Expose Internal Weaknesses Before They Become Business-Critical Incidents
Even if your external perimeter is locked down, insider threats and lateral movement remain serious risks. Attackers—or malicious insiders—who gain a foothold in your internal network can bypass many of your frontline defenses, access sensitive data, and disrupt essential operations.
IT Audit Labs’ Internal Penetration Testing Services simulate these real-world attack scenarios inside your environment. Our certified experts identify misconfigurations, privilege escalation paths, and other vulnerabilities an attacker could exploit once they’re past the firewall—enabling you to fortify your defenses from the inside out.
Why Internal Penetration Testing Matters
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Insider Threats
From disgruntled employees to compromised user accounts, internal actors can leverage elevated access and knowledge of your systems to launch damaging attacks.
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Lateral Movement & Escalation
A single compromised host can become an attacker’s stepping stone to broader network privileges—potentially reaching critical servers and data stores.
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Regulatory Compliance
Frameworks such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001 increasingly emphasize internal security controls. Periodic internal tests help confirm you’re meeting these standards.
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Zero Trust Validation
Even if you’ve adopted Zero Trust policies, testing reveals gaps and verifies whether micro-segmentation, privilege boundaries, and monitoring are effectively enforced.
Our Methodical Approach to Internal Pen Testing
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Scoping & Planning
Together, we define objectives, assets, and assumptions (e.g., a compromised user account) for the test. This includes clarifying in-scope networks, systems, and user roles.
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Network Enumeration & Recon
Our testers methodically map internal subnets, shared drives, and domain controllers—looking for misconfigurations, open shares, and other avenues for pivoting.
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Privilege Escalation & Lateral Movement
We systematically attempt to escalate privileges—harvesting credentials and leveraging known exploits or weak permissions to move deeper into the network.
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Data Exfiltration Tests
By simulating the theft of valuable data, we gauge the effectiveness of your monitoring tools and incident response protocols in detecting suspicious behavior.
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Reporting & Remediation Guidance
You receive a comprehensive but clear report detailing each vulnerability, proof-of-concept exploits, and risk-ranked recommendations. We’re available post-engagement to help you prioritize and implement fixes.
Common Vulnerabilities We Look For
Unsecured
Shared Drives
Improper access control on file shares that can expose confidential information.
Weak Authentication & Password Policies
Default admin credentials or easily guessable passwords that let intruders impersonate legitimate users.
Privilege Misconfigurations
Overly permissive group memberships or local admin rights that allow horizontal and vertical privilege escalation.
Lack of
Network Segmentation
Flat, unsegmented internal networks that enable attackers to traverse from one compromised system to critical resources with little resistance.
Outdated Software & OS Versions
Legacy systems and unpatched applications susceptible to known exploits, leaving open backdoors for attackers.
Compliance and Best Practices
Internal penetration testing not only uncovers hidden threats, it also helps you demonstrate due diligence for:
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PCI DSS
Ensures strong internal controls for networks that store or process credit card data.
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HIPAA
Validates that ePHI remains protected even if an attacker gains an internal foothold.
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ISO 27001
Confirms ongoing risk management and improvement of internal security measures as part of an Information Security Management System (ISMS).
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NIST CSF
Aligns with Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover pillars, ensuring robust and adaptive security.
Why Choose IT Audit Labs?
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Certified Ethical Hackers
Our team holds OSCP, CEH, CISSP, and GPEN certifications, bringing industry-leading expertise to every internal test.
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Realistic Attack Simulations
We don’t rely on automated scans alone. Manual exploitation techniques give you a true picture of how an intruder could move through your network.
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Tailored Engagements
Each internal pen test is customized to your environment—focusing on assets, user roles, and compliance demands unique to your business.
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Transparent Reportin
You’ll receive risk-based remediation steps and clear documentation that both technical teams and business stakeholders can understand.
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End-to-End Support
Beyond the test itself, we offer remediation guidance, additional security hardening services, and ongoing assessments to keep your defenses strong.
Want to hear more?
Check out any of our episodes of The Audit Podcast, where we interview the best and brightest in cybersecurity, covering the latest infosec best practices, news, and insights.
Listen to our latest episode!
Strengthen Your Network from Within
You’ve worked hard to secure your perimeter—now it’s time to ensure internal protections are just as robust. IT Audit Labs’ Internal Penetration Testing Services provide the expert insight and actionable recommendations you need to defeat insider threats, prevent unauthorized access, and comply with industry regulations.
Certified Infosec Expertise
