Penetration Testing Services for
North Carolina Businesses
Find and fix vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them. Our certified ethical hackers simulate real-world attacks against your network, applications, and people to expose the gaps that scanners miss.
Why North Carolina Businesses Need Penetration Testing
The Short Answer
Penetration testing goes beyond automated vulnerability scans by using certified ethical hackers to actively exploit weaknesses in your network, applications, and human defenses. It shows you exactly how an attacker would breach your environment, what data they could access, and how far they could move laterally, giving you the evidence-based prioritization you need to fix the vulnerabilities that actually matter before a real attacker finds them.
Every North Carolina business has an attack surface. Whether you operate a healthcare practice in Greensboro, a manufacturing facility in Asheboro, or a law firm in Raleigh, your systems are being probed by automated scanners and targeted attackers every day. Vulnerability scanners can identify known weaknesses, but they cannot tell you whether those weaknesses are actually exploitable or what would happen if an attacker chained them together. That is the gap penetration testing fills. PCG Pentest puts your defenses through a controlled, real-world attack simulation so you know exactly where you stand before an actual threat actor tests you.
Our approach follows industry-recognized methodologies including the OWASP Testing Guide, NIST SP 800-115, and the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES). Every engagement begins with a thorough scoping phase where we define the rules of engagement, identify target systems, and coordinate with your team to ensure testing is conducted safely and without disruption to your operations. From there, our testers perform manual reconnaissance, enumeration, and exploitation, going far beyond what any automated tool can achieve. We test the same attack paths real adversaries use, including network perimeter weaknesses, web application flaws, wireless network misconfigurations, and social engineering vectors.
What sets PCG Pentest apart from large national firms is our focus on actionable outcomes for mid-market NC businesses. We do not deliver a 200-page report full of scanner output and leave you to figure out what to do next. Every finding includes a clear risk rating, evidence of exploitation, and step-by-step remediation guidance prioritized by business impact. Our post-test review meeting walks your technical team and leadership through every finding so everyone understands the risk and the path to resolution. After remediation, we offer retesting to verify that fixes are effective and that no new vulnerabilities were introduced during the patching process.
For businesses operating under compliance frameworks, penetration testing is often a requirement rather than an option. PCI-DSS requires annual penetration testing and testing after significant changes. HIPAA security risk assessments benefit from penetration testing to validate technical safeguards. CMMC levels require periodic assessments, and SOC 2 auditors frequently expect evidence of penetration testing as part of the trust services criteria. PCG Pentest maps findings directly to the compliance frameworks relevant to your business, so test results serve as both a security improvement tool and compliance documentation.
Whether this is your first penetration test or you are looking for a more thorough partner to replace a vendor that just runs automated scans and calls it a pentest, PCG Pentest delivers the manual, expert-driven testing that gives you genuine visibility into your security posture. Based in Asheboro and serving businesses across North Carolina, we combine national-caliber technical expertise with the responsive, relationship-driven service that NC businesses expect from a local partner.
Comprehensive Penetration Testing Services
PCG Pentest covers every attack vector that real-world adversaries use against NC businesses.
External Network Testing
Testing from outside your network perimeter, targeting firewalls, public-facing servers, VPN gateways, mail servers, and DNS infrastructure. We identify the same entry points an external attacker would find and attempt to exploit them.
Internal Network Assessment
Testing from inside your network, simulating a compromised insider or breached endpoint. We assess lateral movement paths, privilege escalation opportunities, Active Directory weaknesses, and segmentation effectiveness.
Web Application Testing
Thorough testing against the OWASP Top 10 including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, authentication and session management flaws, insecure direct object references, and business logic vulnerabilities in your web applications.
Wireless Security Assessment
On-site testing of your wireless infrastructure for rogue access points, encryption weaknesses, evil twin attack susceptibility, client isolation failures, and unauthorized network access through wireless vectors.
Social Engineering
Targeted phishing campaigns, pretexting phone calls, and physical access testing to evaluate your human-layer defenses. We assess whether attackers can manipulate employees into granting access or revealing credentials.
Compliance-Driven Testing
Penetration testing mapped to specific compliance frameworks including HIPAA, PCI-DSS, CMMC, and SOC 2. Findings are documented with direct references to regulatory controls, providing audit-ready evidence of your security validation efforts.
Our Penetration Testing Process
PCG Pentest follows a structured, four-phase methodology that maximizes coverage while minimizing disruption to your business.
Scoping & Rules of Engagement
We define the target systems, testing boundaries, timeline, and communication protocols. This ensures testing is focused on your highest-risk assets and conducted safely within agreed parameters.
Reconnaissance & Discovery
Our testers gather intelligence about your environment using the same techniques real attackers employ. We enumerate services, identify technologies, map attack surfaces, and discover potential entry points.
Exploitation & Testing
We attempt to exploit identified vulnerabilities, chain weaknesses together, escalate privileges, and move laterally through your environment. Every successful exploitation is documented with evidence and impact analysis.
