What is the difference between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing?

A vulnerability assessment identifies and catalogs potential weaknesses in your systems and tells you what could be exploited. A penetration test goes further by safely demonstrating which vulnerabilities actually can be exploited and what an attacker would gain if they did. Most organizations need both: quarterly vulnerability assessments for ongoing visibility and annual penetration testing to validate real-world risk.

Will this hurt my network?

This is extremely unlikely, as we avoid techniques that cause service interruptions, such as denial-of-service attacks.

How much does a penetration test cost?

Penetration testing engagements are scoped by the manual testing hours required, which depend on the size and complexity of your environment. The number of external IPs, internal IPs, web applications, and the type of test being performed determine the price of the engagement.

What kinds of questions are asked in the scoping call?

We ask for target IP addresses and exclusions, account lockout policies to mitigate the risk of locking out domain users, and confirm the allowed testing window.

How long does a penetration test take?

Most engagements are completed within two to four weeks from kickoff to final report. Scoping and scheduling take 1–2 weeks; active testing typically runs 1–2 weeks, depending on the scope; and reporting and findings review take an additional week. For institutions with specific exam deadlines, we can work backward from your timeline to guarantee delivery.

How often should we conduct penetration testing?

Most regulatory frameworks, including FFIEC, NCUA ISE, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, require penetration testing at least annually, and after any significant change to your network, applications, or infrastructure. Organizations in higher-risk verticals or those undergoing system changes often benefit from more frequent testing. Your examiner or auditor may specify a required cadence; we can help you interpret those requirements.

Penetration Testing Services

Trusted by 1,800+ organizations across healthcare, government, education, and financial institutions. Over 7,000 security engagements annually delivered by our team of 50+ certified analysts.

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There’s a lot to consider when selecting a penetration testing company. TraceSecurity’s unique approach ensures that you receive a tailored experience that meets your timeline and compliance requirements. Your account team will guide you from scoping to report delivery, and we can meet even the tightest deadlines. Whether you have a mature cybersecurity program or this is your first penetration test, our scoping process matches the engagement to your environment, regulatory requirements, and deadlines.

20,000+
Completed Pentests

Over our tenure, TraceSecurity has completed thousands of penetration testing services against networks and applications.

Custom Scope
by Hours

Our penetration testing services are custom scoped to determine the number of hours of manual testing recommended.

Expert Pentesters
on Staff

With over 50 analysts on staff,
our team has a wide variety of experience and holds some of the top industry certifications.

Dedicated
Account Teams

Every Trace customer is supported
by an Account Executive and
Customer Success Manager.

Our Penetration Testing Methodology

TraceSecurity combines industry-standard frameworks — MITRE ATT&CK, OWASP Top 10, and NIST SP 800-115 — with a testing philosophy refined over 20 years of service to financial institutions and healthcare organizations. Every engagement follows a structured five-phase process designed to produce exam-ready findings without disrupting your operations.

Five Phases of Testing

Scoping

Define the assets, rules of engagement, and success criteria with your team

Reconnaissance

Gather intelligence on your network infrastructure and attack surface

Analysis & Exploitation

Identify vulnerabilities, then safely demonstrate real-world impact through controlled exploitation

Post-Exploitation

Measure potential lateral movement and privilege escalation

Reporting

Deliver executive summary, technical findings, and exam-ready remediation guidance

Penetration Testing Services

TraceSecurity offers a wide variety of penetration testing services that attempt exploits against all types of networks and systems.

External Penetration Testing

An External Penetration Test examines the security of your network’s perimeter from the outside. It is a simulation of a bad actor attempting to exploit vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in your external security measures. The goal of the test is to identify and exploit security flaws on public-facing network devices to demonstrate how an attacker could compromise critical systems and access sensitive data.

External network attacks can come from anywhere around the world. Every company has publicly-available information on the internet for anyone to see (and exploit). With external penetration testing services, you can understand your external attack surface and identify areas for improvement.

Public Information Exploitation
Escalate Privilege
Attempts
Pivot Attacks

Internal Penetration Testing

An Internal Penetration Test examines the security of your networks and systems from the inside. It simulates what a bad actor might have access to should they circumvent your external defenses. Internal attacks can occur through a successful social engineering attack, a rogue employee, or compromise of your external network.

Internal penetration testing services can be performed from a variety of angles. Our information security analysts could use a fake user account to see what a rogue employee could exfiltrate without your knowledge. They could plug into an unmonitored Ethernet port to see what network information they can find and exploit. Or they could pair an IPT with social engineering for a more robust test.

