Advisory

Penetration Testing Perth

CREST-accredited penetration testing for Perth businesses and organisations, including local councils and Western Australian Government.

Penetration testing services Perth

A penetration test shows how an attacker could break into your systems, and what they could reach once inside. Vectra is a CREST-accredited firm for penetration testing, operating since 2001. Every test is led by a CREST-registered Practitioner or Senior Consultant. We test web apps, APIs, networks, cloud, mobile apps, wireless and OT systems for Western Australian businesses, organisations, government agencies and councils.

Penetration Testing Perth

Types of penetration testing for Perth organisations

Each test type has its own page that sets out the scope, method and deliverables in full.

Network

Network penetration testing

We test internet-facing services, remote access and the paths an attacker could take once inside, including Active Directory.

Network penetration testing
Web application

Web application penetration testing

Manual testing against the OWASP Top 10 and ASVS Level 2, both signed in and signed out.

Web application penetration testing
API

API penetration testing

APIs tested for broken access control, data exposure and misuse of business logic.

API penetration testing
Cloud

Cloud penetration testing

Cloud estates tested for weak identity settings, exposed services and paths between accounts.

Cloud penetration testing
Wireless

Wireless penetration testing

We test Wi-Fi sign-in, encryption and the walls between guest and corporate zones.

Wireless penetration testing

Every pen test is scoped and quoted to your environment.

Tell us what you want tested and what is driving it, and we will agree the scope, the rules of engagement and the escalation contacts with you before sending a scoped quote.

Get a scoped quote

Manual penetration testing Perth

Some tests are little more than an automated scanner report with a new cover page. That is not a penetration test, and it will satisfy neither a careful auditor nor a determined attacker.

Our testers use tools such as Nessus, Burp Suite and OWASP ZAP to identify likely issues efficiently. A specialist then takes over, verifying each issue manually, connecting weaknesses into realistic attack chains and demonstrating what an attacker could actually reach.

  • High findings proven manually

    Each High or Critical issue receives a proof of exploit, so you know it is genuine before you invest effort in remediation.

  • No raw scanner output

    Scanner results feed our triage process, and they never appear in your report as an unverified list.

  • Flaws automation cannot detect

    Testers examine business logic and authentication, looking for flaws such as bypassing a payment step or viewing another customer's records.

  • Outsider or insider perspective

    We can begin with no prior knowledge, or as an authenticated user to demonstrate how far a compromised account could reach.

  • Prioritised by business impact

    A senior tester reviews every finding and ranks it by its consequences for your organisation, not by a severity score alone.

A scanner lists what might be wrong. A tester proves what is.

That distinction determines where your team invests its remediation effort. Every finding in a Vectra report includes the steps to reproduce it, the affected assets and practical remediation guidance for your engineers.

OT and SCADA penetration testing for WA energy, water and industry

Much of Western Australia's economy depends on industrial control systems. Power generation, gas, water, ports and processing facilities all rely on SCADA, HMIs and historians, and many of these systems were never designed to withstand a deliberate attack.

OT testing needs a different approach from IT testing. A control system that drops a connection can halt production, so safety comes first. Our OT testing is passive first. We test actively on a control network only with written engineering approval, a tested maintenance window and a rollback plan.

OT and ICS penetration testing

  • SCADA, HMI and historian layers

    We test the systems that watch and run your plant. We start with passive methods that only observe.

  • Paths from IT into OT

    Many OT attacks start in the corporate network. We test whether an attacker could cross into the control network, and check segmentation against IEC 62443 zones and conduits.

  • Vendor remote access

    Integrators and equipment makers often keep standing remote access. We check whether those channels could let an attacker in.

  • Evidence for SOCI and AESCSF

    Findings map to IEC 62443. They also support your SOCI risk management program and AESCSF self-assessment.

  • Industrial credentials

    GICSP, the industrial control systems credential, is held within our testing team.

Penetration testing for WA Government agencies and suppliers

State agencies, local governments, government-owned utilities and their suppliers hold sensitive public data. Many also run essential services. A penetration test gives independent evidence that the controls around those services work.

We map findings to the frameworks agencies already use, such as the Essential Eight and ISO 27001. Where an agency also follows ASD's Information Security Manual, findings can link to ISM controls.

See our procurement routes

  • How WA buyers engage us

    We are not listed on a WA Government panel. Agencies engage us through their own buying route, and we supply the evidence that route needs.

