Penetration Test: Vulnerability Analysis

Cyber Advising provides professional Cyber Security services to prevent and reduce cyber attacks. We deliver Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (Pen Test) for networks, web applications and APIs, helping organizations identify weaknesses, validate real impact and prioritize remediation with clear, actionable guidance.

• Controlled and authorized testing on your real attack surface
• Manual validation to reduce false positives and prove impact
• Professional reporting with remediation priorities and technical evidence

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What is a Penetration Test

A Penetration Test (Pen Test) is the execution of controlled, authorized attacks against a network, system, web application or API to identify security vulnerabilities that a malicious actor could exploit. Unlike a simple scan, penetration testing validates whether a finding is actually exploitable and what the real business impact could be, such as unauthorized access, data exposure, privilege escalation or account takeover.

The goal is not to generate noise. The goal is to provide decision-grade security findings you can fix, verify and track over time.

Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing

A complete security engagement typically starts with a Vulnerability Assessment, which identifies and classifies weaknesses across systems and applications. The Penetration Test then focuses on high risk areas and validates exploitability to measure real risk, reduce false positives and define the remediation order that makes sense for your environment.

Activity	Primary goal	Typical output
Vulnerability Assessment	Find and classify vulnerabilities	Prioritized list + baseline security recommendations
Penetration Test	Validate exploitability and real impact	Evidence, attack scenarios, remediation priorities

Why Penetration Testing matters for your organization

Security is not measured by how many tools you run. It is measured by how well you can prevent, detect and respond to real attacks. Regular testing helps you uncover weaknesses in infrastructure, application logic, cloud configuration and operational processes. A professional Pen Test measures the effectiveness of existing controls and reveals gaps that automated tools often miss.

Main objectives of a Pen Test

• Identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do
• Validate security policies and technical controls in practice
• Assess feasibility of specific attack vectors and chains
• Confirm operational impact of successful exploitation
• Test monitoring and incident response readiness
• Prioritize remediation based on real risk and evidence
• Support vendor assessments, audits and customer security requirements

Penetration Testing and compliance

Penetration testing supports compliance and risk governance by documenting that security controls are tested and improved over time. For organizations processing personal data, GDPR emphasizes appropriate security measures and the need to evaluate their effectiveness. Pen Testing, together with risk assessment and vulnerability management, helps demonstrate a structured approach to protecting data and critical assets.

If you follow frameworks such as ISO 27001 or internal security policies, a Pen Test provides measurable evidence and a remediation plan that can be tracked, verified and re-tested.

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Testing approaches: Black Box, Grey Box, White Box

What we test: web applications, APIs, networks and configurations

Scope is defined during kickoff and can include one or more of the following areas, depending on your environment and goals.

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Methodology and standards

We conduct penetration testing using structured and repeatable practices aligned with recognized standards and community best practices. Our approach references frameworks such as NIST SP 800-115 and OSSTMM, while web application testing is aligned with OWASP security testing principles and common risk categories.

Typical phases of a professional Pen Test

1. Scoping and Rules of Engagement: define assets, constraints, time windows, points of contact and written authorization.
2. Reconnaissance and Discovery: map the attack surface, technologies, endpoints, services and trust boundaries.
3. Vulnerability Analysis: identify weaknesses using automated checks and manual validation.
4. Controlled exploitation (when in scope): demonstrate real impact with safe, traceable evidence.
5. Reporting and remediation plan: prioritize fixes based on impact and likelihood, not just scanner scores.
6. Re-test (optional): confirm findings are fixed and risk is effectively reduced.

What you receive: Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Test report

At the end of the engagement, you receive a clear and actionable Penetration Test Report designed for both technical teams and decision makers. The report focuses on evidence, impact and remediation priority.

Executive Summary

• Overview of tested scope and objectives
• Risk summary and top priorities
• Key business impacts and high level recommendations
• Next steps to improve security posture

Technical documentation

• Detailed findings with evidence and affected components
• Reproduction steps and technical context
• Impact analysis: what an attacker can achieve and how
• Remediation guidance for developers and system administrators

Risk based remediation plan

Findings are prioritized to help you fix the right things first. We highlight quick wins and structural improvements, and we can support a re-test to validate closure.

Priority	What it typically means	Recommended action
Critical	Immediate compromise or sensitive data exposure is possible	Hotfix or mitigation, then permanent remediation and re-test
High	Strong exploit path or high impact under realistic conditions	Fix in the next sprint, validate control effectiveness
Medium	Requires specific conditions or has limited impact	Plan remediation, improve hardening and monitoring
Low	Best practice or low impact issue	Address during maintenance, document and monitor

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Validate your real security level

Our ethical hackers simulate realistic attack paths to test the security of your organization from multiple angles:

• Are organizational measures and technical controls truly effective?
• Can an attacker exploit technical vulnerabilities to gain access or exfiltrate data?
• Do monitoring and detection controls work as expected under attack conditions?
• Are data protection measures aligned with legal and contractual requirements?
• Are incident response processes and escalation paths ready when it matters?

Request a certified Penetration Test

Speak with one of our experts. We will define scope, approach (Black Box, Grey Box, White Box) and objectives, then deliver a professional report with clear remediation priorities. If required, we can support a re-test to confirm vulnerabilities are closed.

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FAQ

How long does a Penetration Test take?
It depends on scope, complexity and objectives. We define duration and testing windows during scoping to minimize operational impact.

Do you test production environments?
Yes, when required and with clear constraints. For deep testing, a staging environment is often recommended, but production testing is possible with defined rules and safe procedures.

Do you provide a re-test?
Yes. A re-test is recommended to confirm vulnerabilities are fully remediated and controls are effective after fixes.

Is this suitable for vendor assessments and enterprise customers?
Yes. The report is structured for technical teams and decision makers, with evidence, impact, priorities and remediation guidance suitable for audits and customer security reviews.