External penetration testing supports multiple compliance frameworks and standards. Not only does it help you identify risks, but it also proves you’ve taken the right steps to reduce them. Our methods align with the following:
External penetration testing focuses on systems that face the public internet. These include websites, mail servers, VPN gateways, and cloud applications. We mimic an attacker trying to break in—without any insider knowledge.
This test shows what information is exposed, what systems are vulnerable, and how an attacker could gain access. In short, it helps you understand your external footprint and secure it fast.
Firewalls and intrusion detection systems are helpful—but not foolproof. If a single internet-facing system has a flaw, it can put your entire organization at risk. External testing gives you a chance to find and fix these issues before someone else does.
This test helps you:
Discover exposed systems and services
Find unpatched vulnerabilities and misconfigurations
Validate firewall and access control effectiveness
Identify weak SSL/TLS setups or forgotten subdomains
See if attackers could get in through your perimeter
Done right, external testing gives you a clear look at your security posture—and helps you harden your defenses.
We begin by identifying your public IPs, domains, and subdomains. This helps us see what attackers would see when mapping your environment.
We use industry tools and manual methods to detect open ports, exposed services, and known vulnerabilities. Our process is thorough—but safe.
Next, we attempt to exploit weaknesses to demonstrate real-world impact. We carefully test whether these issues could lead to data exposure or system access.
In some cases, external flaws lead to internal access. If this happens, we simulate how far an attacker could go and document every step.
we wrap up with a detailed, plain-English report. It explains the risks, what we did, and how to fix each issue—with clear guidance your team can act on quickly.
It simulates an attacker targeting your internet-facing systems. This includes websites, VPNs, mail servers, and cloud services. The goal is to find vulnerabilities before real hackers do.
Most attacks start externally. Testing helps you find open doors, misconfigurations, or outdated software that could lead to a breach. It’s a critical first step in any security program.
External testing starts from the outside—no internal access or credentials are used. Internal testing assumes the attacker is already inside the network. Both are important but focus on different risk areas.
No credentials are required. All we need is a list of IPs, domains, or URLs that you want us to test. Everything is done from an external perspective.
We use tools like Nmap, Burp Suite, Nessus, Nikto, and custom scripts. However, we rely heavily on manual testing to mimic how real attackers think and act.
We test carefully to avoid disruptions. We work with your team to schedule the engagement and make sure no sensitive services are affected during the test.
You’ll receive a full report, including an executive summary, technical findings, risk ratings, proof-of-concept details, and clear remediation steps. We also offer a walkthrough with your team.
At least once a year—or after major changes to your external infrastructure (like launching a new website or service). High-risk industries may need more frequent testing.
Yes. For example, PCI DSS requires external testing of systems in the cardholder data environment. HIPAA and GLBA also recommend testing to secure patient or customer data.
Absolutely. We offer remediation advice, patch planning, configuration guidance, and architecture reviews to help you close the gaps we find.
External penetration testing supports multiple compliance frameworks and standards. Not only does it help you identify risks, but it also proves you’ve taken the right steps to reduce them. Our methods align with the following:
Our testing follows NIST guidelines for technical security assessments, ensuring internet-facing assets are secure and audit-ready.
Financial institutions must secure customer data from external attacks. External testing identifies exposed services and supports regulatory compliance.
External testing supports HIPAA’s Security Rule by identifying risks to systems that store or transmit protected health information (PHI).
PCI DSS mandates external testing of the cardholder environment. Our assessments meet these requirements and help businesses maintain ongoing certification.
Casinos must secure patron and operational data. External testing validates the perimeter security of gaming systems, loyalty platforms, and player portals.
External testing demonstrates proactive risk management for tribal casinos, aligning with evolving regulatory expectations and strengthening public trust.
We simulate real-world cyberattacks against your public-facing systems to uncover vulnerabilities before attackers do. This helps identify exploitable weaknesses in firewalls, VPNs, email servers, and other internet-accessible assets.
This test mimics an attacker who has gained internal access, helping uncover insecure configurations, legacy systems, and lateral movement paths. It reveals how deep an intruder could go inside your network and what data might be compromised.
We assess the security of your Wi-Fi networks, identifying risks such as rogue access points, weak encryption, and insecure configurations. The goal is to prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive data traveling over your wireless infrastructure.
We perform in-depth testing of your web applications using both automated tools and manual techniques to uncover flaws like injection, authentication bypass, and insecure direct object references. This ensures your apps are secure against OWASP Top 10 threats.
We conduct phishing, pretexting, and baiting campaigns to measure your employees’ resistance to real-world social engineering tactics. This service helps you identify human vulnerabilities and improve security awareness training.
