Network and Infrastructure Penetration Testing

URM is able to perform an internal or external infrastructure penetration test against all IP addresses associated with your organisation, location, or service (e.g. remote access via a VPN or web application).  

What is Network and Infrastructure Penetration Testing?

Network penetration testing, also known as infrastructure penetration testing, is an assessment of your network’s security posture, in which the tester will identify and attempt to exploit existing vulnerabilities within your organisation’s network to establish how much damage a genuine malicious actor could inflict.  

There are two key types of infrastructure and network pen testing for you to consider:  

• Internal –  Internal penetration testing is conducted from the perspective of an ‘insider’ to your network who possesses some degree of legitimate access, such as a rogue employee or a malicious actor posing as one.  Using this initial access, the tester will attack your internal network infrastructure to establish how much harm could be inflicted by a compromised user account.  
• External –  An external penetration test involves the tester simulating an attack on your organisation’s network using vulnerabilities they discover while surveying its external assets, and its public assets and information, i.e. simulating an attack from outside your organisation.  These tests are conducted to identify weaknesses in your internet-facing assets and to assess the effectiveness of perimeter security controls in detecting threats and preventing attacks.  

Benefits of Network and Infrastructure Pen Testing

Security control improvements

Identify areas for improvement in your security controls such as patch management, system privileges, and network segmentation.

Evaluate security control effectiveness

Evaluate the effectiveness of perimeter security controls such as web application firewalls, VPNs and remote access systems.

Remain compliant

Meet compliance requirements for standards and regulations which mandate regular penetration testing, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).  

Enhance security posture

Improve the security posture of your organisation by using outputs of the test to inform its overall cyber security strategy.

Our Network and Infrastructure Penetration Testing Process

URM’s reliable and effective infrastructure and network penetration testing methodology is aligned with industry-recognised best practice and consistently delivers results.  

Scope

URM will work with you to define the most appropriate scope and identify the assets and networks you would like to include.

Reconnaissance and information gathering

Mimicking the approach of a malicious actor, penetration testing experts use cutting-edge intelligence gathering techniques to amass information about the in-scope network and infrastructure.

Vulnerability identification and analysis

URM’s tester will discover the vulnerabilities that pose a threat to your organisation’s network and develop an exploitation strategy, both manually and utilising the latest automated tools.  

Exploitation

Our qualified and experienced penetration tester will execute the strategy they have developed and exploit the vulnerabilities identified in the previous stage.

Reporting and debrief

Having completed the test, URM’s pen tester will document their findings in a report and provide a debrief meeting at the end of the assessment to help you through the remediation process.  

Retest

If any critical or high-risk vulnerabilities have been identified during the test, we will provide a free retest of these in the first 30 days after the assessment to ensure the highest risks are mitigated as quickly as possible.

Why Choose URM Consulting for Network and Infrastructure Pen Testing?

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By emulating real threat actors, URM can identify vulnerabilities affecting your network and infrastructure, determine the risks to your organisation and provide a prioritised remediation strategy to protect your organisation.  Our large team of industry-leading cyber security experts are dedicated to helping you enhance your security posture through the delivery of high-quality pen testing services.  As a provider of governance, risk and compliance consultancy, we can also combine our technology-based assessment of your organisation’s security with a plethora of policy, process and training solutions to enhance its resistance to cyber attacks.  Meanwhile, our status as a CREST-accredited organisation means URM can provide pen testing services with the assurance that these services have been subject to independent assessment and found to be fit for purpose.