Penetration Testing Services

Regular penetration testing ensures that your network, applications and overall security posture is hardened against cyber attacks.

Our penetration testing consultants verify your defenses by identifying security vulnerabilities so they can be understood and solved.

Pen testing consulting services allow you to:

Protect your sensitive data
Comply with industry regulations that require regular pen testing and audits
Identify vulnerabilities and gain insight into the full extent of potential flaws in your environment
Demonstrate the potential business impact of an attack to your c-suite leaders
Reinforce employee phishing training by exposing them to sophisticated attacks
Test new security controls and the security of new business applications, products or services
Test for concerns or threats specific to your business.

By performing regular penetration testing, you can achieve cyber liability compliance, a clean bill of health for an application launch, a secure attestation post-critical firewall and network system changes, and compliance with various security frameworks.

Why Choose Centric Consulting For Your Penetration Testing Needs

Red Team Testing

Take your pen testing to the next level with red team testing.
Red teaming simulates what a real-world hacking team would do to attack your firm.
Red teams attack unannounced, working to penetrate defenses, gain access and establish a presence without detection.
The analysis and results will provide the additional remediation steps needed to take your security posture to the next level.

We Excel at Resolving Pen Test Findings

If penetration testing uncovers security issues, our team of skilled cybersecurity consultants can work with you to quickly address and resolve your vulnerabilities.

Our Expertise in Penetration Testing

Our pen testing experts practice matured pen testing methodologies, including manual reconnaissance, enumeration and exploitation. Our experience spans industries and is supported by over 42 specialized credentials and certifications, from OSINT to CRTO and more.

We specialize in network pen testing, application testing, social engineering, and pen tests conducted in high-risk environments such as OT, IoT, SCADA, API and web services.

We catch the vulnerabilities that the average pen test misses, resulting in over 325 satisfied customers who have improved their security postures.

“Our experience partnering with Centric Consulting for our annual audits has been incredibly positive and enjoyable. Their team is not only highly skilled and consistently well-prepared but also always available when we need them. Their extensive knowledge and unwavering integrity have made the entire process smooth and hassle-free. The benefits of using their audit team include enhanced compliance and peace of mind. We highly recommend Centric Consulting for any organization’s audit needs.”

Philip Pierorazio, Chief of Urology, University of Pennsylvania

Understanding Penetration Testing Services

Penetration testing, also known as pen testing or ethical hacking, is a proactive approach to cybersecurity that simulates real-world attacks on an organization’s systems, networks, and web applications.

The goal? Identify and address potential vulnerabilities before they are exploited by malicious actors.

Key Differences Between Penetration Testing and Other Security Measures

While traditional security measures, such as firewalls, antivirus software, and access controls, play a crucial role in protecting organizations from cyber threats, penetration testing offers a unique, complementary approach to cybersecurity.

Proactive vs. Reactive

Penetration testing is a proactive measure that actively seeks out vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, rather than reacting to threats after they have been detected.

Simulated Attacks

Pen testing simulates real-world attacks on your systems, networks, and applications.

This provides a comprehensive assessment of your security posture by testing defenses against the same tactics used by threat actors.

Human Element

Pen testing relies on skilled ethical hackers who possess extensive knowledge of hacking tools and techniques.

This human element is crucial in uncovering vulnerabilities overlooked by automated solutions and identifying weaknesses in security policies, procedures, and employee awareness.

Comprehensive Methods

Pen testing encompasses a wide range of methodologies, including network pen testing, web application testing, wireless security testing, and social engineering.

Our comprehensive approach ensures that all potential attack vectors are addressed.

Tailored Approach

Unlike off-the-shelf solutions, our penetration testing is tailored to your environment, considering unique systems, configurations, and operational requirements.

Our tailored approach ensures that the testing accurately reflects your organization’s real-world security challenges.

Types of Penetration Testing We Offer

We provide comprehensive penetration testing programs tailored to your specific needs:

Internal, external, mobile and wireless attacks
Physical Penetration Testing
Red Team, Blue Team and Purple Team.

How Our Penetration Testing Services Work

Our Approach to Penetration Testing

We take a risk-based approach to scoping engagements that allows you to focus on your highest risk assets while reducing unnecessary costs. Using industry metrics for benchmarking and root cause analysis, we generate reports that are detailed, actionable, and easy to understand.

