modbus) require specialized handling.    • 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀  1. White-box or hybrid testing preferred over black-box.  2. Strict change management: Treat penetration testing as a formal change request.  3. Define halt conditions and abort criteria before testing.  4. Use sanitized, on-site devices and enforce strict cleanup protocols.    • 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁  1. Aligns with NIS2, EASA Part-IS, ISA/IEC 62443, NIST SP 800-82.  2. Emphasizes risk-based testing schedules and compliance-driven prioritization.  • 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 & 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆  1. Avoid fully automated scans; use semi-automated/manual methods.  2. Simulate Command & Control and Impact tactics only in isolated environments.  3. Living off the land techniques require rigorous cleanup to prevent residual risk.  • 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻  1. Generic CVE scoring is insufficient; use contextual risk assessment tailored to airport operations.  2. Involve OT engineers, IT security, and vendors in prioritization.    • 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸  • Preparation Phase: Define scope, vendor agreements, risk analysis, and communication plans.  • Execution Phase: Continuous monitoring, failover testing, and real-time incident response.  • Post-Test: Validate cleanup, review findings, and update risk models. OT SECURITY PROFESSIONALS (OTSecPro) #OTSecurity #AviationSecurity #Penetrationtest

Doing SOC 2 and ISO 27001 audits we found 1845 Gaps related to Penetration Testing. Here's my read on it: 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗢𝗠 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 Your penetration testing strategy should be dictated by your unique risks and business objectives - not a compliance requirement. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁? There is a lot of marketplace confusion about penetration testing. A lot of this is made worse by Google Ads claiming you can automate penetration testing or trying to pass $1,500 vulnerability scans as penetration test. This confuses a lot of our clients too. My best definition of a penetration test is this: Penetration tests involve establishing specific objectives based on your risks, then trying to identify and exercise vulnerabilities to exploit systems in an unintended and malicious way. THEN, writing a detailed report, reading out the findings, and providing some guidance on what to do about it. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 One of the biggest gaps we see is that people purchase penetration tests that do not address the risks specific to the systems or scope that matter. I've seen folks get a network penetration test - that has no traditional network. I've seen people have a high risk SaaS product - and never look at the cloud infrastructure or any piece of the application at all. Avoid anyone who tries to sell you a "penetration test" off the shelf. I encourage you to work collaboratively with your pentest partner to think through worth while objectives and a very specific scope that will add the most value to your organization. Otherwise, it is probably a waste of time and money. 𝟯. 𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 Executives are often surprised to find out that issues identified in penetration test reports were not resolved after they were identified. Maybe the team doesn't know how to fix it. Maybe they don't have the time. Maybe the team that identifies the issue is a different team from the team that fixes issues - and something was lost in communication. (This is the most common one I see.) Maybe they don't care. I've seen all of the above. But the best teams I work with have a great process to identify issues, fix them, and retest them. Our penetration testing team does retesting for free as part of every engagement. It's just a small way we try to encourage our customers to close the loop. --- How does your team approach penetration testing? #cybersecurity #offsec #penetrationtesting

I created a Pentest Guide with a Complete Breakdown. Whether you're an aspiring Pentester or an organization looking for one, this will give you an understanding of what the service is and how it differs. Penetration Testing comes in all flavors, here is a breakdown: 🖥 White box | Gray box | Black box White box = your pentester has the keys, diagrams, and all kind of other information. This is great for an extremely thorough assessment. Gray box - your pentester has some information but not everything. They have the correct IPs and URLs to test, but they aren't totally informed. This would simulate an attacker that had "some" information about the org. Black box - you give them nothing. The tester starts at the perimeter and treats your org like a stranger. Slow, noisy, and excellent at revealing blind spots in detection and monitoring. 👮♂️ External vs Internal External - this tests the edge of your organization, such as internet-facing apps, VPNs, and other exposed services. Think "what can someone access from the outside". Internal - this assumes someone is already inside such as a phished employee or even a rogue contractor. It finds lateral-movement gaps, trusts, and privilege escalation paths. 🟣 🔴 Pentest | Red Team | Purple Team Pentest - this is a focused and scoped security assessment that is going to provide a list of findings and remediation. It's great for compliance and checklists. Red team - this is an adversary simulation. Longer, stealthy, multi-vector. Goal is to accomplish mission objectives such as exfiltrating data and persisting in the network) Purple team - this is when offensive teams and defensive teams are working together and learning in real time. Defense is watching for alerts while offense is moving within the network. 👁🗨 Other Scope Examples: Web app pentest — OWASP-style, auth, injection, business logic. Network pentest — host misconfigurations, open ports, weak services. Cloud pentest — IAM misconfigurations, improper S3 buckets, etc. API pentest — broken auth, object-level authorization flaws. Mobile pentest — reverse engineering, insecure storage, weak cert pinning. IoT/Embedded — firmware, radio protocols, physical interfaces. Social engineering / Phishing — usually an easy path in Physical — tailgating, badge cloning, on-site access. ✔ Before any pentest, you should be prepared to fix the findings. A penetration test does no good if your team is not ready to remediate. Please ♻ to help others learn about the practice of pentesting. ❓ Questions? My DMs are always open. #cybersecurity #informationsecurity #infosec #pentesting

