Physical Penetration Testing
Testing the human and physical perimeter.
Combining physical security testing with social engineering, we evaluate whether attackers could gain physical access to sensitive areas and systems.
Overview
Physical security is often the weakest link. Our physical penetration testing evaluates whether an attacker could gain unauthorized access to your facilities, sensitive areas, and critical systems. We combine social engineering techniques with physical security testing: tailgating through doors, cloning badges, bypassing locks, and testing employee security awareness. The goal is to demonstrate real-world physical attack scenarios and their potential impact.
What We Test
Our physical penetration testing engagements cover these key areas:
Access Control Systems
Badge readers, key card systems, and biometric controls tested for bypass vulnerabilities and cloning opportunities.
Perimeter Security
Fences, gates, and building entry points evaluated for weaknesses that could allow unauthorized access.
Tailgating Vulnerability
Employee willingness to hold doors and challenge unknown individuals in secure areas.
Social Engineering
Pretexting scenarios executed to gain access through manipulation rather than technical bypass.
Sensitive Area Access
Server rooms, executive offices, and other high-security areas targeted to assess protection effectiveness.
Physical Device Security
Workstations, network equipment, and server access evaluated for theft and tampering opportunities.
Visitor & Badge Verification
Reception sign-in, escort enforcement, and whether visitor badges are actually checked once someone is past the lobby.
Clean Desk & Document Security
Sensitive documents left on desks and printers, passwords on sticky notes, and unlocked workstations discovered during internal navigation.
Our Approach
Our physical testing simulates realistic attack scenarios, from opportunistic tailgating to sophisticated social engineering campaigns, to reveal how your physical security holds up against motivated adversaries.
Reconnaissance
We study your facility, employee patterns, and security measures through observation and open-source research.
Pretext Development
Realistic cover stories are developed for social engineering attempts: delivery drivers, contractors, new employees.
Access Attempts
We execute planned scenarios to gain physical access through social engineering, badge cloning, or bypass techniques.
Objective Completion
Once inside, we access agreed-upon targets and document the full attack path with photos and evidence.
Common Findings
These are issues we frequently discover during physical penetration testing engagements:
Tailgating Success
HighEmployees holding doors for unknown individuals without challenging them or requiring badge verification.
Unlocked Server Rooms
CriticalCritical infrastructure areas with doors propped open, broken locks, or no access controls.
Clonable Access Cards
HighBadge systems using older HID or MIFARE technologies vulnerable to rapid cloning attacks.
Poor Visitor Management
MediumInadequate visitor verification, unescorted access, or visitor badges that look like employee credentials.
Exposed Network Ports
HighActive network jacks in public areas like lobbies or conference rooms providing network access to attackers.
Dumpster Diving Success
MediumSensitive documents, credentials, or equipment disposed of improperly and recoverable from trash.
Clean Desk Failures
Sensitive documents left out overnight, passwords on sticky notes, and unlocked computers. Physical access routinely exposes information-security gaps.
Common Questions
What happens if your tester gets caught?
Do you actually break into buildings?
How far do you go once inside?
Will you pick locks or break anything?
Other Penetration Testing Options
External Penetration Testing
We attack your perimeter the way real adversaries would: scanning for exposed services, testing authentication mechanisms, and attempting to breach your internet-facing systems.
Internal Penetration Testing
Simulating a compromised workstation or rogue insider, we test how far an attacker could move laterally through your network and what sensitive data they could access.
Wireless Security Testing
We assess your wireless networks for rogue access points, weak encryption, and attack vectors that could give adversaries a foothold into your environment.
Assumed Breach Testing
Skip the initial access phase and focus testing on post-compromise objectives. We start with simulated access and demonstrate what an attacker could accomplish once inside your environment.
AI & LLM Penetration Testing
We test your deployed AI systems adversarially (prompt injection, jailbreaking, agent manipulation, data extraction) using the same attacker mindset we bring to every engagement.
Ready to Strengthen Your Defenses?
Schedule a free consultation with our security experts to discuss your organization's needs.
Or call us directly at (445) 273-2873