Penetration Testing
Simulate. Identify.Strengthen.
Proactively uncover vulnerabilities with CREST-accredited penetration testing, and fix them before attackers find them.
Understanding Penetration Testing
Real-world attacks, safely run by ethical hackers.
A controlled exercise where CREST-accredited ethical hackers simulate real-world attacks to uncover and safely exploit vulnerabilities. We test external and internal networks, web and mobile applications, APIs and Wi-Fi.
Why it matters: penetration testing finds the complex attack paths automated tools miss, so you can close them before malicious actors exploit them.
Features
Everything you needto test your defences.
Six reasons organisations test with CyberQ.
Realistic threat simulation
Tested against the same techniques cybercriminals use.
Early detection
Critical weaknesses found before they’re exploited.
Better incident response
See how well your teams detect and respond to attacks.
Stakeholder confidence
Show customers, regulators and partners you take security seriously.
Compliance support
Meet standards like ISO 27001, PCI DSS and GDPR that call for regular testing.
Validated investment
Prove your controls work as intended, and find where they don’t.
The challenges it solves
What scannerscan’t see.
Automated tools only go so far. Penetration testing gives you a practical assessment of your defences.
01
Hidden attack paths
Complex routes to critical systems that tools miss.
02
Untested controls
Detection and containment that have never been put to the test.
03
Unclear priorities
Long lists of findings without a sense of real-world risk.
04
Compliance pressure
Standards that require evidence of regular testing.
By the numbers
The threatin numbers.
13%
of UK businesses carried out a penetration test last year
30%
of UK businesses lack advanced cyber skills such as penetration testing
Source: DSIT Cyber Security Skills 2025
Case study
Penetration Testingin action.
IT consulting and managed services
A full red team exercise that tested people, technology and leadership in one engagement.
What the work covered: Spear phishing simulation, penetration testing and a C-suite crisis simulation
The challenge
An award-winning IT consulting and managed services provider wanted to find and fix cyber risks before an attacker did. It needed testing that went beyond a standard vulnerability scan or penetration test and covered human factors as well as technical weaknesses.
The approach
CyberQ ran a multi-part red team exercise: targeted spear phishing simulations to test staff awareness, penetration testing to find technical vulnerabilities, and a C-suite cyber simulation to test how leadership would respond in a crisis.
The result
Findings were prioritised for remediation, the incident response plan was updated with lessons from the tabletop exercise, and the leadership team came away better able to make decisions during a cyber crisis.
3
attack angles tested in one exercise: people, technology and leadership
C-suite
crisis simulation alongside the technical testing
1
updated incident response plan, built on the exercise
Good quality at the right price. The core service is good and they don’t oversell it.
The onboarding process
Scoped, tested,then strengthened.
Six steps from agreeing scope to continuous improvement.
01
Discovery & scoping
Define objectives, scope and stakeholders.
02
Intelligence gathering
Research target systems to find potential weaknesses.
03
Exploitation
Safely exploit vulnerabilities to show real-world impact.
04
Post-exploitation
Assess what an attacker could do once inside.
05
Reporting & insights
A detailed report with prioritised actions and a roadmap.
06
Continuous improvement
Re-testing and support as your defences evolve.
Related services
Strengthen yourprotection further.
Services that act on what your test uncovers.
Vulnerability Management
Continuous scanning and expert analysis of weaknesses across your estate.
Learn more
Attack Surface Management
See and secure every corner of your digital attack surface.
Learn more
Managed XDR
Always-on threat detection and response from CyberQ’s Security Operations Centre.
Learn more
Emergency Readiness & Response
Be ready before an incident, and back to business fast after one.
Learn more
AskQ Scope Builder
Need a quote? Scope it now.
Answer the technical scoping questions online and our team will come back with a tailored proposal.
FAQs
Questions,answered.
What organisations most often ask us about Penetration Testing. Can’t find your question? Speak to one of our experts.
View all FAQs
A controlled exercise where certified ethical hackers simulate real-world attacks to find and safely exploit vulnerabilities in your systems.
Yes. CyberQ’s penetration testing is CREST-accredited, so testing follows recognised industry standards.
External and internal networks, web and mobile applications (Android and iOS), APIs and Wi-Fi networks.
Tests are carefully scoped and controlled, and vulnerabilities are exploited safely to show impact without unnecessary disruption.
Regularly, and after significant changes. Standards including ISO 27001 and PCI DSS require or recommend regular testing.
Get started
Talk to us aboutPenetration Testing.
Book a demo, ask a question or download the service sheet to share with your team. A CyberQ specialist will be in touch.
Download service sheet
Emergency response
Under attack right now? Don’t fill in a form.
Call our incident responders and we’ll help you contain it and recover.
0800 0614 715
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