Boards Demand Measurable Security Investments – PTaaS Delivers Security investments can’t just be about checking boxes anymore. Boards and executives expect measurable value: better risk visibility, regulatory compliance, and fewer business disruptions. That’s why Pentesting as a Service (PTaaS) is evolving from a tactical security measure into a strategic business enabler. 🔹 Aligning Security with Business Goals – PTaaS helps identify and prioritize critical assets, demonstrating a commitment to customer trust and stakeholder interests. 💰 Cost Avoidance & Resource Optimization – The price of a breach far outweighs the investment in continuous security testing. PTaaS’s predictable subscription model helps organizations manage costs efficiently. 📊 Actionable Insights for Better Decisions – CISOs and security teams can use PTaaS data to prioritize remediation, optimize resources, and strengthen defenses before threats materialize. How can enterprises measure PTaaS ROI? ✔️ Reduced incident costs vs. breach response expenses ✔️ Improved compliance readiness with automated reporting ✔️ Operational efficiencies from streamlined workflows ✔️ Scalability & adaptability as security needs evolve ✔️ Third-party risk mitigation across vendor ecosystems PTaaS helps orgs stay ahead of threats while supporting strategic decision-making. #cybersecurity #ptaas #pentesting #securitytesting #riskmanagement #compliance #infosec #businesssecurity

Day 23 of 30 Days of Cybersecurity: Penetration Testing – Testing Your Defenses Before Hackers Do 🛡️🔍 In cybersecurity, prevention is always better than cure, and Penetration Testing is a prime example of this mindset. Pen testing simulates real-world cyberattacks to uncover vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. It's not just a test of technology but a test of your organization's resilience. 🚨 What is Penetration Testing? Penetration testing (pen testing) is the process of simulating controlled attacks on systems, networks, or applications to identify security weaknesses. Think of it as hiring ethical hackers to find your blind spots before someone with bad intentions does. Why is Penetration Testing Important? ✅ Find Weaknesses Early: Identify and address vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them. ✅ Test Security Controls: Evaluate whether your current defenses can withstand an attack. ✅ Compliance: Meet regulatory standards like PCI DSS, ISO 27001, or HIPAA. ✅ Risk Reduction: Reduce the likelihood of breaches by strengthening weak points. Pen testing doesn't just expose flaws; it allows organizations to refine their security posture and stay proactive against evolving threats. Key Types of Penetration Testing: 1️⃣ External Testing 🌐 Simulates attacks on publicly accessible systems like websites, firewalls, and servers. Example: Testing a company’s web server for vulnerabilities like open ports or weak authentication. 2️⃣ Internal Testing 🏢 Simulates an attack from an insider threat or a compromised internal account. Example: A test that evaluates what happens if an employee’s credentials are stolen. 3️⃣ Web Application Testing 💻 Focuses on vulnerabilities in web apps, such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting (XSS). Example: Identifying a flaw that allows attackers to steal customer data through the app. 4️⃣ Wireless Testing 📶 Assesses the security of Wi-Fi networks and connected devices. Example: Testing for weak Wi-Fi encryption or unauthorized devices connected to the network. 5️⃣ Social Engineering Testing 🎭 Tests the human element by simulating phishing emails, phone scams, or physical intrusion attempts. Example: Sending a fake “IT support” email to test if employees share their credentials. Real-World Example During a penetration test, ethical hackers discovered a company’s web server was vulnerable to SQL injection. By simulating this attack, they demonstrated how an attacker could extract sensitive customer data. The company quickly patched the issue, preventing a real-world breach. How Often Should You Test? Penetration testing is not a one-time event—it’s a continuous process. Regular tests, combined with vulnerability scanning and red team exercises, ensure your defenses evolve with emerging threats. #30DaysOfCybersecurity #PenetrationTesting #EthicalHacking #CyberResilience #VulnerabilityManagement #CyberSecurityTesting