PCI DSS Penetration Testing Services

Penetration testing is not just a compliance checkbox; it's a critical security measure mandated by PCI DSS Requirement 11.4. It proves whether real-world attack paths exist across your Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) perimeter and critical systems, going far beyond automated vulnerability scanning to validate exploitability and business impact.

With PCI DSS v4.0 now in full effect as of March 31, 2025, organisations face more prescriptive requirements. These include mandatory segmentation testing twice per year for service providers and expanded scope that now explicitly includes cloud infrastructure, SaaS applications, and build pipelines. Our testing helps you meet these new demands and demonstrates to auditors that your security controls are effective.

We follow a structured, transparent process that provides you with the evidence needed for a successful assessment. Our methodology is documented and aligned with industry-accepted frameworks like OWASP, OSSTMM, and NIST, as required by PCI DSS 11.4.x.

1. Discovery & Scoping Workshop: We work with you to confirm data flows, trust boundaries, and segmentation claims based on your scoping documentation.
2. Methodology Mapping: We document a detailed plan aligned to PCI DSS requirements, covering authenticated and unauthenticated paths, APIs, admin consoles, and management planes.
3. Controlled Execution: Our team performs threat-led, manual testing with targeted tooling, carefully planned to avoid business disruption [citation:1].
4. Segmentation Challenge: We verify isolation by attempting cross-segment movement from out-of-scope networks to the CDE [citation:1][citation:3].
5. Comprehensive Reporting: We deliver a professional report including an executive summary, technical evidence, risk ranking with business context, and direct mapping to PCI DSS requirements.
6. Retest & Remediation Support: After you address the findings, we perform a retest to verify the fixes and provide updated evidence suitable for your QSA.