Penetration Testing
We invited experts to break in. They couldn't.
Every year, independent security professionals attempt to breach Firm App using the same techniques real attackers use. The result? Zero critical vulnerabilities, zero high-severity findings, and 100% remediation of all minor issues discovered.
Why We Pay People to Attack Us
Internal security reviews have blind spots. Your own team knows your system too well - they unconsciously avoid the unexpected paths an attacker might take. That's why we engage independent security firms to test Firm App the way a real adversary would: with fresh eyes, creative tactics, and no insider knowledge of our defenses.
BARR Advisory, our testing partner, employs security researchers who have discovered vulnerabilities in major platforms and understand how attackers think. When they attempt to breach our systems and come up empty-handed, it means something. It means the controls we've built actually work under pressure.
How We're Tested
Black-Box Testing
The Outsider's View
Testers approach Firm App as a complete stranger would - no credentials, no documentation, no insider knowledge. They probe public endpoints, attempt to discover hidden routes, and look for ways to gain unauthorized access. This simulates what an external attacker sees when targeting your data.
White-Box Testing
The Insider's View
Testers receive valid user credentials and explore what a malicious insider or compromised account could access. They attempt privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and cross-tenant access. This reveals whether our internal controls hold up when an attacker is already inside.
The web application assessment examined every layer of Firm App's online platform - from the login page to the deepest administrative functions. Testers probed authentication mechanisms, session handling, data validation, API endpoints, and file upload systems. They attempted SQL injection, cross-site scripting, server-side request forgery, and dozens of other attack techniques catalogued in the OWASP Top 10.
The result: no pathway to critical data. The five minor findings discovered were configuration improvements rather than exploitable vulnerabilities - things like adding additional security headers or tightening timeout values. All were remediated within weeks and verified in re-testing.
Findings by Severity
Mobile applications introduce unique security challenges. Devices can be jailbroken, network traffic can be intercepted, and local storage can be examined. Our mobile pen test evaluated both iOS and Android apps under these adversarial conditions.
Testers examined how the apps store data locally, whether sensitive information could be extracted from device memory, how the apps communicate with our servers, and whether certificate pinning could be bypassed. They tested on both stock and rooted/jailbroken devices to cover maximum attack surface.
Testing Against Industry Standards
Our penetration tests follow the OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) methodology - the gold standard for web application security testing. OWASP maintains a continuously updated list of the most critical security risks facing web applications, ensuring our tests cover the attack vectors that matter most.
Injection
SQL, NoSQL, OS command injection attacks
Broken Authentication
Session management and credential flaws
Sensitive Data Exposure
Unprotected financial and personal data
XML External Entities
XXE attacks against XML processors
Broken Access Control
Unauthorized function and data access
Security Misconfiguration
Insecure default settings and headers
Cross-Site Scripting
Reflected, stored, and DOM-based XSS
Insecure Deserialization
Object manipulation attacks
Vulnerable Components
Outdated libraries and frameworks
Logging & Monitoring
Insufficient audit trails
What Testers Confirmed
Beyond looking for vulnerabilities, penetration testers evaluate whether security controls work as intended. Our assessment confirmed these critical protections are operating effectively:
Access Controls Hold
Users cannot access data outside their permissions. Multi-tenant boundaries cannot be crossed. Privilege escalation attempts failed.
Injection Blocked
All SQL, NoSQL, and command injection attempts were safely handled by input validation and parameterized queries.
Data Protected
Sensitive data could not be exposed through error messages, API responses, or client-side storage examination.
AI Secured
Prompt injection attacks against AI features were blocked. The AI cannot be manipulated to bypass security or leak data.
Server Protected
Server-side request forgery and remote code execution attempts failed. Server configurations are properly hardened.
Auth Solid
Session tokens cannot be predicted or hijacked. Password reset flows cannot be exploited. MFA cannot be bypassed.
When Issues Are Found
Finding issues is the point of penetration testing. What matters is how quickly and thoroughly they're resolved. Here's our remediation process:
Immediate Triage
Every finding is assessed within 24 hours. Critical and high-severity issues trigger immediate response protocols.
Root Cause Analysis
We don't just fix symptoms. Engineers identify why the vulnerability exists and whether similar issues might exist elsewhere.
Fix & Test
Remediation is implemented and verified through internal security testing before deployment to production.
Auditor Re-Test
The original penetration tester verifies each fix works correctly. A finding isn't closed until the auditor confirms it.
Resolution Targets
Security Beyond Annual Testing
Penetration testing provides a deep point-in-time assessment, but security requires continuous vigilance. Between annual tests, we maintain multiple layers of ongoing security:
Daily Vulnerability Scans
Automated scanners probe our systems daily, identifying potential issues before attackers can exploit them.
Dependency Monitoring
When vulnerabilities are discovered in libraries we use, we're alerted immediately and patch quickly.
Secure Code Review
Every code change undergoes security review before deployment. Dangerous patterns are caught early.
Annual Pen Testing
Third-party penetration tests occur annually, with additional testing when major features launch.
Request the Full Report
Penetration test summaries are available to current customers, prospective customers under NDA, and auditors. The summary includes scope, methodology, findings breakdown, and remediation status - everything you need for your security review.
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We're happy to walk through our security architecture, share audit reports, and answer your compliance questions.