External
Penetration Testing
A thorough assessment of your internet-facing infrastructure, identifying vulnerabilities in perimeter defenses, exposed services, and public-facing applications before attackers do.
Starting at $3,500 per engagement
Attacker's Perspective
See your perimeter the way hackers do
What We Test
Full coverage of your external attack surface from an adversary's perspective.
Perimeter Service Enumeration
Identify all externally exposed services, ports, and entry points across your public-facing infrastructure.
Authentication Testing
Test login portals, VPN endpoints, and remote access systems for credential weaknesses and bypass vulnerabilities.
Web Application Assessment
Evaluate externally facing web applications for OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
Email Security Analysis
Test for email spoofing, open relays, and SMTP vulnerabilities that could enable phishing attacks.
DNS Security Review
Check for zone transfers, subdomain takeover risks, and dangling DNS records that expose your infrastructure.
SSL/TLS Configuration
Verify certificate validity, cipher strength, and protocol versions to ensure encrypted communications are secure.
Remote Access Exploitation
Attempt exploitation of exposed services including SSH, RDP, VPN, and other remote access entry points.
Public Information Gathering
OSINT analysis for exposed credentials, leaked data, metadata, and sensitive information available publicly.
Our Methodology
Black-box testing from an external attacker's perspective with zero internal knowledge.
Reconnaissance
OSINT gathering, asset discovery, and attack surface mapping of your external footprint.
Enumeration
Port scanning, service identification, and vulnerability assessment of exposed systems.
Exploitation
Manual exploitation attempts demonstrating real-world attack scenarios and business impact.
Reporting
Detailed findings with risk ratings, proof-of-concept evidence, and prioritized remediation steps.
Why External Testing Matters
Almost nobody gets breached through the system they were watching. It is the staging server that was only supposed to live for a sprint, the VPN appliance two patch cycles behind, the subdomain still pointing at a cloud bucket that was decommissioned last year and can now be claimed by anyone. Attackers do not have to guess where those are; they scan the entire internet continuously and act on whatever answers. Your perimeter is the one part of your environment any stranger can reach without permission, and it changes every time somebody publishes a DNS record or opens a port.
An external penetration test works the way those attackers do: black-box, zero internal knowledge, nothing from you but the IP ranges and domains in scope and written authorization to test. We enumerate every service that answers, then attempt real exploitation against what we find — login portals and VPN endpoints, exposed SSH and RDP, internet-facing web applications, mail servers for spoofing and open-relay conditions, DNS for zone transfers and subdomain takeover, and TLS configuration. OSINT reconnaissance runs alongside it, surfacing leaked credentials, exposed metadata, and shadow IT nobody told you was published. That is the line between this and a vulnerability scan: a scanner reports that a port is open, while this engagement shows what an attacker gets through it.
Your test is run by an experienced tester you can talk to directly, not queued behind a tool and mailed back as raw scanner output. The report ranks findings by real business risk with proof-of-concept evidence attached to each one, and retesting is free within 30 days so you can confirm the fix actually closed the hole. We work with organizations across the Charlotte, NC area and nationwide.
Map Your Attack Surface
Discover all internet-facing assets including forgotten systems and shadow IT.
Validate Perimeter Defenses
Test firewall rules, IDS/IPS effectiveness, and security controls under real attack conditions.
Prevent Breaches
Identify and fix vulnerabilities before malicious actors exploit them for initial access.
Free Retesting
Complimentary retest of all findings within 30 days to validate your remediation efforts.
Related Services
Explore other security assessments that complement this service.
Internal Penetration Testing
Simulate insider threats and test lateral movement paths within your internal network.
Learn moreWeb Application Testing
Full OWASP WSTG-aligned testing of your web applications.
Learn moreVulnerability Assessment
Thorough scanning and analysis to identify known vulnerabilities and missing patches.
Learn moreFrequently Asked Questions
How much does external penetration testing cost?
External penetration testing starts at $3,500. Final pricing depends on the number of public-facing IP addresses and domains in scope. Get a free, scoped quote within 24 hours.
What exactly gets tested during an external penetration test?
We test everything visible from the internet: firewalls, web servers, mail servers, VPN endpoints, DNS, cloud infrastructure, and any other publicly exposed services. We also perform OSINT reconnaissance to identify shadow IT, leaked credentials, and other publicly available information that an attacker could exploit.
How is an external pentest different from a vulnerability scan?
A vulnerability scan runs automated tools that check for known signatures and misconfigurations. An external penetration test goes further—a security professional manually exploits vulnerabilities, chains findings together, and demonstrates real-world business impact. We find what scanners miss, including logic flaws, chained attack paths, and context-dependent issues.
How long does an external penetration test take?
A typical external pentest takes 3–5 business days for small to mid-sized environments. Larger organizations with extensive external footprints or multiple IP ranges may require 1–2 weeks. We scope every engagement individually based on the number of IPs, domains, and services involved.
Do you need credentials or internal access to perform the test?
No. External penetration testing is performed from a black-box perspective—we start with zero internal knowledge, just like a real attacker. All we need is authorization to test and the IP ranges or domains in scope. We handle the rest.
Will testing affect our production systems?
We take a careful, controlled approach to minimize any impact. The vast majority of testing has zero effect on availability. High-risk tests like denial-of-service are never performed without explicit written approval, and we coordinate timing with your team for any potentially disruptive checks.
What compliance frameworks require external penetration testing?
Several frameworks mandate or strongly recommend external pentesting, including PCI DSS (Requirement 11.4.3), SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and NIST 800-53. Many cyber insurance policies also require annual penetration testing as a condition of coverage.
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