Penetration Testing Services

How vulnerable is your business? Penetration testing services to identify security gaps before hackers do.

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Your network and portfolio of business applications continually change and grow. Employees come and go. External security threats morph and expand.

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

By looking at system security through the eyes of an attacker, Centric Consulting can highlight exploitable vulnerabilities, demonstrate impact and help IT teams prioritize remediation efforts. 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.

Our pen testing services ensure you’re prepared for new threats, save resources otherwise spent on remediating expensive breaches and provide peace of mind that your security posture has been tested.

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.

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.

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 illuminating reports that are detailed and actionable while also being 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.

 

Our Approach to Penetration Testing - Centric Consulting

 

Leveraging a tailored combination of manual and automated techniques, our experts then discover high-risk vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in the target environment. We exploit these weaknesses, attempting to gain access to systems and networks ethically.

Finally, we provide a comprehensive report detailing the vulnerabilities identified, along with actionable remediation advice and a roadmap for hardening your organization’s defenses. This structured approach ensures a thorough, systematic evaluation and leveling up of your security posture.

How We Customize Penetration Testing Based on Your Business Needs

We work closely with your team to identify critical assets, prioritize testing areas and methodologies, and develop customized test cases that align with your business objectives and risk appetite.

This level of customization allows us to provide you with actionable insights and recommendations that directly address your organization’s vulnerabilities and mitigate your specific security risks effectively while also empowering you to make informed decisions and fortify your cybersecurity posture.

 

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.
Contact Us to Get Started
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ON-DEMAND WEBINAR

What Your Pen Test Isn’t Showing You: A Live Hack

Wonder what a cyber attacker sees when they target your organization? Wonder no more. Watch a live network attack demo simulated by an industry-leading offensive security expert. In our on-demand webinar, you’ll learn how to uncover vulnerabilities that the average pen test misses.

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The Value of
Our Penetration Testing Services

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)

How Penetration Testing Improves Your Security Posture

Penetration testing enables you to validate the effectiveness of your existing security controls and measures. By subjecting your systems to rigorous testing, we can help you identify gaps, misconfiguration, or overlooked areas that need to be addressed. Our proactive approach to pen testing allows you to strengthen your defenses, implement targeted remediation strategies, and enhance your overall security resilience.

The Role of Penetration Testing in Compliance

In today’s highly regulated business environment, compliance with industry standards and government regulations is paramount. Chances are, you’re already familiar with one or more of these pesky but necessary regulators. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are just a few that explicitly require organizations to perform regular pen testing.

Ready to verify your defenses by identifying security vulnerabilities? Our experts can help.

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Meet The Penetration Testing Team

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

A Banking Environment First

A Groundbreaking Move in the Banking Industry

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.

Contact us to learn how our progressive approach to cyber security can help your business.

Why Choose Centric Consulting For Your Penetration Testing Needs

Red Team Testing

Take your pen testing to the next level. Red teaming simulates what a real-world hacking team would do to attack your firm with the goal of financial gain, reputation damage or operations degradation. Red teams attack unannounced, working to penetrate defenses, gain access and establish a presence without detection.

A broad list of customized techniques is utilized including network, application, social engineering, wireless, physical access, malware, credential theft, etc. Once access is gained, the red team pivots to move laterally through the network and compromise critical assets.

If your company has already succeeded with standard penetration testing services but is a high-profile target for further cyber attacks, consider the red team approach. Red team testing provides your security team with an unannounced, realistic and comprehensive security test. 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.

Centric Consulting's Cybersecurity Services

Our Expertise and Experience in Penetration Testing

Our penetration testing experts practice highly matured pen testing methodologies, including manual reconnaissance, enumeration and exploitation. Our experience spans across industries and sectors and is supported by over 42 specialized credentials and certifications, from OSINT to OSCP, CRTO and more. We catch the vulnerabilities that the average pen test misses, resulting in 325 and counting satisfied customers who have improved their security postures.

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

 

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10 Things To Look For in a Mature Penetration Test

Not all pen tests are created equal. Pen testing is a staple for many organizations as more regulations require third-party assessments and organizations perform due diligence reviews.

Unfortunately, pen testing is becoming a commoditized service as more organizations enter this space. The price for these services varies wildly and so does quality. Let’s break down how to evaluate the quality of the work being proposed.

READ THE BLOG 

Getting Started with Centric Consulting’s Penetration Testing Services

How to Reach Out to Us for Your Penetration Testing Needs

Whether you’re already set to engage our penetration testing services or are just looking for more information, our promise is that you’ll hear back from an expert. You’ll discuss your organization’s security compliance concerns with a deeply experienced advisor with an average of 15 years’ experience in serving your industry.  

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Our Process for Assessing Your Penetration Testing Requirements

When our pen testers assess your unique testing requirements, the first step is to establish the planning and project approach. This involves defining the assessment’s scope, which outlines the systems, applications or infrastructure components we’ll evaluate. We’ll also work with you to establish rules of engagement which set the boundaries and guidelines that ensure legal and ethical compliance.

Next Steps After Contacting Us for Penetration Testing Services

After you’ve contacted us to discuss our pen testing services, sit back and expect a prompt and friendly reach out from one of our cybersecurity experts.  

We’ll approach our initial conversations from a get to know each other better perspective, aiming to ask – and answer – the right questions that allow us to determine what your cybersecurity risk and regulatory concerns are and which penetration testing methodologies will best suit your business needs, systems and infrastructure. Our goal is that you come away with a clear picture of the scope and quality of the work that we propose.

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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 security vulnerabilities and ensure you’re prepared for cyber threats with our penetration testing services.

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