CYBERSECURITY TESTING

Network Penetration
Testing & Infrastructure Audit.

Test the routes an attacker could use into and through your environment. Firewalls, remote access, identity services and network segmentation are expected to slow or stop an attacker. World Computing safely tests whether those controls work together in practice.

Book Scoping Call → View Test Coverage

Internal & ExternalFull Perimeter Coverage

Cloud & On-PremHybrid Infrastructure

Safe PoCsControlled Validation

Prioritised RiskBusiness Risk Context

Re-testValidation of Remediations

WHAT IS NETWORK PENETRATION TESTING?

Active validation across internal and external routes.

Network penetration testing actively validates weaknesses across an agreed set of internet-facing or internal systems. It goes beyond identifying software versions: the test examines how configuration, credentials, trust relationships, access controls and network design can be combined to achieve unauthorised access or movement.

External Perspective

Considers the viewpoint of an internet-based attacker targeting public IP ranges, exposed services, remote management, and boundary firewalls.

Internal Perspective

Evaluates potential impact from a compromised workstation, guest network connection, office access point, or authorised test device.

Assumed-Breach Model

Begins with a specified foothold to focus specifically on privilege escalation, Active Directory compromise, and lateral movement.

When This Service Is Useful

Internet-facing infrastructure, VPNs or remote-access services that have changed.
Organisations requiring independent validation of firewall and segmentation controls.
Environments with Active Directory, hybrid identity or privileged administration risks.
New offices, acquisitions, data centres, cloud connections or network redesigns.
Customer, insurer or supplier-assurance requirements for technical testing.
Post-remediation validation after a vulnerability assessment or security incident.

TECHNICAL SCOPE

What we test.

We evaluate your perimeter filtering, service configurations, identity controls, and internal segmentation boundaries.

PERIMETER

External Attack Surface

Public IP addresses, exposed services, remote administration, VPN gateways, mail and name services, perimeter filtering and information leakage.

CONFIG

Services & Configurations

Insecure protocols, avoidable services, default settings, known vulnerabilities, weak encryption and unsafe management exposure.

IDENTITY

Identity & Credentials

Password policy, credential reuse, authentication protocols, service accounts, privileged access and opportunities for credential interception or relay.

PRIVILEGE

Privilege Escalation

Paths from a standard or limited user account to local, domain, cloud or network administration privileges.

LATERAL

Lateral Movement

Trust relationships, remote administration, file services, management platforms and routes between hosts or security zones.

SEGMENT

Network Segmentation

Whether user, server, management, guest, wireless and sensitive zones enforce the intended access restrictions.

Directory & Hybrid Services

Active Directory and connected identity components, including delegation, group permissions, legacy protocols and control of high-value accounts.

WIRELESS

Wireless & Cloud Boundaries

Wireless access points, site-to-site connections, cloud network controls and boundary devices explicitly included in scope.

METHODOLOGY

How the engagement works.

A controlled 6-stage testing methodology aligned with NCSC and NIST SP 800-115 standards.

STAGE 01

Rules of Engagement

Confirm IP ranges, locations, test perspective, credentials, exclusions, windows, monitoring expectations and emergency contacts.

STAGE 02

Discover & Enumerate

Identify live systems, exposed services, trust relationships and attack paths using controlled techniques.

STAGE 03

Assess & Validate

Review configuration and vulnerability evidence, then safely validate selected weaknesses.

STAGE 04

Test Attack Paths

Where authorised, demonstrate privilege escalation, lateral movement or segmentation bypass with minimal impact.

STAGE 05

Escalate Urgent Issues

Communicate critical findings immediately during the engagement rather than waiting for the final report.

STAGE 06

Report & Re-Test

Deliver technical and executive outputs, then verify fixes included in the agreed re-test.

ENGAGEMENT DETAILS

Requirements & Deliverables.

Clear input requirements and executive outputs delivered at completion.

What We Need From You

Authorised external IP addresses, internal ranges and named assets.
A network diagram or description of intended security zones.
Testing perspective: unauthenticated, authenticated or assumed breach.
Test accounts and access method for internal or remote testing.
Critical systems, safety constraints, allow-listing needs and emergency contacts.

What You Receive

Executive summary describing credible attack paths and business exposure.
Confirmed scope, test perspective, methodology, assumptions and limitations.
Risk-rated findings with affected hosts, services and technical evidence.
Attack-path narrative showing how individual weaknesses could be combined.
Prioritised remediation covering configuration, patching, identity and architecture.
Segmentation observations and re-test results for agreed remediations.

Important Scope & Safety Note

Denial-of-service, destructive actions, persistence and uncontrolled password attacks are excluded unless separately approved and risk-managed. Critical systems and operational technology require additional safeguards; a laboratory or non-operational environment may be safer. Testing is time-bound and limited to the authorised ranges recorded in the rules of engagement.

WHY WORLD COMPUTING

Clear, evidence-led network testing.

Evidence-Led Reporting

Clear reporting designed for both technical infrastructure teams and executive decision-makers.

Risk-Proportionate Testing

Testing designed around your actual business risk, technology stack and operational constraints.

Actionable Remediation

Findings prioritised for remediation with practical guidance rather than alarmist language.

Collaborative Assurance

A collaborative approach that supports developers, infrastructure teams and service owners throughout.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Network Testing FAQ

How is a penetration test different from a vulnerability scan?

A scan identifies potential known weaknesses across a broad scope. A penetration test adds expert analysis and controlled exploitation to show which issues are real, how they combine and what an attacker could achieve.

Will the test disrupt our network?

The engagement is designed to minimise disruption. We agree exclusions, rate limits, test windows and stop conditions. No active test is completely risk-free, so critical or fragile systems require specific planning.

Do you need administrator credentials?

Not necessarily. The starting access depends on the scenario. Credentials may be used for an assumed-breach test or for authenticated review, while an external test commonly starts without them.

Can you test cloud-hosted networks?

Yes, where the customer has authority and the cloud provider's testing rules are followed. Scope must identify accounts, subscriptions, virtual networks and any managed services that should not be actively tested.

Can testing be performed remotely?

External testing is normally remote. Internal testing can be remote through an agreed access method or performed on site, depending on the environment and assurance objective.

What happens if you find a critical weakness?

We use the agreed escalation contact to communicate urgent issues promptly, provide enough evidence for containment and continue only in accordance with the rules of engagement.

EXPERT GUIDANCE

Cyber Testing - Practical guidance for a more secure business

Cyber Testing

Understanding Penetration Testing: Why It Matters

Discover vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Clear technical findings, business-risk explanations, and actionable remediation recommendations.

Read full briefing →