Penetration testing is a "hard" scan of systems, servers, and network devices using the same techniques a real hacker would use to gain access to your network.  A security expert will perform in-depth, real world tests to not only identify vulnerable systems but actually exploit them and gain access to privileged information and systems.

       We work closely with you to determine the scope of testing: hours of testing, which computers, accounts, and data are within engagement scope to ensure our activities have a minimal impact on the functioning of your business and that proper focus is placed on areas of greatest concern to you. 

There are several types of engagements, each designed to simulate a particular type of threat.  We are happy to work with you to design a custom testing program to test against threats specific to your organization.

       A "real world" type test where the tester has no information about your organization's technology, network layout, physical location, or corporate structure.  The tester has to glean information the same way a hacker would, through careful search and analysis of public information.  This gives a very accurate picture of both how an attacker would infiltrate the network, and how far he would be able get.

       In a white box test, the tester is given extensive information about the company network.  This type of test is less realistic but covers more ground because the simple but time consuming part of the work, information gathering, is already done, giving the tester more time to dig into technical details that may otherwise be missed.  For a full picture of the organization's risk, we recommend a combination of both black and white box testing.

       External testing is done to simulate the most common type of attack, a remote hacker attempting access from outside the network perimeter.  Testing is focused on externally accessible resources, VPN access points, public facing websites, Outlook Web Access, and any other services accessible from the internet.

       Internal testing is done to simulate the attack which causes the most damage, the malicious insider, and is typically done with at least some level of prior knowledge and access to the company network.  This is done to find out how much damage a rogue employee could do.

       You have a large team of software developers designing and deploying custom web applications across your environment, but not enough security specialists to properly test all the new web apps and web services being deployed.  We will use a combination of automated scanning and manual testing to uncover critical security bugs like SQL injection and Cross Site Scripting before those web apps go into production.

         At the conclusion of the penetration test we will provide a detailed report of all activities including systems penetrated, accounts compromised, methods used to gain access, and proof of access in the form of screenshots, passwords, and data files.   Each report contains an executive summary written from a business impact point of view in terms a non-technical executive audience can understand with clear logic between vulnerabilities found and threats to company resources, productivity, competitive advantage, and intellectual property, including broad recommendations for changes to overall security posture and any policy level issues uncovered.  Additionally each report will contain a technical section with detailed information about specific vulnerabilities including CVE number for cross reference and steps to mitigate.  All the information your IT Dept will need to close the loopholes uncovered during the test and prevent a real attack.  We are proud of our reports.  Have a look at a Sample Penetration Test Report (doc / pdf) and a Sample Web App Penetration Test Report (doc / pdf).

       Penetration testing can be a real eye opener for companies that have a false sense of security.  But the question is whether you would rather have a "white hat" hacker penetrate your network and give you a report after, or a "black hat" hacker who you won't find out was there until the damage is already done.  If you want more information or a price quote, please Contact Us.

       In addition to the different engagement types, each engagement may specifically target particular aspects of the organization's security.  Physical security, operational security, and network infrastructure security.  In order to provide a thorough assessment of organizational risk, ECR Security offers the following specialized tests.