Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessments
Independent external and internal network penetration tests, vulnerability assessments and phishing simulations, delivered remotely anywhere with a prioritized remediation plan.
Delivered Remotely, Anywhere
Experienced Testers, No Travel Required
Boston IT Services has delivered IT and security services since 2002. Our penetration testing and vulnerability assessment engagements serve organizations wherever they operate, from biotech and SaaS firms to law firms, financial services and manufacturers.
External tests run from the internet, internal tests run through a secure remote testing device, and we walk your team through the findings on a video call.
The Problem
You Cannot Attest to What You Have Not Tested
Auditors, cyber insurers and enterprise customers increasingly ask for evidence of independent testing, not a vendor's assurance that everything is fine.
Environments also drift. A firewall rule opened for a project, a forgotten VPN account, an internet-exposed management interface or an unpatched appliance can quietly undo a year of good hygiene.
Automated scanners alone produce hundreds of findings with no sense of what actually matters, which is why most scan reports sit unread.
Engagement Types
Network Tests, Vulnerability Scans and Social Engineering
External and internal network penetration testing: reconnaissance of your internet-facing footprint, exploitation attempts against reachable services, lateral movement and privilege escalation testing from a foothold inside the LAN.
Authenticated and unauthenticated vulnerability assessments across endpoints, servers, network devices and cloud tenants, including configuration review of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Social engineering and phishing assessments: targeted phishing campaigns, credential harvesting simulations and, where in scope, pretext calling, measured by click rate, submission rate and reporting rate.
Retesting after remediation so you can demonstrate that findings were actually closed, not just acknowledged.
Deliverables
Reports Built for Auditors and for Engineers
Every engagement produces an executive summary for leadership, insurers and auditors, plus a technical findings section with reproduction steps and evidence.
Findings are ranked by real-world risk, combining severity with exploitability and business impact, so the first item on the list is genuinely the first thing to fix.
Each finding carries a specific, actionable remediation recommendation, not a generic reference. Where you use BITS for managed IT, we can implement the fixes under a separate scope of work.
When Clients Request It
Audits, Insurance Renewals and Annual Reviews
Common triggers are SOC 2 or HIPAA audit requirements, CMMC preparation, a cyber insurance application or renewal questionnaire, a customer security review, or a scheduled annual security assessment.
Testing is delivered as a discrete, time-boxed engagement with an agreed scope, rules of engagement and testing window, and is not bundled into ongoing managed services.
If your goal is continuous monitoring rather than point-in-time testing, our managed detection and response service is the better fit, and the two work well together.
FAQ
Common Questions
What is the difference between a penetration test and a vulnerability assessment?
A vulnerability assessment scans your systems for known weaknesses and misconfigurations. A penetration test goes further: a tester actively tries to exploit those weaknesses, chain them together and move through your network, to show what an attacker could actually reach.
What is an external vulnerability assessment?
An external assessment looks at everything your business exposes to the internet, such as firewalls, VPNs, remote access portals, email and websites, and identifies which of those an attacker could use to get in.
Can you test organizations outside Massachusetts?
Yes. Testing is delivered remotely, so location doesn't matter. External testing runs over the internet, and internal testing uses a secure remote testing device shipped to your office.
Will testing disrupt our business?
Every engagement starts with agreed rules of engagement and a testing window. Riskier tests can be scheduled outside business hours, and we stop and notify you immediately if we find a critical issue.
How often should we have a penetration test?
Most organizations test at least once a year, and after major changes such as a new office, firewall replacement or cloud migration. Audits and cyber insurers often expect an annual test.
Please note: separate, opt-in engagement
This is a specialized, opt-in service. It is not included as part of your existing managed IT support or cybersecurity plan unless it has been specifically scoped and added to your service agreement. If you're an existing client and want to discuss adding this, contact your account manager or reach out below.