Penetration Testing in Charlotte, NC
Charlotte’s banking and financial services sector processes trillions of dollars in transactions annually — making it one of the highest-value targets for cyber attackers in the country. Petronella Technology Group, Inc. delivers expert penetration testing and red team assessments for Charlotte banks, fintech companies, healthcare organizations, and enterprises — identifying vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them, satisfying regulatory testing requirements, and hardening your defenses against real-world threats.
BBB Accredited Since 2003 • Founded 2002 • 2,500+ Clients • CMMC Certified Registered Practitioner
Find Vulnerabilities Before Attackers Do
Regulatory mandates, enterprise client requirements, and the evolving threat landscape demand regular, independent security testing.
Satisfy Regulatory Requirements
FFIEC guidance expects financial institutions to conduct regular penetration testing. PCI DSS Requirement 11.3 mandates annual pen testing and testing after significant changes. SOC 2 auditors look for evidence of security testing. Charlotte’s financial sector faces some of the most rigorous testing requirements in any industry.
Simulate Real Attacks
Vulnerability scanners identify known weaknesses. Penetration testing goes further — simulating what a motivated attacker would actually do to breach your Charlotte organization. Our certified testers chain vulnerabilities together, escalate privileges, move laterally through networks, and demonstrate real business impact to help you prioritize remediation.
Validate Security Controls
You have invested in firewalls, endpoint protection, SIEM, and access controls. Penetration testing validates that those controls actually work under attack conditions. For Charlotte organizations spending significant budget on security, pen testing provides the evidence that your investment is delivering real protection.
Win Enterprise Contracts
Charlotte’s Fortune 500 companies and major banks require vendors and partners to demonstrate security testing as part of third-party risk assessments. A current pen test report from a reputable firm can be the difference between winning and losing an enterprise contract. Our reports are designed to satisfy the most demanding vendor risk management programs.
Penetration Testing Tailored for Charlotte’s Industries
Charlotte’s economy creates diverse attack surfaces that require specialized penetration testing approaches. The banking and financial services sector — led by Bank of America, Truist Financial, Ally Financial, and LPL Financial — operates online banking platforms, payment processing systems, trading applications, and mobile banking apps that must withstand sophisticated attacks from nation-state groups and organized criminal organizations. FFIEC guidance and PCI DSS both require regular penetration testing, and Charlotte’s financial regulators expect institutions to demonstrate that testing is thorough, independent, and remediation is tracked to completion.
Charlotte’s fintech ecosystem — centered in South End and growing across the metro — builds custom applications that handle payments, lending decisions, insurance claims, and wealth management. These applications present unique attack surfaces: APIs that process financial transactions, mobile apps handling sensitive customer data, and cloud infrastructure running in AWS and Azure. Our penetration testing for fintech companies focuses on the application-layer vulnerabilities and business logic flaws that automated scanners miss.
Healthcare organizations across Charlotte — from Atrium Health facilities to independent practices — face different but equally critical testing needs. Medical device network segmentation, EHR system access controls, patient portal security, and telehealth platform vulnerabilities require testers who understand clinical environments and HIPAA constraints. Our testing in healthcare settings is conducted with the care and coordination that patient safety demands.
Petronella Technology Group, Inc. has conducted penetration testing for North Carolina organizations since 2002. Our certified testers combine manual testing expertise with advanced tooling to identify vulnerabilities that automated scanners cannot find. Every engagement includes an executive summary for leadership and board reporting, plus a detailed technical report with prioritized, actionable remediation guidance. For Charlotte organizations needing vulnerability assessments as a complement to penetration testing, we offer continuous scanning and monitoring services as well.
Penetration Testing Services for Charlotte
Comprehensive testing coverage across every attack surface relevant to Charlotte’s industries.
External Network Penetration Testing
We test your Charlotte organization’s internet-facing infrastructure from the perspective of an external attacker. This includes firewalls, VPN gateways, web servers, email servers, DNS servers, and any publicly accessible services. Our testers probe for misconfigurations, unpatched vulnerabilities, weak authentication, and exposed services that could provide an initial foothold into your network.
