External Network Testing
Everything your business exposes to the internet (firewalls, VPNs, remote access, public-facing servers), tested the way an outside attacker would probe it.
Penetration Testing for Small Business
A vulnerability scanner tells you what's theoretically wrong. A penetration test tells you what an attacker could actually do with it. Ghosxt runs manual, adversarial testing on Central Coast small business networks and web applications, led by an engineer with DoD infrastructure experience who tests the way real attackers work, not a scanner running on autopilot.
Scanning finds what's known. Testing finds what's exploitable.
Automated vulnerability scanning (the kind we run continuously as part of managed cybersecurity) checks your systems against a database of known weaknesses and flags what it finds. It is fast, cheap, and necessary. It is not the same thing as penetration testing.
A penetration test is a person, actively trying to get in. We chain a misconfigured share here to a reused password there to an unpatched service somewhere else, the same way a real attacker strings together small weaknesses into a real breach. A scan tells you a door might be unlocked. A test tells you whether someone can actually walk through it, and what they'd find on the other side.
Why an engineer with DoD infrastructure experience is different here
Most penetration tests sold to small businesses are a scan with a formatted report and a consultant's summary on top. Ghosxt is run by an engineer with DoD infrastructure experience and former Senior Solutions Consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, someone who has tested and defended real networks, not just read about how attackers operate.
That means testing that reflects how your business actually gets attacked, not a generic checklist, and a report that tells you plainly what's exploitable, what's theoretical, and what to fix first.
How we test your environment
Scoped to what's realistic for your business: we'll tell you which of these apply before anything starts.
Internal Network Testing
What happens once a foothold exists inside your network: lateral movement, privilege escalation, and how far a compromised laptop or stolen credential could actually reach.
Web Application Testing
Manual testing of your customer-facing or internal web applications for the flaws automated scanners routinely miss: authentication bypass, business-logic errors, injection.
Wireless & Physical Assessment
Wi-Fi segmentation and rogue-access-point testing, plus physical and social walk-through assessment where it's relevant to your environment.
Social Engineering & Phishing
Simulated phishing and pretexting to test whether your team (not just your systems) would catch a real attempt, with results used for training, not blame.
Report, Remediation & Retest
A written report ranked by real-world exploitability, help fixing what's found, and a retest to confirm it's actually closed: the documentation cyber-insurance carriers and assessors expect.
Find out what a real attacker could actually reach
Book a free scoping call. We'll talk through what's realistic for your environment, whether your cyber-insurance policy or compliance framework requires it, and what a test would cost, no obligation.
Book your free scoping callWhere this fits with what we already do
Penetration testing pairs with the continuous vulnerability management and monitoring we run day to day: the scan catches known issues fast, the test catches what a scanner can't see. It's also frequently a documented requirement for CMMC and PCI DSS, and increasingly requested at cyber-insurance renewal; our cyber-insurance renewal checklist covers what carriers are asking for.
Penetration Testing FAQs
How is penetration testing different from vulnerability scanning?
Vulnerability scanning is automated and continuous: a tool checks your systems against a database of known weaknesses on a schedule. Penetration testing is manual and adversarial: a real engineer actively tries to break in, chain small weaknesses together, and see how far they can get, the same way an actual attacker would. Most cyber-insurance carriers and compliance frameworks treat them as complementary, not interchangeable: continuous scanning catches known issues fast, and periodic testing catches the exploitable paths a scanner can't see.
How often should we test?
Annually is the common baseline, and after any major change: a new application, a network redesign, a merger, or an acquisition. Some cyber-insurance policies and compliance frameworks (PCI DSS, CMMC) specify their own minimum cadence, which we'll confirm applies to you during scoping.
Do we need this for cyber insurance or compliance?
Often, yes. Many cyber-insurance renewals now ask whether you've had a penetration test in the last 12 months, and PCI DSS explicitly requires one annually and after significant changes. We'll tell you plainly whether your policy or framework requires it, and provide the documentation carriers and assessors expect.
Will testing disrupt our systems?
We scope testing windows and methods around your operations: production-safe techniques, agreed timing, and a clear rules-of-engagement document signed before anything starts. Disruptive techniques (like actual exploitation of a fragile system) are called out and approved in advance, not sprung on you.
Stop guessing whether your network would hold up
Book a free scoping call, or call (831) 204-0501. Find out what's actually exploitable before someone else does.
Book your free scoping call Send a Message