Penetration Testing • Durham, NC

Penetration Testing Services in Durham, NC

Durham’s biotech corridor, Duke University research network, and thriving startup ecosystem make the city a prime target for advanced cyber threats. Petronella Technology Group, Inc. delivers expert penetration testing that simulates real-world attacks against your Durham organization’s networks, applications, and people — uncovering exploitable vulnerabilities before threat actors can leverage them. Backed by 30+ years of cybersecurity expertise.

Request a Pen Test Quote Call 919-348-4912

BBB Accredited Since 2003 • Founded 2002 • 2,500+ Clients • Licensed Digital Forensic Examiner on Staff

Why Pen Testing Matters in Durham

Offensive Security for Durham’s Innovation Economy

Automated scans find known weaknesses. Penetration testing reveals the attack chains that lead to actual breaches.

Protect Research IP

Durham’s biotech firms and Duke-affiliated research labs hold intellectual property worth billions. Pen testing exposes the paths an attacker would use to exfiltrate proprietary formulas, clinical trial data, and pre-publication research — so you can close them before a breach destroys years of work.

Meet Compliance Requirements

HIPAA, CMMC, SOC 2, PCI DSS, and NIST frameworks all require or strongly recommend regular penetration testing. For Durham healthcare providers and defense contractors near RTP, pen test reports provide the evidence auditors need to confirm your security controls actually work under pressure.

Validate Your Defenses

You have invested in firewalls, EDR, SIEM, and security awareness training. Penetration testing is the only way to know whether those investments actually stop a determined attacker. We test your Durham defenses the way a real adversary would — with patience, creativity, and persistence.

Local Expertise, Rapid Engagement

Based in the Triangle, our pen testers conduct on-site physical security assessments, wireless testing, and social engineering engagements across Durham County — from the American Tobacco Campus to the biotech labs along NC-147. No travel surcharges, no scheduling delays.

Durham Threat Landscape

Why Durham Organizations Need Penetration Testing

Durham sits at the heart of the Research Triangle, one of the most concentrated hubs of biotech, healthcare, and technology innovation in the United States. Duke University’s $1 billion annual research enterprise, the clinical research organizations clustered near Research Triangle Park, and the wave of health-tech and SaaS startups emerging from the Innovation District all create high-value targets for nation-state actors, ransomware gangs, and opportunistic cybercriminals.

A vulnerability scan tells you what software is outdated. A penetration test tells you what an attacker can actually do with those vulnerabilities — chain them together, escalate privileges, pivot across networks, and exfiltrate sensitive data. For Durham organizations handling protected health information, proprietary research, or government-contracted work, that distinction is the difference between a compliance checkbox and genuine security.

Petronella Technology Group, Inc. has protected Triangle organizations since 2002. Our penetration testing engagements are led by experienced security professionals with backgrounds in digital forensics and compliance frameworks including HIPAA, CMMC, and NIST. We deliver pen test reports that go beyond finding lists — we explain the business impact, demonstrate exploit paths, and provide prioritized remediation guidance your team can act on immediately.

Testing Methodologies

Penetration Testing Services for Durham Organizations

We offer multiple engagement types to match your risk profile, compliance requirements, and budget.

External Network Penetration Testing

We probe your internet-facing assets — firewalls, VPN gateways, web servers, email systems, and cloud services — using the same tools and techniques that real attackers employ. For Durham organizations with public-facing portals, patient portals, or research collaboration platforms, external pen testing reveals whether your perimeter defenses can withstand a determined adversary.

Internal Network Penetration Testing

Simulating a compromised insider or a breached endpoint, we test what an attacker can achieve once inside your network. We attempt lateral movement, privilege escalation, credential harvesting, and data exfiltration across your Durham infrastructure — exposing misconfigurations, excessive permissions, and segmentation failures that allow a small initial compromise to become a catastrophic breach.

Web Application & API Testing

Durham SaaS companies, health-tech platforms, and patient portals face application-layer attacks that network firewalls cannot stop. We test for OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, authentication bypasses, injection flaws, insecure API endpoints, and business logic errors that could expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized transactions.

Social Engineering & Phishing Assessments

People remain the most exploitable attack vector. Our social engineering tests target your Durham workforce with realistic phishing campaigns, pretexting phone calls, and physical access attempts tailored to your industry. We measure click rates, credential submission rates, and physical security awareness — then deliver targeted training to close the gaps.

FAQ

Penetration Testing Questions from Durham Organizations

How often should our Durham organization conduct penetration testing?

At minimum, annually. Organizations subject to PCI DSS, CMMC, or SOC 2 may require testing after significant infrastructure changes. Durham healthcare providers handling PHI should test at least annually and after any major system deployment, cloud migration, or network redesign.

Will penetration testing disrupt our Durham operations?

No. We coordinate testing windows with your team and use controlled techniques designed to identify vulnerabilities without causing system outages. For Durham healthcare environments where uptime is critical, we schedule the most intensive tests during maintenance windows and maintain constant communication throughout the engagement.

What is the difference between a vulnerability scan and a penetration test?

A vulnerability scan is an automated tool that identifies known software flaws. A penetration test is a manual, expert-driven exercise where our testers actively attempt to exploit those vulnerabilities, chain them together, and demonstrate real-world attack paths. Scans find potential weaknesses; pen tests prove whether those weaknesses can actually be used to breach your organization.

What do we receive after the engagement?

You receive a detailed report including an executive summary for leadership, technical findings with evidence screenshots, risk ratings using CVSS scoring, step-by-step exploit descriptions, and prioritized remediation recommendations. We also provide a findings walkthrough session and optional retesting to verify that fixes are effective. The report satisfies audit requirements for HIPAA, CMMC, SOC 2, and PCI DSS.

Find Your Vulnerabilities Before Attackers Do

Request a penetration testing engagement from Petronella Technology Group, Inc. and get a clear picture of your Durham organization’s real security posture. Our expert testers deliver actionable findings that strengthen your defenses and satisfy compliance requirements.