Pentest · AI + human · two streams

We attack your stack.
Then we close every finding.

Continuous internal pentest run by our AI engine and certified red teamers, included in every CaaS engagement. For independent third party assessments, we coordinate a vetted partner firm. Two streams, one operating model, both auditor accepted.

hsd-pentest · acme.live · internal stream
v4.2 · 11s elapsed
live
internal stream · partner stream renders an external report
Methodology
OWASPMITRE ATT&CKNIST 800-115PTESOSSTMMCISISO 27001
§01 · Two delivery streams

We test what we own. Partners test what we built for you.

We are also your remediator. That means we cannot credibly certify our own work to your auditor. Industry standards agree: ISO 17021-1 enforces a two year cooling off between implementer and assessor. So we run two streams and you pick whichever your buyer needs.

Stream A · delivered by HSD

Internal pentest. Continuous, in scope.

Our AI pentest engine plus our certified red team, running against your live surface as part of your compliance program. Findings come with pull requests. Engagement closes only when criticals close.

  • Continuous, not annual point in time
  • AI surfaces candidates, humans verify
  • Pull requests against your infra repo
  • No standalone invoice. Bundled into CaaS.
  • Internal use only · not for arm's length attestations
Stream B · via partner network

Independent pentest. Third party report.

When your auditor needs a pentest report from a firm that did not also remediate your stack, we coordinate a vetted partner. We handle scoping, NDA, results delivery and follow up remediation. You get a standalone report under their letterhead.

  • Independent, arm's length per ISO 17021-1
  • Boutique offensive firms, PCI ASV/QSA aligned, cleared red teams
  • We coordinate scope, NDA, retest at no markup
  • You get the report. We get the gap list.
  • Required for: SOC 2 Type II evidence, PCI DSS, ISO Stage 2
Same model applies to compliance audits. We deliver and remediate. Partner audit firms (BSI, TÜV, Bureau Veritas, US CPA partners) issue the certification. Impartiality is a feature of the program, not a workaround.
§02 · What we test

Nine attack surfaces. One operating model.

Each surface gets a dedicated lead with the right certification stack. Internal-stream surfaces run as part of your CaaS engagement. The two partner-stream surfaces coordinate through firms in our network.

delivered by HSD

Web application

Authenticated and unauthenticated assessments of your web surfaces. Business logic abuse, session handling, access control.

BOLAIDORSSRFXSSCSRFdeserialization
delivered by HSD

API

REST and GraphQL endpoints, internal and public. Authorization boundaries, token handling, schema introspection.

BOLABFLAJWTOAuthGraphQL
delivered by HSD

Mobile application

Static and dynamic analysis on iOS and Android. Runtime tampering, certificate pinning, local storage exposure.

FridaObjectionOWASP MASVSburp
delivered by HSD

Cloud infrastructure

AWS, GCP and Azure account hardening. IAM walks, privilege escalation paths, exposed services, misconfigured logging.

AWSGCPAzureIAMS3kubernetes
delivered by HSD

Internal network

Assumed breach simulation from inside the perimeter. Lateral movement, credential harvesting, privilege escalation, AD walks.

ADkerberoastingBloodHoundC2
delivered by HSD

Source code review

Architectural review and selective deep dive. Cryptography, authorization, input validation, secret handling.

SASTsemgrepmanual review
delivered by HSD

DevSecOps & supply chain

CI/CD pipelines, container registries, dependency graphs, signing keys. Where SolarWinds-style risk lives.

CI/CDSBOMsecretsregistries
via partner network

External red team

Full kill chain against your live perimeter. Recon, initial access, persistence, exfiltration. Run by an independent partner firm because we are also your remediator.

OSINTimplantskill chainC2
internal or partner

Social engineering

Phishing, vishing, pretexting tied to the control review. Coordinated through partner firms when the engagement requires arm's length execution.

phishingvishingpretext
§03 · The five phases

A fixed process. No surprises.

Every engagement runs the same five phases regardless of stream. Durations adjust to scope, the structure does not. You always know what we are doing this week and what lands next.

011 to 3 days

Scope

Define targets, rules of engagement, communication paths, escalation contacts. NDA in place. Test windows agreed in writing. We pick the stream (internal or partner) before scoping closes.

023 to 7 days

Recon

Asset enumeration, surface mapping, attack graph generation. AI handles breadth, the lead engineer prioritizes depth. Partner streams add their own recon layer on top.

037 to 21 days

Exploit

Manual exploitation and chaining. Every candidate finding verified, written up with proof of exploit, severity scored against your business context.

043 to 5 days

Report

Executive summary, technical detail per finding, repro steps, recommended fix, mapped to OWASP and ATT&CK. Auditor accepted format. Partner streams publish their own standalone report under their letterhead.

052 to 5 days

Retest

Engagement closes only when criticals and highs are verified closed. We retest at no additional charge. For partner streams, we coordinate the partner retest at no markup.

