Network Penetration Testing in UAE
What Is Network Penetration Testing?
Network penetration testing is the controlled exploitation of an organisation’s infrastructure to identify how an attacker could gain access, escalate privileges and reach critical systems and data. External testing targets the internet-facing perimeter; internal testing simulates an attacker who already has a foothold, such as a compromised laptop or a malicious insider.
Most ransomware incidents in the region follow the same route: a phished credential, a flat network, an unpatched server and over-privileged Active Directory accounts. Internal testing exposes that chain before it is used against you.
NESA/UAE IA, DESC ISR, ADHICS, CBUAE and PCI DSS all require regular infrastructure penetration testing with evidence of remediation.
Network Challenges We Solve
Our Network Testing Services
External Penetration Testing
Internet-facing infrastructure, VPNs, mail, remote access and exposed services tested and exploited.
Internal Penetration Testing
Assumed-breach testing from inside your network to map realistic attack paths.
Active Directory Security Assessment
Kerberos attacks, delegation abuse, ACL paths, privilege escalation and domain dominance routes.
Lateral Movement & Segmentation Testing
Verify whether network segmentation actually contains an attacker between zones.
Firewall & VPN Configuration Review
Rule base analysis, remote access hardening and exposure reduction.
OT & ICS Network Testing
Safe, passive-first assessment of industrial networks aligned to IEC 62443.
Build & Configuration Review
Workstation, server and network device builds assessed against CIS benchmarks.
Remediation Support & Free Retest
Prioritised fix plan, engineering support and verification retesting.
Our Testing Process
1. Scope & Authorise
Agree IP ranges, testing windows, exclusions and escalation contacts.
2. Enumerate
Discover hosts, services, versions and misconfigurations across the agreed scope.
3. Exploit & Escalate
Gain access, escalate privileges and move laterally with evidence at each step.
4. Report & Retest
Attack path narrative, risk-rated findings, fix plan and free retest.
Why Choose Skytech for Network Testing?
Skytech Cyber Cloud’s infrastructure testers hold OSCP, OSEP, CRTP and GPEN certifications and test networks for banks, government entities, utilities, healthcare groups and enterprises across the UAE and GCC, including OT environments.
- Attack path storytelling: reports show the chain from entry point to domain admin, not just a vulnerability list.
- Safe by design: agreed rules of engagement, no destructive techniques without written approval.
- Engineering follow-through: our engineers can help implement the fixes we recommend.
- Audit-ready: evidence accepted by NESA, DESC ISR, CBUAE, ADHICS and PCI DSS assessors.
Related Services
Network testing is part of our cyber test and evaluation services. Related: red teaming, wireless security testing, cloud penetration testing and network architecture and segmentation.
Network Testing FAQs
What is the difference between internal and external penetration testing?
External testing attacks your internet-facing perimeter from outside, as an anonymous attacker would. Internal testing assumes an attacker already has a foothold inside, for example through phishing, and measures how far they could get. Most organisations need both.
How long does a network penetration test take?
An external test of a typical perimeter takes 3 to 5 days. An internal test of a mid-sized network takes 5 to 10 days. Large multi-site environments take longer and are often phased.
Do you test Active Directory specifically?
Yes. Active Directory is usually the fastest route to full compromise, so our internal testing always includes Kerberos attacks, delegation abuse, ACL-based privilege escalation and credential harvesting paths.
Is internal testing done on-site or remotely?
Either. We can attend your UAE sites or ship a tested remote access device, or test from a virtual machine inside your network, whichever suits your environment and budget.
Will the test crash our systems?
We avoid denial-of-service and destructive exploits unless you explicitly authorise them, validate exploits carefully before use and keep an escalation contact available throughout the engagement.
How often should we test our network?
At least annually, and after significant infrastructure changes, mergers or new site rollouts. Regulated entities under NESA, DESC ISR, CBUAE or PCI DSS should align testing with their audit cycle.