Network Penetration Testing
Internal and external network penetration testing to identify exploitable attack paths.
Network Penetration Testing
Network infrastructure is the backbone of every organisation — and it remains one of the most targeted attack surfaces in modern intrusions. Intelliroot's Network Penetration Testing service delivers adversarial assessments of both external perimeters and internal corporate networks, identifying exploitable attack paths before attackers find them. Our engagements cover firewall rule analysis, service enumeration, Active Directory attack chains, lateral movement opportunities, network segmentation validation, and compliance-driven testing for CERT-In, RBI, and ISO 27001 requirements.
Our CREST-certified engineers use the same toolsets and techniques as sophisticated threat actors — BloodHound for AD attack path analysis, Responder for credential harvesting, Impacket for SMB relay and pass-the-hash, and custom exploit chains for proprietary network services. The difference is that our findings are delivered as a structured, evidence-backed report with prioritised remediation guidance, not as a breach notification. Every engagement concludes with a full re-test credit and a remediation debrief tailored to your network and security team's maturity.
Why Network Penetration Testing Remains Essential
Perimeters Have Not Disappeared
Despite the shift to cloud and zero trust architectures, most organisations still run substantial on-premises infrastructure. Firewalls misconfigured over years of change, exposed management interfaces, and unpatched services create real, exploitable paths into the environment.
Active Directory Is the Crown Jewel
Kerberoasting, AS-REP roasting, DCSync, and pass-the-hash attacks against Active Directory remain among the most impactful techniques in real-world intrusions. A network pentest validates whether your AD hardening actually prevents domain compromise.
Lateral Movement Is Where Breaches Escalate
Initial access is only the beginning. Attackers move laterally through flat networks to reach high-value systems. Network segmentation testing maps exactly how far an attacker can travel from any given entry point inside your environment.
Compliance Mandates Regular Testing
RBI's IT Framework, SEBI CSCRF, CERT-In guidelines for critical information infrastructure, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS all mandate periodic network penetration testing. Annual assessments by empanelled firms are the accepted standard for satisfying these requirements.
What We Test
External Perimeter
- External IP range and subdomain enumeration
- Internet-exposed service vulnerability assessment
- Firewall rule review and bypass attempts
- VPN gateway security and authentication weaknesses
- DMZ architecture review and inter-zone access
Internal Network
- Active Directory attack path analysis (BloodHound)
- Kerberoasting, AS-REP roasting, and DCSync
- SMB relay and LLMNR/NBT-NS poisoning (Responder)
- Pass-the-hash and pass-the-ticket attacks
- Privileged account enumeration and abuse
Network Segmentation & Architecture
- VLAN hopping and segmentation bypass attempts
- Trust relationship and routing analysis
- Inter-segment access validation (PCI scope isolation)
- Management network access controls
- OT / ICS network separation validation
Services & Protocols
- MITM attacks on unencrypted protocols (SNMP, Telnet, FTP)
- DNS zone transfer and cache poisoning
- SMTP relay abuse and email spoofing controls
- NFS / SMB share exposure and permission review
- Legacy protocol detection (NTLMv1, SSLv3, TLS 1.0)
Our Approach
Scoping & Rules of Engagement
We define IP ranges, network segments, test windows, and out-of-scope systems in a formal Rules of Engagement document. Emergency contacts and incident escalation procedures are agreed before any active testing begins to ensure safety for production systems.
Reconnaissance & Asset Discovery
For external engagements we conduct OSINT-driven reconnaissance (WHOIS, certificate transparency, Shodan, LinkedIn) before any active scanning. For internal engagements we conduct network discovery from a standard workstation position to accurately simulate insider or post-breach lateral movement.
Vulnerability Identification & Service Enumeration
Comprehensive port scanning and service fingerprinting is performed across all in-scope ranges. Discovered services are assessed against known vulnerability databases and version-specific exploit chains. Firewall evasion techniques are applied to ensure accurate results.
Exploitation & Privilege Escalation
Identified vulnerabilities are safely exploited to demonstrate real-world impact. On internal engagements, successful access leads into Active Directory attack chains — Kerberoasting, DCSync, pass-the-hash — with full documentation of the attack path from initial access to domain administrator.
Lateral Movement & Segmentation Validation
From each foothold established during exploitation, we map lateral movement opportunities and attempt to breach network segment boundaries. Segmentation controls that are claimed in architecture diagrams are validated against actual behaviour in the live environment.
Reporting, Debrief & Re-test
Findings are documented with full attack path narratives, network diagrams showing compromise chains, CVSS 3.1 scores, and technical remediation guidance. A live debrief with your IT and security teams is included, and a free re-test validates remediation within 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Deliverables
Executive Summary Report
A clear risk narrative summarising the overall security posture of your network, key attack paths demonstrated, and business impact of critical findings — suitable for board and senior management briefings.
Technical Findings Report
Comprehensive documentation of all findings including reproduction steps, tool output, network diagrams of attack paths, CVSS 3.1 scores, and prioritised remediation guidance ordered by risk and exploitability.
Attack Path Diagrams
Visual network diagrams (generated with BloodHound, draw.io exports, and custom illustration) showing each demonstrated attack chain from initial access to the furthest point of compromise — essential for understanding lateral movement risk.
Risk Register (CSV / XLSX)
A structured spreadsheet of all findings with risk ratings, affected systems, remediation owners, and suggested fix timelines — ready for import into your IT service management platform.
Remediation Guidance & Hardening Checklist
Technology-specific remediation steps for all identified issues, including Active Directory hardening guidance, firewall rule recommendations, and group policy configurations to address systemic weaknesses.
CERT-In Compliance Report & Re-test Certificate
A formally structured report acceptable for CERT-In and RBI regulatory submissions, plus a signed re-test attestation letter confirming remediation of critical and high findings within 30 days.
Request a Security Assessment
Tell us about your environment and security objectives. We'll design a bespoke assessment and deliver a detailed proposal within 48 hours.