Security Testing Services Find Vulnerabilities Before Attackers Do

End-to-end security testing – web application penetration testing, API security assessment, mobile application security testing (iOS and Android), cloud security posture assessment (AWS, Azure, GCP), infrastructure and network penetration testing, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT), secure code review, social engineering and phishing assessment, red team adversarial simulation, and compliance-aligned security testing for PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, and ISO 27001. Delivered for Fortune 500 enterprises across manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, energy, logistics, and retail.

A vulnerability assessment systematically identifies and catalogues known vulnerabilities in a defined scope – primarily through automated scanning tools validated by manual review — producing a prioritised inventory of vulnerabilities without attempting exploitation. A penetration test goes further – a security engineer attempts to actively exploit identified vulnerabilities to demonstrate real-world attack impact, chain multiple vulnerabilities into an attack path, and identify business logic vulnerabilities that automated tools cannot detect. Kernshell recommends penetration testing for applications handling sensitive customer data, financial transactions, or regulated health information – where demonstrated exploitability is required rather than theoretical risk identification.

Every web application penetration test follows OWASP Web Security Testing Guide methodology – covering authentication and session management, injection flaws, access control, security misconfiguration, cryptographic implementation, sensitive data exposure, server-side request forgery, and business logic vulnerabilities. Testing is conducted manually by security engineers, not by running automated scanners and presenting their output. Every critical and high-severity finding is accompanied by a working exploitation demonstration – reproduction steps, screenshots, HTTP request/response evidence, and business impact assessment – before the engagement concludes.

Production system protection is addressed through scoping and rules of engagement agreed before testing begins – specific systems, IP ranges, and testing windows defined, with out-of-scope boundaries documented and legally agreed. Destructive tests (DoS, data deletion, production data modification) are excluded from scope unless explicitly agreed. Testing conducted during agreed windows with emergency contact protocols enabling immediate testing suspension if unexpected production impact is observed. For business-critical production systems, testing is conducted on a production-equivalent staging environment first, with production testing limited to targeted, non-destructive validation of specific findings.

PCI DSS Requirement 11.3 annual penetration testing – external and internal penetration test of cardholder data environment with segmentation testing and QSA-structured report. HIPAA security safeguard technical assessment – access control, audit logging, transmission security, and integrity control validation. GDPR technical security measure assessment – encryption, access controls, and data protection by design validation. SOC 2 security control testing – availability, confidentiality, and security trust service criteria technical control evidence. ISO 27001 technical vulnerability management – A.12.6 compliance testing and evidence package production. All compliance security engagements produce reports structured for regulatory submission and audit response.

Sensitive data handling is governed by rules of engagement agreed before testing begins – specifically defining whether testers are authorised to access, capture, or store any data discovered during testing. Where test accounts and synthetic data cannot fully replicate production conditions, data handling procedures are defined: minimum necessary access, no data exfiltration to tester-controlled systems, secure deletion of any incidentally captured data, and immediate notification if unexpected sensitive data access occurs. For regulated environments – HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS – data handling procedures are aligned to the specific regulatory requirements applicable to the data classification of systems in scope.

A focused web application penetration test of a mid-complexity application typically completes testing in 5–10 business days with a report delivered within 3–5 business days of testing completion. An API security assessment adds 3–5 business days. A cloud security posture assessment typically requires 5–8 business days. An infrastructure penetration test scope determines duration – external perimeter tests typically 3–5 days, internal network assessments 5–10 days depending on network size and complexity. Red team exercises are typically 2–4 weeks. All engagement timelines are defined in the scoping agreement before testing begins – not estimated from scope descriptions before the technical architecture is understood.