Cyber threats are continuously evolving and growing more sophisticated, placing immense pressure on organisations to secure their digital environments. At UK Cyber Defence, our Penetration Testing services provide an in-depth, rigorous assessment of your organisation’s security posture, enabling you to proactively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
At UK Cyber Defence, all Penetration Testing engagements strictly adhere to CREST-approved Defensible Penetration Testing methodologies. Our approach uniquely integrates best practices from the CREST framework, the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES), and the Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM). This hybrid methodology ensures thoroughness, consistency, and defensibility in every engagement, aligning fully with industry-leading security standards.
Each Penetration Test we undertake is supported by a comprehensive Statement of Work (SoW). This clearly defines the scope, duration, resource allocation, and specific testing phases, ensuring transparency, accountability, and precise budgeting.
Our team initiates every penetration test by performing extensive open-source intelligence (OSINT) and active reconnaissance. This involves DNS enumeration, service discovery, and comprehensive mapping of your external-facing infrastructure, creating a clear picture of your attack surface.
Using industry-leading tools such as Nmap, Nessus, OWASP ZAP, and Burp Suite, we conduct rigorous automated and manual vulnerability scanning across your network infrastructure, web applications, and APIs. Our tests meticulously follow the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide and API Security Top 10 standards to ensure robust coverage.
This critical phase involves manual exploitation to validate identified vulnerabilities, assessing their real-world impact. We rigorously test authentication mechanisms, session management, access controls, injection vulnerabilities, and other common security threats, aligned explicitly with OWASP Top 10 guidelines and best practices from PTES and OSSTMM methodologies.
Where applicable, we conduct limited post-exploitation activities to assess the depth and potential impact of vulnerabilities, including lateral movement possibilities. This further demonstrates the real-world implications of vulnerabilities, enabling you to better understand the risks your organisation faces..
Following testing, we deliver a detailed penetration test report in alignment with CREST standards. Each vulnerability identified is thoroughly documented with an assessment of exploitability, impact analysis, and realistic risk ratings based on CVSS v3.1. We provide practical, actionable recommendations to significantly improve your security posture.
All Penetration Tests at UK Cyber Defence are executed by our expert team of highly-qualified penetration testers. Each tester holds a minimum CREST CRT certification, with most possessing advanced qualifications such as OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional) and G.PEN (GIAC Penetration Tester). Our senior experts provide oversight and ensure rigorous quality assurance throughout every project.
Our QA and Peer Reviewers are all CISSP qualifed and mostly Fellows of the British Computer Society.
Our penetration testing methodology fully complies with CREST standards for Defensible Penetration Tests. This includes:
Clear and documented scope definitions.
Explicit rules of engagement and authorisation.
Comprehensive testing evidence and documentation.
Structured reporting aligned with industry standards.
Rigorous quality assurance and peer-review processes.
We ensure your penetration test results are robust, actionable, and defensible under scrutiny, giving your stakeholders confidence and clarity.
Hedgehog offers unparalleled SOC proficiency, with long term experience in safety, security and working with sensitive data.
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