Internal Network Penetration Testing
Assume Breach. Map the Blast Radius. Close the Paths.
The question is no longer whether an attacker will get inside your network. It is what they can reach, what they can take, and how long it will take your team to notice. Internal network penetration testing answers those questions with precision — before a real attacker does.
Evaluris uses an assume-breach methodology, starting from an authenticated internal position that simulates a compromised endpoint, a phished employee, or a supplier with network access. From that starting point, operators pursue the same objectives a real attacker would: lateral movement, privilege escalation, and access to the data and systems that matter most to your organization.
The Assume-Breach Mindset
Traditional network penetration testing focuses on perimeter exploitation. Assume-breach testing acknowledges the reality that perimeters fail — and focuses on what happens next.
Starting from a position of minimal, legitimate internal access, Evaluris operators map every path available to an attacker from that foothold: what other systems are reachable, which credentials can be abused, which trust relationships can be exploited, and how far privilege escalation can go. The goal is to document the complete blast radius of a successful initial compromise before it happens in production.
The average enterprise internal network contains over 40 lateral movement paths to domain administrator from a standard user position. Most have never been tested.
Methodology
Internal Reconnaissance
Network sweep and host discovery, service enumeration, operating system fingerprinting, share enumeration, and internal DNS analysis. Full internal asset map produced before exploitation begins.
Credential & Authentication Analysis
LLMNR/NBT-NS poisoning, SMB relay attacks, AS-REP roasting, Kerberoasting, default credential identification, and cleartext credential discovery in shares, scripts, and configuration files.
Lateral Movement
Pass-the-Hash, Pass-the-Ticket, token impersonation, WMI and PowerShell remoting abuse, scheduled task hijacking, and living-off-the-land techniques using built-in Windows and Linux tooling.
Privilege Escalation
Local privilege escalation via service binary hijacking, DLL hijacking, unquoted service paths, AlwaysInstallElevated abuse, and sudo misconfiguration. Domain privilege escalation via ACL abuse, group policy exploitation, and delegation attacks.
Sensitive Data & System Access
Identification of accessible databases, file shares containing sensitive data, backup systems, password managers, and certificate stores from the achieved privilege level.
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping & Reporting
Every technique executed is documented against the relevant MITRE ATT&CK tactic and technique identifier. Findings are prioritized by the combination of exploitability and impact, with remediation guidance mapped per technique.
What We Test
- Internal network segmentation and VLAN separation
- Windows and Linux server infrastructure
- Internal web applications and management interfaces
- File shares and network-accessible storage
- Domain controller and infrastructure server hardening
- Backup and recovery systems
- Internal certificate authority configuration
- Printer, VoIP, and network device management interfaces
- Internal DNS and DHCP infrastructure
Compliance Alignment
| Framework | Requirement |
|---|---|
| PCI DSS v4.0.1 | Req. 11.4.2 — internal penetration test annually and after significant changes |
| DORA Art. 25 | ICT resilience testing including internal network infrastructure |
| SAMA | Internal network included in biannual penetration testing scope |
| ISO 27001:2022 | A.8.8 — technical vulnerability management; A.8.20 — network security |
| NIS2 Art. 21 | Internal network security and segmentation validation |
| CBUAE | Annual VAPT scope includes internal infrastructure |
Deliverables
- Network Topology Map — discovered internal assets, services, and trust relationships
- Attack Path Diagrams — visual representation of exploited lateral movement and escalation chains
- MITRE ATT&CK Heat Map — techniques tested, detected, and undetected mapped to the ATT&CK matrix
- Executive Summary — board-ready risk narrative
- Technical Report — full evidence, reproduction steps, CVSS scoring, and remediation guidance
- Retest Window — post-remediation verification
Ready to scope this engagement?
Tell us about your environment, regulatory drivers, and timeline. We will align methodology, scope, and evidence requirements before testing begins.