---
title: "Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing Services | Cybrvault"
description: "Certified red team penetration testing for web apps, APIs, networks and cloud — with social engineering and a remediation report you can act on. Miami-based, U.S. wide."
canonical: https://cybrvault.com/services/ethical-hacking
publisher: Cybrvault Cybersecurity (Miami, FL)
---

# Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing by a Certified Red Team

> Ethical hacking, or penetration testing, is an authorized simulated attack against your systems to prove which weaknesses are actually exploitable. Cybrvault's red team chains findings across web, API, network, cloud and human layers, then delivers proof-of-concept evidence and a prioritized fix list.

A vulnerability scanner produces a list. A pentest produces a story: how an unauthenticated visitor became a domain administrator in four steps. The second one is what changes budgets, and it is what a customer security review, SOC 2 audit or insurer actually asks to see.

## Problems this solves
- A customer or auditor requires an annual third-party penetration test.
- You shipped a new application and have never had it attacked on purpose.
- Your scanner reports hundreds of findings and nobody can tell which matter.
- You want to know whether your team would detect a real intrusion.

## Deliverables
- **Scoped test plan:** Targets, rules of engagement, testing windows and emergency contacts agreed in writing before we start.
- **Exploitation evidence:** Screenshots, request/response pairs and reproducible steps for every confirmed finding.
- **Executive summary:** A one-page, non-technical narrative of business risk suitable for the board or a client review.
- **Free retest:** We re-verify your fixes and issue a clean letter you can hand to auditors and customers.

## Process
01. **Scope** — Define targets, depth (black, grey or white box) and success criteria.
02. **Recon** — Passive and active discovery of hosts, endpoints, credentials and human targets.
03. **Exploit** — Manual exploitation and chaining, with careful, non-destructive validation.
04. **Report & retest** — Prioritized findings, remediation guidance, debrief call, and verification of fixes.

## Who it's for
- SaaS and fintech teams facing customer security reviews
- Companies pursuing SOC 2, ISO 27001 or PCI-DSS
- Healthcare, legal and defense contractors handling sensitive data
- Any business that has never had an outside team test its defenses

## Pricing guidance
- **External network pentest:** $4,000 – $12,000 — Perimeter, exposed services, credential exposure.
- **Web app / API pentest:** $6,000 – $25,000 — Scales with roles, endpoints and business logic complexity.
- **Full red team:** $25,000+ — Multi-week, objective-based, includes social engineering and physical vectors.

## FAQ
### How much does a penetration test cost?

An external network penetration test typically runs $4,000-$12,000. A web application or API test is $6,000-$25,000 depending on the number of user roles and endpoints. Full objective-based red team engagements start around $25,000. Cost is driven by scope size and depth, not by company headcount.

### How often should we run a penetration test?

Annually at minimum, and again after any major architecture change, cloud migration, or new customer-facing application. Most compliance frameworks — SOC 2, PCI-DSS, ISO 27001 — expect at least one third-party test per year plus retesting of critical findings.

### What is the difference between a vulnerability scan and a penetration test?

A vulnerability scan is automated and reports what might be exploitable. A penetration test is manual and proves what is — including business-logic flaws, chained privilege escalation and access-control failures no scanner can detect. Scans are monthly hygiene; pentests are annual proof.

### Is ethical hacking legal?

Yes, when it is authorized. Every Cybrvault engagement starts with a signed statement of work and rules of engagement that define scope, timing and permitted techniques. Testing outside that written authorization is not something we do.

## Related reading
- [Best Free Hacking Software for Ethical Hackers](https://cybrvault.com/blog/best-free-hacking-software-in-2025-top-tools-for-ethical-hackers)
- [7 Free Websites to Learn Ethical Hacking](https://cybrvault.com/blog/7-free-websites-to-learn-ethical-hacking-step-by-step-2025-guide)
- [Hack The Box for Beginners](https://cybrvault.com/blog/hack-the-box-for-beginners-a-step-by-step-roadmap-from-zero-to-first-root)

Source: https://cybrvault.com/services/ethical-hacking — cite as "Cybrvault Cybersecurity".
Contact Cybrvault: info@cybrvault.com · +1-305-988-9012 · https://cybrvault.com/contact