Reporting & Remediation
You receive a comprehensive report with executive summary, technical findings, risk ratings, and prioritized remediation steps. We walk your team through every finding and offer retesting after fixes are applied.
Penetration Testing for Your Industry
Every industry presents unique attack surfaces and compliance requirements. PCG Pentest adapts our methodology to your specific risk profile.
Healthcare
HIPAA-aligned penetration testing targeting EHR systems, medical device networks, patient portals, and ePHI data stores. Validates technical safeguards and provides documentation for HIPAA security risk assessments.
Manufacturing
Testing of IT and OT network segmentation, SCADA system exposure, supply chain vendor access points, and corporate network defenses. Identifies paths attackers could use to disrupt production operations.
Law Firms
Assessment of client data protection, document management systems, email security, and remote access infrastructure. Validates that privileged communications and case files are protected from unauthorized access.
Financial Services
PCI-DSS compliant penetration testing of cardholder data environments, online banking platforms, payment processing systems, and internal financial applications. Meets annual PCI testing requirements.
Nonprofits
Focused testing of donor databases, fundraising platforms, grant management systems, and volunteer access controls. Right-sized assessments that fit nonprofit budgets while protecting sensitive constituent data.
Construction
Assessment of project management platforms, bid document storage, remote site connectivity, and vendor payment systems. Tests the dispersed attack surface that multi-site construction operations create.
Penetration Testing FAQ
Answers to the most common questions NC businesses ask about penetration testing.
How often should we do penetration testing?
Most security frameworks and compliance standards recommend penetration testing at least once per year. However, you should also test after any significant infrastructure change, application release, or network redesign. Organizations in highly regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services often conduct tests quarterly or semi-annually. If your business is pursuing compliance certifications like PCI-DSS, HIPAA, CMMC, or SOC 2, the testing cadence may be defined by the specific standard. PCG Pentest works with you to establish a testing schedule that meets both your compliance obligations and your actual risk profile.
What is the difference between a vulnerability scan and a penetration test?
A vulnerability scan is an automated tool that identifies known vulnerabilities across your systems and produces a list of potential weaknesses. It is fast and broad but does not confirm whether those vulnerabilities are actually exploitable. A penetration test goes much further. Our certified ethical hackers actively attempt to exploit vulnerabilities, chain them together, and demonstrate the real-world impact an attacker could achieve. A vulnerability scan tells you what might be a problem. A penetration test proves what is a problem and shows you exactly how an attacker would use it against you. PCG Pentest delivers both as part of our methodology.
Will a penetration test disrupt our operations?
No. PCG Pentest is designed to identify vulnerabilities without causing downtime or data loss. Before testing begins, we establish detailed rules of engagement that define the scope, timing, and boundaries of the test. We coordinate closely with your team to avoid testing during critical business windows. Our testers use controlled exploitation techniques that demonstrate risk without crashing systems or corrupting data. If we discover a critical vulnerability during testing that poses an immediate risk, we notify you right away rather than waiting for the final report.
What do we receive after a penetration test?
You receive a comprehensive report that includes an executive summary written in plain business language for leadership, a detailed technical findings section with evidence and screenshots for each vulnerability discovered, a risk rating for every finding based on likelihood and impact, step-by-step remediation guidance prioritized by severity, and a strategic roadmap for improving your security posture over time. We also schedule a findings review meeting where our testers walk your team through every discovery, answer questions, and help you prioritize remediation efforts. After you have addressed the findings, we offer a retest to verify that vulnerabilities have been properly resolved.
How long does a penetration test take?
The timeline depends on the scope and complexity of the engagement. A focused external network test for a small business may take three to five business days. A comprehensive assessment that includes external testing, internal network assessment, web application testing, and wireless evaluation typically takes two to four weeks. Very large or complex environments with multiple locations, extensive application portfolios, or strict compliance requirements may require additional time. During the scoping phase, we provide a clear timeline and keep you updated throughout the engagement.
Do you test cloud environments?
Yes. PCG Pentest regularly tests cloud-hosted infrastructure and applications across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud environments. Cloud penetration testing evaluates your configuration security, identity and access management policies, storage permissions, network segmentation, and application-layer vulnerabilities. We follow each cloud provider rules of engagement for authorized testing. Whether your environment is fully cloud-based, on-premises, or hybrid, our methodology adapts to test the actual attack surface your business presents to threat actors.
What certifications do your penetration testers hold?
Our penetration testing team holds industry-recognized certifications including Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN), and CompTIA PenTest+. Our testers also maintain current knowledge of the OWASP Testing Guide, NIST SP 800-115 technical guide to information security testing, and PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard). Certifications matter because they validate that our team follows established ethical and technical standards, not just running automated scanners but performing genuine manual testing and exploitation.
Don't Wait for an Attacker to Find Your Weaknesses
A professional penetration test reveals the vulnerabilities that automated scans miss. Find out what an attacker would find before they do.