Satisfies: FFIEC penetration testing expectations, PCI DSS Requirement 11.3, SOC 2 security testing criteria, and enterprise vendor risk assessment requirements.
Internal Network Penetration Testing
Internal testing simulates an attacker who has gained initial access to your Charlotte network — through phishing, a compromised employee, or a malicious insider. We test network segmentation, Active Directory security, privilege escalation paths, lateral movement opportunities, and access to sensitive data stores. For Charlotte financial institutions, we specifically target systems containing financial data, trading platforms, and customer account databases.
Internal testing reveals the vulnerabilities that allow a minor initial compromise to escalate into a catastrophic breach — the scenario that every Charlotte CISO loses sleep over.
Web Application & API Testing
Charlotte fintech companies, banks with online platforms, and healthcare organizations with patient portals all expose web applications and APIs to the internet. Our application testing follows OWASP methodology to identify injection flaws, authentication weaknesses, authorization bypasses, business logic vulnerabilities, API security issues, and data exposure risks. For financial applications, we pay particular attention to transaction manipulation, account enumeration, and session management.
Coverage: OWASP Top 10, OWASP API Security Top 10, business logic testing, authentication and session management, input validation, error handling, and cryptographic implementation.
Social Engineering & Phishing Assessments
Over 90% of successful breaches begin with social engineering. Our social engineering assessments test your Charlotte workforce’s resilience against phishing emails, pretexting phone calls, and physical social engineering attempts. We craft realistic scenarios targeting Charlotte employees — impersonating vendors, financial institutions, and internal departments — to measure awareness and identify training gaps.
Results inform targeted security awareness training that addresses the specific weaknesses identified in your Charlotte organization.
Cloud & Wireless Penetration Testing
We test cloud infrastructure in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud for misconfigurations, excessive permissions, exposed storage, insecure APIs, and identity management weaknesses. Wireless testing at Charlotte office locations identifies rogue access points, WPA/WPA2 vulnerabilities, guest network segmentation issues, and wireless client attacks.
For Charlotte organizations using multi-cloud architectures, we test the security of interconnections between cloud providers and between cloud and on-premises infrastructure.
Red Team Assessments
Red team assessments go beyond traditional penetration testing by simulating a full-scope, objective-based attack against your Charlotte organization. Our red team uses any combination of technical exploitation, social engineering, and physical access to achieve a defined objective — such as accessing the core banking system, exfiltrating customer data, or compromising executive accounts. This tests not just your technical controls but your detection capabilities, incident response processes, and security team effectiveness.
Red team engagements are ideal for Charlotte financial institutions and enterprises with mature security programs that want to test their defenses against realistic, adversarial scenarios.
How We Conduct Penetration Testing in Charlotte
A structured methodology that delivers actionable results while minimizing disruption to your operations.
Scoping & Rules of Engagement
We define the scope, objectives, testing windows, communication protocols, and rules of engagement for your Charlotte engagement. For financial institutions, we coordinate with your compliance team to ensure testing satisfies specific regulatory requirements. Emergency contacts and escalation procedures are documented before testing begins.
Reconnaissance & Testing Execution
Our testers gather intelligence about your Charlotte organization’s attack surface, then systematically test for vulnerabilities using manual techniques and specialized tools. We probe for weaknesses, chain vulnerabilities to demonstrate real-world attack paths, and document every finding with evidence including screenshots, payloads, and network captures.
Reporting & Remediation Guidance
We deliver a comprehensive report containing an executive summary for leadership and board reporting, a detailed technical analysis of each finding, risk ratings aligned to CVSS and your regulatory framework, specific remediation guidance for each vulnerability, and a prioritized action plan. Reports are designed to satisfy FFIEC, PCI DSS, and SOC 2 evidence requirements.
Remediation Verification & Retesting
After your Charlotte team remediates findings, we retest to verify that vulnerabilities have been properly addressed. This closed-loop process ensures remediation is effective and provides documented evidence of resolved findings — critical for regulatory compliance and audit documentation.