Rogue Employee Simulation
Lateral Movement
Assumed Breach Scenario

Wireless Assessment & Penetration Test

Wireless Assessment & Penetration Testing services are designed to test the security and setup of wireless networks. Each engagement includes a configuration review, signal strength mapping, and penetration testing of found vulnerabilities. TraceSecurity can perform these tests both onsite and remotely with a network testing device that we ship to you.

Whether your wireless network is available for public use or only used internally, it still presents a potential access point for bad actors. Even password-protected networks aren’t foolproof against a dedicated attacker. With a WAPT, you can determine the security of your wireless networks and if you are vulnerable to things like pivot attacks.

Wireless Segmentation Review
Signal Strength Mapping
Wireless Configuration Assessment

Web Application Penetration Testing

Web Application Penetration Testing services determine the security of your web applications, like a customer or member portal. Designed to pull information from servers and databases, your web apps and their connections have to be secure.

Web applications are one of your most public exposure points, which puts them at high risk of exposing sensitive information or allowing unauthorized access. Web applications house plenty of sensitive information that you want to keep protected, whether used by internal employees, customers, or both. We can also perform penetration testing services on the API connections between applications and other services.

Cross-Site Scripting
SQL Injection
HTTP Header Checks

Mobile Application Penetration Testing

Mobile Application Penetration Testing services determine the security of mobile applications built for iOS or Android. These mobile apps are designed to pull information from servers and databases to provide a positive user experience on personal devices.

Mobile Application Penetration Testing services can be performed during or after app development to ensure company and user information remains secure. TraceSecurity can coordinate with third-party developers and managed service providers to complete testing.

Improve User Security
Secure API Connections
Make Updates with
Confidence

PCI DSS Penetration Testing

PCI DSS Penetration Testing services determine the security of your payment card transaction systems. Whether you take payments in person or online, there are security risks associated with processing payment information.

Since 2015, PCI DSS Requirement 11 mandates that any company that processes, stores, or transmits electronic card transactions perform a yearly PCI DSS Penetration Test. Beyond the compliance requirements, your company wants and needs to protect your customer data. If an attacker were able to get to this sensitive information, it could be devastating to your business and your reputation.

Meet PCI Compliance
Secure Payment Processing
Protect Data Transmission

Black Box Penetration Testing

Black Box Penetration Testing services involve the analyst using publicly available information to discover external IP addresses to be included in testing. With no prior knowledge of your external systems, our information security analysts are able to better emulate a real-world attack through active system discovery.

Once external IP addresses are discovered, this continues just like an External Penetration Test. Our analyst attempts to identify and exploit security flaws on public-facing network devices to demonstrate how an attacker could compromise critical systems and access sensitive data.

“Shields Up” Test
Public Information Gathering
IP Address Discovery

Industries We Serve

Financial Institutions (GLBA, NCUA ISE, FFIEC CAT)
Healthcare (HIPAA Security Rule)
Retail / PCI-DSS
State and Local Municipalities
Education

What You Receive

Executive summary
Technical findings
Remediation Guidance
Findings Walkthrough

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing?

A vulnerability assessment identifies and catalogs potential weaknesses in your systems and tells you what could be exploited. A penetration test goes further by safely demonstrating which vulnerabilities actually can be exploited and what an attacker would gain if they did. Most organizations need both: quarterly vulnerability assessments for ongoing visibility and annual penetration testing to validate real-world risk.
Will this hurt my network?

This is extremely unlikely, as we avoid techniques that cause service interruptions, such as denial-of-service attacks.
How much does a penetration test cost?

Penetration testing engagements are scoped by the manual testing hours required, which depend on the size and complexity of your environment. The number of external IPs, internal IPs, web applications, and the type of test being performed determine the price of the engagement.
What kinds of questions are asked in the scoping call?

We ask for target IP addresses and exclusions, account lockout policies to mitigate the risk of locking out domain users, and confirm the allowed testing window.
How long does a penetration test take?

Most engagements are completed within two to four weeks from kickoff to final report. Scoping and scheduling take 1–2 weeks; active testing typically runs 1–2 weeks, depending on the scope; and reporting and findings review take an additional week. For institutions with specific exam deadlines, we can work backward from your timeline to guarantee delivery.
How often should we conduct penetration testing?

Most regulatory frameworks, including FFIEC, NCUA ISE, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, require penetration testing at least annually, and after any significant change to your network, applications, or infrastructure. Organizations in higher-risk verticals or those undergoing system changes often benefit from more frequent testing. Your examiner or auditor may specify a required cadence; we can help you interpret those requirements.

Ask about our Small Institution Services!

TraceSecurity offers several services optimized for small companies that need to meet compliance without breaking the bank. Chat with a consultant to learn more about our Small Institution Risk Assessments, IT Security Audits, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessments, Tabletop Tests, and more.

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