§04 · Engagement modes

Three modes. Pick what your buyer actually needs.

Most teams ask for a pentest when they want continuous assurance, or a red team when they want a pentest. We help you pick the right mode and the right stream for the question you are trying to answer.

delivered by HSD

Continuous Internal Pentest

Run as part of your CaaS engagement. AI scans your live surface, our red team verifies, fixes ship as pull requests against your repo.

Cadence
always on · in scope
Findings
delta per sprint
Scope
All internal-stream surfaces from the list above
Use case
Continuous assurance · drift detection · pre release checks
via partner network

External Pentest (third party)

Independent assessment by a vetted partner firm. The report you hand to your auditor when SOC 2, ISO or PCI requires arm's length verification.

Cadence
3 to 6 weeks
Findings
12 to 30 typical
Scope
Public IPs, web apps, APIs, partner endpoints
Use case
SOC 2 evidence · PCI ASV/QSA · ISO Stage 2
via partner network

Full Red Team

Adversary simulation against the full organization, run by a partner firm that has not previously remediated your environment. SOC measured under real conditions.

Cadence
6 to 10 weeks
Findings
5 to 15 high signal
Scope
Everything. Including humans and physical.
Use case
Board level assurance · post incident validation
§05 · Partner network

The firms we route to. When independence matters.

We do not white label. The partner firm signs the report under their letterhead, owns the relationship with your auditor and bills you directly. We handle the administrative work and the post engagement remediation so you do not have to vet, scope and project manage a third vendor.

Profile

Boutique offensive security firms

Three to ten engineer teams, OSCP / OSEP / OSWE deep stacks. We use them when you need a senior, hands-on red teamer running the whole engagement.

Used for
External pentest · internal red team · application deep dives
Profile

PCI ASV / QSA aligned firms

Approved Scanning Vendors and Qualified Security Assessor companies. Their attestation is what your acquiring bank or QSA actually accepts.

Used for
PCI DSS evidence · ASV scanning · pre QSA validation
Profile

Cleared red team operators

For regulated industries needing adversary simulation under tighter governance. Partner firms with formal blue team coordination protocols.

Used for
Banking · insurance · government · post incident

A note on naming. We do not publish the partner roster. Each engagement gets two or three matched firms with relevant industry, scope and certification fit. You pick the one whose chemistry lands.

Ask for a partner shortlist
§06 · Field reports

Anonymized. But the criticals are real.

Customer logos stay private by default. The findings, the durations and the outcomes are exactly as recorded.

Series B Fintech3 weeks · internal
Critical finding

Auth bypass via JWT key confusion in payments API

Outcome

Critical patched in 4 days, two related logic flaws closed alongside, SOC 2 audit on schedule.

Healthcare SaaS4 weeks · internal
Critical finding

Tenant isolation break in shared microservice

Outcome

Architecture rewrite proposed, scoped and shipped under the same engagement. PHI containment verified end to end.

Payments Processor8 weeks · partner red team
Critical finding

Phishing payload reached AD admin, full domain control reached on day 11

Outcome

Partner firm delivered the formal report under their letterhead. We took the findings, tuned SOC detection, and permanently closed two privilege paths.

Industries served
FintechHealthcarePaymentsSaaSE-commerceInsuranceCrypto / Web3LogisticsEnergyGovernment
§07 · Credentials

Built by practitioners. Not just consultants.

The grid below is the certification floor across the in house team. Partner firms in the network meet at minimum the same floor and add jurisdiction specific accreditations (ASV, QSA, regional CPA equivalents) where required.

OSCP
OffSec
OSWE
OffSec
OSEP
OffSec
OSED
OffSec
CRTO
Zero Point Security
CRTP
Altered Security
CRTL
Altered Security
CPTS
Hack The Box
CRTM
Altered Security
CISSP
ISC²
CCSP
ISC²
CEH
EC-Council
§08 · Why this works

What ends with a clean repo. Not a 200 page PDF.

AI plus human verification

AI maps surface and proposes candidate findings. Certified red teamers verify each one before it reaches your queue. You never see a noisy false positive list.

Continuous, not annual

Internal stream runs as a programme, not a once a year report. New endpoints get tested as they ship. Findings are deltas, not fire drills.

Remediation in scope

Internal-stream issues land as pull requests against your repo. For partner-stream findings, we take the report and close the gaps under the same CaaS engagement.

Independence when you need it

Auditors increasingly ask whether your pentest firm is the same as your remediator. Saying no, with named partner firms, removes the question before it gets asked.

100% confidential
NDA first
24h response
every business day
Kill switch
engagement pauses on request
Auditor accepted
report formats verified
First step

Ready to test your defenses?

Send us your scope or just tell us where the auditor is pushing back. We come back with a recommended stream (internal or partner), a duration window and a price range within 24 hours. Under NDA from the first email.

Book a scoping callpentest@hsd.cloud
under NDA from the first email