The Phases of Our Penetration Testing Process

Our cybersecurity team’s years of pen testing experience have resulted in a documented, multi-phase approach that meticulously analyzes and synthesizes information into prioritized remediation plans.

Planning & Project Approach – establish the scope, rules of engagement, timeline and type of pen testing required.

Reconnaissance – gather information about target networks and systems including public information, information obtained via social engineering, footprinting, port scans and more.

Vulnerability Discovery – use a host of manual and automated techniques to identify high risk vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in target networks and systems.

Exploitation – attempt to gain access to target systems and networks.

Reporting – detail vulnerabilities, remediation recommendations and a roadmap for hardening of systems.

We Customize Penetration Testing Based on Your Business Needs

We provide a comprehensive report detailing the vulnerabilities identified, along with actionable remediation advice and a roadmap for hardening your organization’s defenses. We create custom penetration tests that directly address your organization’s vulnerabilities depending on your:

Business objectives
Risk appetite
Critical assets and desired testing areas.

Cost of a Data Breach

$4.45 Million is the average total cost of a data breach
IBM study: (Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023)

Ready to identify and manage your security vulnerabilities? Our experts can help.

Our experienced Penetration Testing team is ready to help on your next project. Let our highly certified senior professionals become your team – we work with you not for you.

David Lefever - Centric Consulting

David Lefever

Cybersecurity Service Offering Lead

Shane O’Donnell

Vice President of Cybersecurity

Brandyn Fisher

V-CISO Capability Lead, Senior Penetration Tester

CLIENT STORY

Audit Cycle Time by 40% – See How

A major consumer banking corporation needed help testing its IT general controls. What began as routine testing and pre-audit work quickly gave way to a much larger need for audit and compliance improvements.

We stepped in to not only provide comprehensive penetration testing and cyber risk assessments, but to assist the client in becoming the first banking institution to fully convert their controls to the cloud.

These new controls and overall improved security posture have resulted in a 30% reduction of audit staff, and a 40% reduction of total audit cycle time.

Our Penetration Testing FAQs

Ensuring your organization’s cybersecurity readiness is crucial in today’s threat landscape. Learn how our penetration testing services identify vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. These Frequently Asked Questions address some of the most common inquiries we see, shedding light on our methodology, scope, reporting, and the insights our ethical hacking experts provide to help fortify your defenses.

What is the difference between penetration testing and vulnerability scanning?

Vulnerability scanning identifies potential vulnerabilities, while penetration testing attempts to exploit those vulnerabilities to determine real-world risk. Vulnerability scans are often automated where pen testing is conducted by experts and can include both digital and manual breaches. Pen testing is a more comprehensive and realistic assessment of an organization’s security posture that should include actionable remediation advice.

What are the different types of penetration tests?

Common types include network penetration testing, web application penetration testing, wireless penetration testing, social engineering assessments, open-source intelligence gathering, and physical penetration testing. Our pen testers boast a variety of highly specialized certifications, allowing us to tailor our pen testing approach based on your unique industry requirements, organizational needs and assets.

How long does a penetration test typically take?

The duration of a penetration testing engagement varies based on scope, but most external network tests can take anywhere from 1-4 weeks, while internal tests and web app tests often require upwards of 2-6 weeks. Our comprehensive pen testing approach includes providing detailed reporting with a system hardening roadmap and remediation plan your security team can put into action.

What should businesses expect during a penetration test?

Expect real-world attack scenarios, detailed findings and risk ratings, and strategic recommendations for remediation. If our penetration testing team uncovers security issues, our skilled cybersecurity consultants will work with you to promptly address and resolve your vulnerabilities. Transparency and minimal disruption to operations are our priorities during scoping engagements, allowing you to focus on your highest risk assets while reducing unnecessary costs.

Who should perform penetration testing?

Reputable cybersecurity firms with experienced ethical hackers should conduct penetration tests. Make sure the team you engage has substantial certifications and project-based expertise in your industry. In-house teams can face conflicts of interest and lack specialized expertise but will stand to benefit from a comprehensive external perspective on their attack surface.

What is the role of penetration testing in compliance?

Penetration testing is often required for compliance with regulations like PCI-DSS, HIPAA, HITRUST, and NIST guidelines. This critical service helps organizations validate security controls and proves due diligence. Our holistic pen testing services go above and beyond checking the compliance box by providing remediation planning that addresses the fullest possible extent of potential flaws in your environment.

Identify vulnerabilities before hackers take advantage of them. Start your custom penetration testing in as early as three weeks.

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