Phase 1
Scoping & objectives
Define what’s in scope, what “success” looks like, and any boundaries for testing so the engagement focuses on the systems and risks that matter most to your organization.
Penetration testing is an authorized, manual security assessment in which ethical hackers simulate real-world attacks against your systems, networks, or applications to identify and safely exploit vulnerabilities before criminals do. It shows you not just where you are vulnerable, but how an attacker could chain weaknesses together to access sensitive data or disrupt operations.
Penetration testing isn’t just a technical exercise – it is one of the most direct ways to understand how much real risk your organization is carrying at any moment. Instead of relying on scanner output or assumptions, it shows how an attacker could actually move through your environment, what they could reach, and how that would impact your business. That insight lets you move beyond “check the box” compliance and invest in the fixes and controls that genuinely lower your likelihood of a breach. At the same time, live attack simulations expose how well your people, processes, and tools stand up under pressure, revealing whether your incident response works when it really counts.
Many regulations require testing, but high-quality tests help you meaningfully reduce breach likelihood instead of just “passing an audit.”
Findings highlight which fixes and controls most reduce risk so you can prioritize remediation and future budget.
Realistic attack simulations reveal how quickly your team detects, responds, and contains threats.
Pen tests show how vulnerabilities combine into actual attack paths that threaten data, uptime, and reputation.
A well-executed penetration test follows a structured process designed to uncover and clearly demonstrate real security risk, not just catalog technical flaws. While every engagement is tailored to your environment and objectives, most high‑quality tests include several key phases that ensure coverage, safety, and useful outcomes.
Define what’s in scope, what “success” looks like, and any boundaries for testing so the engagement focuses on the systems and risks that matter most to your organization.
Map your attack surface by identifying assets, technologies, and potential entry points an attacker could see from the outside or within your environment.
Use manual techniques and carefully controlled tools to uncover and safely exploit weaknesses, demonstrating how they can be chained into realistic attack paths.
Analyze what an attacker could do with gained access—such as reaching sensitive data, escalating privileges, or moving laterally—and quantify the potential business impact.
Deliver a prioritized report that translates technical findings into clear business risk, with concrete remediation guidance and optional retesting to verify fixes.
Different environments face different kinds of attacks, so there is no one-size-fits-all penetration test. Types of penetration tests are tailored to where your most important assets live -your networks, cloud platforms, applications, or people – so you can focus effort on the areas that, if compromised, would hurt your business the most. By choosing the right mix of test types, you get a clearer picture of how attackers could actually move through your organization.
Tests internal and external network infrastructure including:
Evaluates custom applications for vulnerabilities like:
Assesses iOS and Android apps including:
Tests cloud infrastructure and services across platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud:
Evaluates human vulnerabilities through:
Tests real-world security controls:
Here’s a critical distinction many don’t understand: most “penetration tests” sold today are actually just automated vulnerability scans with minimal human analysis.
Here’s a critical distinction many don’t understand: most “penetration tests” sold today are actually just automated vulnerability scans with minimal human analysis.
The analogy we use: Testing your security with just automated scans is like testing a bulletproof vest with a squirt gun instead of live ammunition. It might check a box, but it doesn’t reflect real-world threats.
Knowing when to run penetration tests is just as important as choosing the right kind of test. Instead of treating them as a one-time project, leading organizations build testing into an ongoing security rhythm that reflects how fast their environments change and how much risk they can afford to carry at any moment. That usually means combining a regular cadence (such as at least annual testing) with event-driven tests after major changes – like new applications, cloud migrations, or acquisitions – so your last assessment is never too out of date to be trusted.
Beyond helping you meet regulatory requirements (PCI, SOC2, FINRA, etc.), our mission is to meaningfully improve your security and prevent breaches. We do that by using the same tools and methods that real threats would use to help you find vulnerabilities before they do.
Our team consists of experienced security professionals with deep technical knowledge, industry-recognized certifications (OSCP, OSWE, GPEN, CISSP, CRTO, etc.), and real-world hacking experience. Unlike firms that rely on automated scans, we manually assess your environment to uncover vulnerabilities others miss.
Our penetration testing reports go beyond simply listing vulnerabilities to clearly outline how an attacker could compromise your environment. We provide a step-by-step attack path, so you can visualize how we gained access, and include practical remediation strategies that align with your business operations.
You’ll have direct access to your penetration tester to walk you through their findings, answer your questions, and ensure you understand how to mitigate risks effectively. However, we aim to go beyond that to bridge the gap between red and blue teams, building deeper familiarity with attackers’ mentality and approach.