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What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration Testing is a focused security test, usually concentrating on finding vulnerabilities within a single system, network or asset. PEN Tests tend to be quite tightly scoped, with shorter time-frames (one or two weeks) than a Red Team engagement.

There are many types of Penetration Testing:

  • Infrastructure
  • Application
  • Cloud infrastructure
  • Wireless
  • Mobile

A Penetration Test can include one or more of these. In fact, our Penetration Test can include any of these combinations.

PEN Tests are not about finding the latest 0-day exploits, but are about confirming if there any known vulnerabilities in the software or system and then exploiting them to prove the impact. PEN Testing is all about confirming known issues within a system.

Our certified specialists use industry best practice and extensive experience to identify vulnerabilities in systems, the risks they pose, the consequences of their configuration, and a tailored recommendation for the issue, which makes sense for your business.

We continually adapt to new ways of working. Ransomware attacks are more prevalent and remote working is becoming the new norm. Both government and commercial organisations have recently come under sustained, and at times damaging, attack from increasingly capable adversaries. Recent high-profile security compromises have proved that whilst the theft of intellectual property or subscriber data can have regulatory or financial implications, the reputational damage that can result from such a breach can have far reaching implications for even the biggest multinationals.

It has also shown that attackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are now using multidimensional attacks against their targets. The security of information systems is of paramount importance to almost every type of organisation, as core business functions often depend on digital data, services and infrastructure.

Our methodologies have been extensively examined, our expertise is trusted, and our reporting standards are held in high regard, which is why we are a trusted supplier to many large and small UK government entities.

Benefits of Penetration Testing

  • Identifies how real-world attackers would compromise your systems
  • Provides prioritised recommendations and guidance to fast track remediation
  • Provides real actionable intelligence against your security posture

QinetiQ have highly experienced Security Cleared and Developed Vetting CHECK specialists

Our Approach

  • Our subject matter experts will undertake testing that aims to simulate attacks against a target application or network using the same tools and techniques as the most highly skilled adversary
  • Throughout this process, our experts liaise with the customer to ensure they are kept informed of progress
  • All engagements are expertly managed from inception to delivery and include the generation of clear and concise reporting in a timely manner
  • Our reports prioritise areas of technical risk and present them in an easily understandable and actionable format
  • We can offer SC and higher cleared security specialists with both industry standard CREST, Tigerscheme and Cyber Scheme qualifications
  • We offer both on-site and remote, internet-based assessments
Penetration testing accreditations

Download our Penetration Testing service sheet

CHECK IT Health Check

Cyber

Our CHECK IT Health Check (ITHC) service provides high-assurance application and infrastructure testing by highly experienced and security cleared, CHECK, CREST and Tigerscheme certified pentest security specialists. Our CHECK service has been collaboratively supporting pentest accreditation since the late 1990's, proudly using trusted methodologies to safely provide the highest levels of assurance, communicating findings in a professional non-alarmist manner. 

As a founding member of the original scheme, our Security Health Check has been a CHECK approved team since the scheme's inception and are proud to be recognised as one of the UK's best assets in helping protect the UK's IT systems.

Download our Check IT Health Check service sheet

Cyber Intrusion Exercise (CIE)

Cyber

Cyber Intrusion Exercises (CIEs) use the latest real-world simulated attack delivery methods, to determine how attractive your organisation would look to a motivated and determined adversary. CIE’s can regularly exercise and provide visibility of the robustness of your organisation’s internal technical controls and assure the impact and effectiveness of your third-party investments.

CIEs are delivered in three main phases:

  • Internet-based assessment
  • Stand-off attacks
  • Onsite testing and egress assessment

This approach helps to fast track your organisational resilience by benchmarking and providing recommended remedial improvements clearly and concisely, from critical to low. CIE’s provide a much higher level of organisational coverage and assurance by complementing conventional annual, compliance driven testing, and therefore delivers more value for money to your business. This new service targeted to SME’s, in addition to our class leading Advanced Intrusion Testing service, which is focused towards enterprise customers, provides a full spectrum capability at an appropriate price point.

Download our Cyber Intrusion Exercise service sheet

 
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