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Advanced Penetration Testing

Adopting the perspective of potential attackers, our experienced team replicates real-world threats using contemporary tactics, tools, and procedures.

Our comprehensive approach goes beyond traditional security assessments, providing clients with a unique vantage point into their security posture. This enables a profound understanding of potential vulnerabilities and helps identify the most effective defensive strategies.

Our Core Pentest Services:

Web application

This test focuses on assessing the security of web applications and APIs. Due to their complexity and extensive privileges, they present attractive attack targets and are often closely integrated with the infrastructure. The assessment includes a thorough analysis of the frontend, backend, and interfaces (APIs).

To identify vulnerabilities effectively, the test is conducted from the perspective of an experienced attacker. It follows established methodologies such as the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide (WSTG) and the OWASP Top 10 Web Application Security Risks. The goal is to uncover both existing and potential future security risks, ensuring the long-term security of your web application.

Web API

This assessment focuses on the security of web APIs and the underlying servers. As APIs often serve as central interfaces for applications and external integrations, they represent an attractive target for attackers.

The test follows the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide (WSTG) and the OWASP API Top 10 Security Risks, going beyond basic security checks. Advanced attack scenarios are systematically simulated to identify potential vulnerabilities early and replicate realistic threats. The goal is to detect security gaps before they can be exploited by attackers.

OS (Operating System)

This test focuses on the targeted compromise of operating systems, with an emphasis on privilege escalation. The goal is to elevate privileges from a standard user to administrator or system level. A realistic attack scenario is simulated, where initial access to the system is gained and subsequently expanded to achieve full control over the operating system.

Mobile App

Our Mobile App Penetration Test follows the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) and also includes testing for the backend API based on the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide. This comprehensive methodology ensures that all relevant attack vectors, both in the mobile application (for Android and iOS) and the underlying API, are thoroughly assessed.

The goal of the test is to identify security vulnerabilities within your mobile app and potential weaknesses in the communication with the backend, ensuring the overall security of your mobile platform.

IT Infrastructure

An IT infrastructure penetration test provides your organization with a comprehensive security analysis of all critical components of your IT infrastructure – from servers and networks to endpoints. We identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, with a particular focus on Active Directory, which is often a primary target for attackers.

We simulate targeted attacks to exploit security gaps, move laterally within your network, escalate privileges, and potentially gain access to sensitive areas. In Active Directory, we specifically examine whether vulnerabilities could allow unrestricted lateral movement or a complete compromise.

Through this hands-on approach, you will gain valuable insights into your security posture and receive concrete recommendations to harden your systems.

Thick Client

Desktop applications interact directly with the operating system and other system components, creating numerous potential attack vectors. This test focuses on assessing the security of such applications.

Both the user interface and backend communication are thoroughly analyzed. Special attention is given to APIs and network protocols used for data transfer. By examining the entire interaction between the client and the backend, vulnerabilities in data processing and transmission can be identified.

The goal is to pinpoint security gaps in the application itself, as well as in its communication with the backend, ensuring that potential risks are identified and addressed early.

External Perimeter Test

Our external perimeter penetration test evaluates the security of your publicly accessible systems and services by specifically targeting the attack surfaces visible and accessible to external threat actors.

This provides you with an initial overview of potential vulnerabilities and helps identify and eliminate the attack surface early on. The findings offer actionable insights to strengthen your security measures and protect your systems from external threats.

Retest

After addressing the vulnerabilities identified in the penetration test, it’s crucial to verify the effectiveness of the applied security measures. Our retest ensures that the vulnerabilities have been successfully mitigated and no new security gaps have emerged.

We conduct targeted tests on the previously identified vulnerabilities, using the attack methods as in the initial test to ensure that the implemented measures have permanently closed the gaps.

Testing Process and Execution

The testing process simulates realistic cyber threats and provides a thorough assessment of system security. By strategically identifying vulnerabilities, potential attack vectors are uncovered, security gaps are closed, and defense mechanisms are strengthened. This hands-on approach is crucial for building a robust and resilient defense against actual security threats. The execution follows recognized standards such as OWASP, OSSTMM, BSI, and PTES to ensure a systematic and comprehensive security analysis. Depending on the available information, we conduct White-, Grey-, or Black-Box tests, with the Grey-Box approach generally being recommended to provide a realistic assessment of the security posture.

Kick-Off

In a joint kick-off meeting, we define the specific framework for the upcoming penetration test. We determine which systems and applications will be tested and what testing methods will be applied. We coordinate necessary user accounts, access paths, and required permissions to ensure a smooth testing process. Additionally, we define points of contact to ensure that any questions arising during the test can be addressed quickly and effectively.

Manual & Automated Research

Our penetration testers systematically gather as much information as possible about the target systems to gain a comprehensive understanding of the technical environment. By combining manual analysis with automated tools, we identify potential attack vectors. This information forms the foundation for developing targeted attack strategies. The identified attack vectors are then thoroughly tested for vulnerabilities to uncover potential security gaps.

Manual Exploitation

In this phase, our pentesters specifically attempt to exploit the previously identified vulnerabilities to gain access to the target systems. Depending on the service or technical environment, we develop new exploits or adjust existing ones to effectively validate the security gaps. During this process, potential vulnerabilities may turn out to be false positives; only verified and actually exploitable vulnerabilities will be included in the final report. These vulnerabilities are rated and classified based on their severity according to the CVSS 4.0 standard.

Report

Our detailed report format provides you with a comprehensive overview of the entire penetration test and its results. The report begins with a concise management summary that highlights the key findings and recommendations at a glance. This is followed by a detailed description of the discovered vulnerabilities. Each vulnerability is thoroughly assessed in terms of its severity, and we provide clear recommendations for addressing the identified security gaps. This ensures you have a solid basis for making informed decisions to enhance the security of your systems.

Final Discussion (optional)

In the optional final discussion, we review all critical points of the result report together and address any open questions in detail. We ensure that you fully understand the identified vulnerabilities and the recommended measures.

Retest (optional)

After addressing the identified vulnerabilities, we conduct a follow-up test upon request to ensure that the security gaps have been effectively fixed and the implemented defense mechanisms are working as expected. This guarantees that the identified vulnerabilities have been sustainably closed and your systems remain optimally protected.

About us

Katana Sec was founded in 2023 and is an IT security company specializing in penetration testing. Led by Alexander Tietz, an experienced expert in the field, Katana Sec provides top-tier cybersecurity services, helping businesses protect their systems from real-world threats.

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