Network Penetration Testing - External Perimeter, Internal Movement, Wireless
The network layer is where an attacker pivots once they get the first foothold. We test perimeter, internal segmentation, and wireless from the inside out - not just a Nessus scan with a cover letter.
You might be experiencing...
Network penetration testing in the UAE is the layer most enterprises think they have handled - usually because a vendor ran a Nessus scan, formatted the output, and called it a pentest. That is not what this is.
We test the network the way an adversary would: external perimeter enumeration and exploitation, post-foothold lateral movement, Active Directory compromise demonstration, segmentation boundary verification, and wireless radio-layer attacks. All by senior researchers, with on-site capability across the UAE.
External Perimeter
Public-facing infrastructure is the first thing an attacker sees. We enumerate it the same way - subdomain discovery, port scanning, service fingerprinting, credential exposure searching across public breach corpora and paste sites, and targeted exploitation of exposed management interfaces, VPN endpoints, and legacy systems.
Common external findings in UAE environments: unpatched Citrix/Ivanti VPN appliances, exposed RDP gateways, misconfigured Exchange servers with proxy-shell variants, default credentials on network equipment management planes, and legacy TLS/SSL configuration weaknesses on customer-facing services.
Internal Network and Active Directory
Once inside, we test the blast radius. Active Directory enumeration with BloodHound, Kerberoasting and AS-REP roasting to extract crackable hashes, NTLM relay and SMB relay attacks, LLMNR and NBT-NS poisoning to harvest credentials, and systematic privilege escalation to domain administrator where the scope permits.
Segmentation claims are verified, not accepted. If your architecture says the PCI zone is isolated from the corporate network, we prove it - or we demonstrate where the isolation fails.
Wireless Networks
WPA2 Personal (PSK) networks are tested for weak pre-shared keys via 4-way handshake or PMKID capture and offline cracking. WPA2/WPA3 Enterprise networks are tested for RADIUS server MitM, certificate validation flaws, and credential-theft via evil-twin access points. Guest network segmentation from production is verified.
Wireless testing requires on-site presence. Our team conducts on-site wireless engagements across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and the wider UAE with appropriate radio hardware - including software-defined radio for ISM-band and proprietary protocol testing where relevant.
UAE Compliance Mapping
Every network penetration testing engagement produces a report explicitly mapped to the UAE frameworks applicable to your entity:
- NESA Information Assurance Standards - network security controls and periodic testing obligations
- TDRA ISR v2 - telecommunications and digital government network-layer testing expectations
- CBUAE Information Security - banking and payment institution network testing requirements
- DFSA Rulebook (GEN 5.3, TCH) - DIFC-licensed financial firm cyber risk management
Related Services
Network testing is rarely performed in isolation. Related services typically scoped together:
- Web Application Penetration Testing - application-layer coverage of internet-facing web apps
- API Security Testing - API endpoints exposed on the perimeter
- Cloud Penetration Testing - AWS/Azure/GCP control plane and workload testing
- Penetration Testing UAE - coordinated full-stack engagement with a single report
Engagement Phases
Reconnaissance
External perimeter enumeration, subdomain and exposed-service discovery, credential exposure searches, legacy system identification, and threat modeling of the full internal architecture.
External Perimeter Testing
Systematic exploitation of internet-facing infrastructure - VPN endpoints, web portals, mail and file-sharing services, exposed management interfaces, and legacy systems. Authentication brute-force, known CVE chaining, and configuration weakness exploitation.
Internal Network Testing
Post-foothold lateral movement simulation - Active Directory enumeration, Kerberoasting, AS-REP roasting, NTLM relay, LLMNR/NBT-NS poisoning, SMB relay, segmentation boundary testing, privilege escalation paths, and domain-compromise demonstration.
Wireless & Radio Testing
WPA2 and WPA3 personal and enterprise testing, rogue access point simulation, evil-twin attacks, client deauthentication and downgrade, PMKID and 4-way handshake capture, RADIUS server MitM, and Bluetooth perimeter analysis where in scope.
Reporting & Retest
Technical report with chained attack narratives, executive summary for leadership and regulator, NESA and ISR v2 control mapping, prioritized remediation, and scheduled retest of critical and high findings.
Deliverables
Before & After
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Testing Depth | Automated Nessus scan + CVE inventory | Manual exploitation, chained attack demonstration, AD domain-compromise PoC |
| Segmentation Validation | Trust vendor documentation | Independently verified with packet-level proof |
| Wireless Coverage | None or simple SSID scan | WPA2/WPA3 cryptographic testing, RADIUS testing, rogue AP and evil-twin simulation |
Tools We Use
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between internal and external network testing?
External testing is performed from outside your network as an attacker would - targeting internet-facing services, VPN endpoints, web applications, and exposed infrastructure. Internal testing assumes initial compromise (or starts from a provided internal position) and tests what an attacker can do once inside - lateral movement, privilege escalation, data access, domain compromise. Comprehensive network testing covers both; many UAE regulators require both for CII and regulated-sector entities.
Do I need to give you physical access to test wireless?
For thorough wireless testing, yes - on-site presence at the target UAE office is required. Our team can perform wireless testing on-site in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and other emirates. Pre-engagement planning includes access arrangements, rules of engagement, and testing window to minimize disruption to production operations.
Can you test without disrupting production?
Yes, and we default to production-safe testing methods. Aggressive denial-of-service, brute-force lockout, and high-volume scanning are excluded unless explicitly scoped. We clear testing windows and establish safe-word communication channels before engagement start. In regulated-sector clients (banks, healthcare) we coordinate with internal IT and NOC teams throughout.
What is the 'assumed breach' scenario and do you run it?
Assumed breach is an internal network test that starts from a simulated initial foothold - a compromised endpoint, a phished user credential, or a rogue insider. It skips the 'get initial access' phase and focuses on lateral movement, privilege escalation, and blast-radius measurement. This is increasingly the preferred model for NESA and CBUAE engagements because it reflects realistic adversary behavior - initial access is usually phishing, not perimeter exploitation.
How does this relate to penetration testing of cloud environments?
Traditional network testing covers on-premise and hosted infrastructure. Cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) have distinct attack surfaces - IAM misconfigurations, service exposure, lambda and container abuse, cross-account lateral movement. We offer [cloud penetration testing](/services/cloud-penetration-testing/) as a separate but complementary service, typically scoped together for hybrid UAE environments.
Which UAE regulators require network penetration testing?
NESA Information Assurance Standards explicitly cover network security controls requiring periodic penetration testing. TDRA ISR v2 mandates network-layer testing for telecommunications-linked entities. CBUAE Information Security standards cover internal and external network testing for banks and payment institutions. DFSA GEN and TCH apply similar expectations for DIFC-licensed firms. Our reports map findings to your applicable framework.
Find It Before They Do
Book a free 30-minute security discovery call with our AI Security experts in Dubai, UAE. We identify your highest-risk AI attack vectors - actionable findings in days.
Talk to an Expert