We evaluate your cloud-hosted infrastructure and configurations for misconfigurations, privilege escalation paths, and insecure APIs. This ensures your AWS, Azure, or GCP environments align with cloud security best practices.
e attempt to breach your physical security controls by tailgating, badge cloning, or bypassing locks to test your facility’s resilience against intruders. This reveals gaps in physical access controls, alarm systems, and visitor management.
Our red team mimics real-world adversaries using stealth, persistence, and custom tooling to test your entire security ecosystem across digital, human, and physical layers. This provides a true test of your detection, response, and resilience capabilities.
External testing helps casinos secure guest portals, remote access tools, and online gaming platforms—meeting regulator and compliance needs.
Healthcare systems face strict data regulations. External testing protects PHI by testing hospital portals, remote access, and patient-facing systems.
Online banking, APIs, and client portals are prime targets. Testing helps secure these systems and meet GLBA, PCI, and other regulatory demands.
From online booking systems to loyalty apps, external testing helps hotels defend against attackers trying to breach guest-facing platforms.
Firms hold confidential data. External testing ensures portals, email servers, and document systems aren’t exposing client files to attackers.
These companies rely on internet-facing infrastructure. Testing helps detect issues in user-facing apps, APIs, and management portals.
Schools must protect student records. External testing finds weaknesses in learning platforms, portals, and cloud-based tools used by educators.
xternal testing helps secure checkout flows, marketing systems, and web stores—critical for defending customer data and meeting PCI DSS.
Cybersecurity is our top priority. Our penetration testing methodologies, tailored specifically for assessing external network security, adhere to industry best practices such as NIST SP 800-115, OWASP, and PTES. This ensures a comprehensive and focused evaluation of your network’s security posture against external threats. Our structured approach is designed to thoroughly assess your network’s vulnerabilities, helping you stay ahead of potential external cyber threats.
Our penetration testing tactics are specifically geared towards external network security. These high-level strategies define the ‘why’ and ‘what’ of our external network assessments. They set the overarching goals and objectives for each engagement, focusing on external threat scenarios. For example, a common tactic might be ‘External Breach Attempt,’ where we aim to evaluate the resilience of your network’s perimeter defenses against unauthorized access attempts.
Specializing in external network penetration, we employ a variety of techniques that are specifically effective against external security threats. These techniques are the specific methods, tools, and procedures we use to achieve our tactical objectives. For instance, under the ‘External Breach Attempt’ tactic, our techniques include exploiting known external vulnerabilities, testing firewall penetration capabilities, and assessing the effectiveness of external intrusion detection systems.
Our procedures for external network penetration testing provide a detailed roadmap for executing each technique with precision and efficiency. These step-by-step sequences ensure that our assessments are carried out consistently and comprehensively, focusing on external network aspects. Our procedures guide testers through every aspect of external network testing, from initial reconnaissance to final breach attempts, ensuring a thorough and effective assessment of your external network security.
Identification of all publicly accessible IP addresses and domains associated with the organization.
Scanning open ports on identified hosts to determine which services are running and potentially vulnerable.
Identifying the specific versions and configurations of services running on open ports to pinpoint potential vulnerabilities.
Scanning for known vulnerabilities in the services and applications discovered on the external hosts.
Evaluating network protocols for vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.
Checking the security of login mechanisms and authentication processes for weaknesses, including password policies and brute-force attack resistance.
Analyzing firewall and filtering rules to identify potential misconfigurations or overly permissive rules.
Evaluating the security of DNS configurations and assessing the risk of zone transfers.
Scanning for SSL/TLS vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, such as weak cipher suites and expired certificates.
Assessing the security of load balancers and reverse proxies to ensure they do not introduce vulnerabilities.
Verifying the security of VPN and remote access solutions, including authentication methods and encryption protocols.
Checking for the presence and effectiveness of security headers like HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) and X-Content-Type-Options.
Enumerating information about the organization from public sources to understand potential attack vectors.
For identified vulnerabilities, conducting advanced exploitation tests to determine the severity and potential impact of the vulnerabilities.
Identifying the specific versions and configurations of services running on open ports to pinpoint potential vulnerabilities.
At Adversim, we’ve performed hundreds of external penetration tests for some of the most attacked industries—casinos, hospitals, banks, and tech companies. We don’t just scan. We think like attackers, test like professionals, and report in language your team understands.
Whether you’re prepping for an audit, launching a new service, or just want peace of mind, we’ll help you secure your perimeter—before someone else tries to break through it.