  • Due diligence on request

    We can provide our CREST accreditation details, insurance and staff credentials for your supplier checks.

  • Suppliers to government

    If a WA agency asks you for a recent penetration test, we scope it around the system the agency will rely on.

  • Essential Eight in practice

    A test shows whether controls like patching, MFA and admin rights hold up under attack. That supports an Essential Eight assessment.

Planning a pen test for a Western Australian business

A useful test starts with the right question. Are you proving a control works, meeting a customer or regulator, or checking a system before it goes live? The answer shapes the scope, the depth and the report.

We agree the targets, limits and contacts with you before testing starts, so the work is safe and the results are easy to act on.

  1. 01

    Start at the edge

    Test what an attacker can reach from the internet first: the external network, the main web application and the APIs behind it.

  2. 02

    Follow the path into OT

    If you run industrial systems, test whether an attacker could move from the corporate network into the control network.

  3. 03

    Protect live systems

    When we test production, we throttle request rates, agree limits on disruptive actions and keep a live bridge open to your team.

  4. 04

    Act on the report

    You receive a findings debrief, an executive narrative report and a developer walkthrough, so each audience gets what it needs.

  5. 05

    Retest and repeat

    Every High-severity finding and above gets a retest window. Test again after significant changes to your systems.

How our pen test methodology works

Every Vectra engagement follows the same CREST-aligned method. These are the six stages, from first call to retest.

  1. Step 1: Scope

    A named engineer agrees the targets, rules of engagement, testing window and escalation contacts with your team before any work starts.

  2. Step 2: Threat model

    We identify the attackers, assets and business outcomes that matter most to you, and build the test plan around them.

  3. Step 3: Reconnaissance

    We map your attack surface as an outsider sees it. That view is often wider than the systems in your asset register.

  4. Step 4: Exploitation

    Testers verify each issue by hand and keep the evidence. Every High or Critical finding gets a documented proof of exploit.

  5. Step 5: Post-exploitation

    We measure how far an attacker could move from the first foothold, and note where your monitoring should have raised an alert.

  6. Step 6: Report and retest

    You receive a debrief, the written report and 90 days of portal access, then a retest that confirms your fixes worked.

Penetration testing across Australia

These pages cover local buying and compliance needs in other states.

Australia-wide

Penetration testing services

All our test types, our method and our CREST accreditations.

Penetration Testing
South Australia

Adelaide

South Australian Government buyers can reach us through eProjects and the Cyber Security Services Panel.

Penetration Testing Adelaide

Perth penetration testing FAQs

Is OT penetration testing safe for a running plant?

It can be, provided it is planned carefully. Our operational technology testing is passive first, which means we observe the environment before we interact with anything. Active testing of a control network requires written engineering approval, a tested maintenance window and a rollback plan. We agree those limits with your engineers before any testing begins.

Are you on a WA Government panel?

No. Vectra does not list a Western Australian Government panel. Western Australian agencies and their suppliers can still engage us through their own procurement route, and we can provide the accreditation, insurance and staff credential details that route requires. Our procurement page lists the panels and registers we hold in other states.

Is your Perth pentest manual or automated?

Both, in that order. Automated scanners help us cover a large environment efficiently, but they only indicate what might be wrong. A tester then verifies each issue manually, connects related weaknesses and demonstrates the real impact. Every High or Critical finding is exploited by hand, and raw scanner output never appears in your report.

Can a pen test support our SOCI or AESCSF obligations?

Yes. Our reports can be mapped to the SOCI Act, and operational technology findings map to IEC 62443. A test demonstrates whether your controls work in practice, which supports your risk management program and the annual approval by your board. Energy businesses can also use the results in an AESCSF self-assessment. We confirm the mapping you need during scoping.

Can a pen test check vendor remote access into our control systems?

Yes. Integrators and equipment makers often keep standing remote access to plant systems, and those channels are a common way in. We test whether an outsider could misuse them, whether sign-in controls hold and whether each connection reaches only what it should. Your engineers approve the scope first, and active testing follows the same safety limits as the rest of the OT work.

Which pen test should a WA business start with?

Start with what an attacker can reach from the internet. For most businesses that means the external network, the main web application and its APIs. If you run industrial systems, add the path from the corporate network into OT. Many organisations then test at least once a year and after significant changes. We help you set that order during scoping.

Start with a conversation.

Speak to us about your cyber governance and compliance requirements.

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