Offensive security
Penetration Testing Services
A vulnerability scan tells you what is theoretically exposed. A penetration test tells you what someone could actually do with it.
What Is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing is a controlled, authorized simulation of a real cyberattack, carried out to find exploitable weaknesses before an attacker does. Certified testers use current attacker techniques against agreed targets (networks, applications, wireless, and sometimes physical premises, and staff), then document what they reached and how.
The output is a ranked report of validated findings with remediation guidance, not a raw scanner dump.
What’s included
What This Service Covers
- Network layer testingInternal and external networks, host-by-host or goal-driven, finding misconfigurations, weak protocols, and unpatched systems.
- Web application testingInjection flaws, authentication and session weaknesses, access control gaps and insecure configuration.
- API penetration testingVulnerabilities that expose data or allow unauthorized access between systems.
- Mobile application testingiOS and Android apps assessed for insecure storage, API abuse, and permission misconfiguration.
- Wireless network testingAccess points, encryption standards, and the potential for unauthorized entry over wi-fi.
- Facility penetration testingPhysical access controls, internal process, and the human layer.
Process
How an Engagement Runs
Discovery and Scoping
We agree the boundaries, goals, and systems in scope, in writing, before anything begins.
Active Testing
Automated and manual techniques simulate the tactics a real attacker would use.
Analysis and Verification
Findings are validated to remove false positives, then ranked by business impact.
Reporting and Remediation
A report covering what was found, how serious it is and precisely what to do about it.
Outcomes
What You Get Out of It
Sectors where we do this work most often:
- An executive summary your board can read
- Technical findings your engineers can act on directly
- Validated findings only, with false positives removed
- Evidence for compliance and audit requirements
- A realistic view of how an attacker would approach you
Common questions
Penetration Testing Questions
How is penetration testing different from a vulnerability scan?
A vulnerability scan is automated and lists potential weaknesses, including many that cannot actually be exploited. A penetration test is carried out by people who attempt to exploit those weaknesses, chain them together and reach something of value. A scan produces a list; a test produces evidence.
How often should we run a penetration test?
Annually is the common baseline, and many compliance frameworks expect it. Test additionally after significant changes: a new public-facing application, a network redesign, a merger, or a move to new premises.
Will testing disrupt our systems?
Disruption is managed through scoping. We agree in advance which systems are in scope, which techniques are permitted and when testing runs. Genuinely disruptive techniques are only used where you explicitly authorize them, typically against non-production environments.
Related
Often Needed Alongside This
Where we deliver this
Penetration Testing Across New Hampshire and Massachusetts
On-site from our Nashua office, with day-to-day support delivered remotely because it resolves most issues faster than a visit would.
Talk to Someone Who Has Done This Before
Start with a free IT assessment. We review where you stand, explain the risks in plain English, and give you a written roadmap to keep, whether or not you engage us.