Penetration Testing and Security Audit Services

ProCheckUp's penetration testing and security audit services help organisations understand how weaknesses could affect their operations. Start with the decision you need to make: whether a weakness can be exploited, a build is securely configured, controls meet an agreed requirement, or your team can detect and respond to an attack.

Choose the right penetration test

• Web applications and APIs — assess authentication, user permissions, business workflows and the handling of data.

• Infrastructure testing — examine exposed services and internal systems within an agreed network scope.

• Cloud environments — scope AWS or Azure testing around your applications, identities, resources and trust relationships.

• IoT and connected devices — examine hardware interfaces, firmware, wireless communication and supporting services.

• Kiosks and restricted desktops — test whether an agreed user can escape the permitted application or session.

• Mobile application testing — examine the application and its agreed supporting interfaces.

Discuss a penetration testing scope with the systems, business priorities and deadlines you have in mind.

Evidence from a real engagement

In our bank community portal case study, testing covered public access and self-registered user functions. Employee and administrative functions were excluded. The case shows why user roles and test boundaries need to be explicit.

Penetration test, configuration review or security audit?

• Penetration testing: identify and, within agreed limits, demonstrate exploitable weaknesses and their impact. A vulnerability scan can support the work, but does not replace consultant investigation.

• Configuration and build review: examine settings and hardening decisions against the agreed baseline. See build reviews and segmentation testing for distinct assessment questions.

• Security audit: assess the selected technical controls, policies, procedures and evidence against an agreed requirement. Define the standard and reporting purpose before work begins.

• Red, blue or purple team exercise: assess agreed attack scenarios and detection or response objectives. Social engineering, persistence and wider adversarial simulation require a separately agreed scope.

Testing can provide evidence for a compliance programme. A penetration test alone does not establish compliance with PCI DSS, data protection law or every requirement of another framework.

From scoping to remediation

• 1. Define the question: identify critical assets, the threat perspective, the required evidence and the people who will use the results.

• 2. Agree coverage and access: record targets, exclusions, user roles, third-party permissions and any configuration or source information supplied.

• 3. Plan delivery: agree test windows, permitted techniques, escalation contacts and the conditions for pausing work. Consider production impact and recovery arrangements.

• 4. Assess and report: investigate the agreed scope and document the evidence, demonstrated impact, risk and practical remediation.

• 5. Act and verify: assign fixes and discuss which changes need retesting. Confirm retest coverage, timing and commercial terms in the engagement.

What the report needs to support

Agree the balance of management summary and technical evidence before testing. Findings should identify the affected asset, how the issue was established, the risk, recommended actions and any limitations. The report should distinguish tested weaknesses from assumptions and areas outside scope.

What affects cost and duration?

The number of systems is only part of the scope. Application complexity, user roles, cloud trust relationships, testing depth, access readiness and reporting requirements all affect the work. Share those details when requesting a proposal; agree any remediation verification separately.

Other assessment routes

• NCSC IT Health Checks for the applicable assurance requirement.

• Supply chain testing for agreed supplier and integration risks.

• Security assessment services for a wider architecture, exposure or controls question.

Discuss a penetration testing scope

Discuss a penetration testing scope. Tell us what you need to assess, why the evidence is needed and any delivery constraints. Do not include passwords or sensitive evidence in the initial enquiry.