Why Charlotte Organizations Choose Petronella Technology Group, Inc. for Pen Testing
Financial Services Testing Expertise
We understand the testing requirements of FFIEC, PCI DSS, and SOC 2. Our reports are designed to satisfy Charlotte’s financial regulators and enterprise vendor risk programs. We test online banking, payment systems, and trading platforms with the rigor these environments demand.
Manual Testing, Not Just Scanners
Automated vulnerability scanners miss business logic flaws, chained attack paths, and context-specific vulnerabilities. Our certified testers manually probe your Charlotte systems using the same techniques real attackers employ — delivering findings that scanners cannot produce.
Actionable Reports
Our reports are not 200-page scanner outputs. Every finding includes clear remediation guidance, risk ratings, and business context. The executive summary communicates risk to your board. The technical details give your team exactly what they need to fix each issue.
30+ Years of Security Expertise
Craig Petronella’s three decades of cybersecurity experience — including digital forensics, incident response, and compliance consulting — informs every penetration test. We test with the perspective of someone who has investigated real breaches and understands what real-world attackers actually do.
Frequently Asked Questions About Penetration Testing in Charlotte
How often should Charlotte organizations conduct penetration testing?
At minimum, annually. PCI DSS requires annual pen testing and after significant changes. FFIEC guidance expects regular testing. Many Charlotte financial institutions test quarterly or after major application releases. The right frequency depends on your regulatory requirements, risk profile, and rate of infrastructure change.
What is the difference between a vulnerability scan and a penetration test?
A vulnerability scan is an automated tool that identifies known weaknesses. A penetration test involves certified human testers who manually exploit vulnerabilities, chain findings together, escalate privileges, and demonstrate real business impact. Pen testing finds the business logic flaws, configuration weaknesses, and attack paths that scanners miss. Charlotte regulators expect both.
Will penetration testing disrupt our Charlotte operations?
We design every engagement to minimize operational disruption. Testing windows are coordinated with your team, aggressive tests are scheduled during off-hours, and emergency contacts are established before testing begins. For Charlotte financial institutions with 24/7 operations, we work within your change management processes and avoid testing against production transaction systems during peak hours.
Do your pen test reports satisfy PCI DSS requirements?
Yes. Our penetration testing methodology and reports are designed to satisfy PCI DSS Requirement 11.3, including testing of the cardholder data environment, segmentation controls, and application-layer vulnerabilities. Reports document scope, methodology, findings, and remediation — exactly what your QSA needs to see during your Charlotte organization’s PCI DSS assessment.
Can you test our mobile banking or fintech application?
Yes. We test iOS and Android mobile applications including authentication mechanisms, local data storage, network communication, session management, cryptographic implementation, and business logic. For Charlotte fintech applications, we also test payment processing flows, API integrations, and the backend infrastructure supporting the mobile app.
What certifications do your penetration testers hold?
Our testing team holds industry-recognized certifications including OSCP, GPEN, CEH, GWAPT, and others. Craig Petronella is a licensed digital forensic examiner and CMMC Certified Registered Practitioner. Our testers have years of hands-on experience testing financial, healthcare, and enterprise environments.
How long does a penetration test take?
A standard external or internal pen test typically takes one to two weeks for testing, plus one week for reporting. Web application tests vary based on application complexity. Red team engagements can span several weeks. We provide a detailed timeline during the scoping phase based on your Charlotte organization’s specific environment and objectives.
How do we get started with penetration testing?
Call 919-348-4912 or request a quote. We begin with a scoping call to understand your Charlotte organization’s environment, regulatory requirements, and testing objectives. We then provide a detailed proposal with scope, methodology, timeline, and pricing. Most engagements can begin within two weeks of approval.
Ready to Test Your Charlotte Organization’s Defenses?
Request a penetration testing quote to identify vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them. We help Charlotte banks, fintech companies, healthcare organizations, and enterprises validate their security controls and satisfy regulatory testing requirements.
Petronella Technology Group, Inc. • 919-348-4912 • Raleigh, NC 27606 • BBB Accredited Since 2003 • Founded 2002 • 2,500+ Clients