Industry: IT & Tech Services
Service: Professional Services
Location: Americas
Organization Type: Private
Employees: 10,001+
Needs And Requirements:
The client sought an in-depth evaluation of its internal network and wireless security posture to better understand its exposure to internal threats and unauthorized access. The objective was to identify exploitable vulnerabilities across critical internal systems and on-site Wi-Fi infrastructure, while ensuring that testing activities adhered to recognized industry standards and did not disrupt production operations. The assessment needed to simulate realistic attacker behavior through non-authenticated testing and provide clear prioritization of risks to support informed remediation decisions.
Main Challenges:
Limited Visibility into Internal Attack Paths: While perimeter defenses were in place, the client lacked a clear understanding of how an attacker could move laterally within the internal network once access was obtained.
Wireless Infrastructure Exposure: The organization required assurance that its on-site Wi-Fi networks were properly secured against unauthorized access, rogue access points, and weak authentication or encryption mechanisms.
Risk Prioritization Across a Large Asset Base: With hundreds of internal hosts in scope, the client needed a structured approach to identify and focus on the most critical systems and vulnerabilities.
Solution:
Penetration Testing:
Hitachi Cyber conducted a two-phase security assessment combining internal network vulnerability assessment and advanced penetration testing with a dedicated Wi-Fi penetration test. The engagement followed a methodology aligned with PTES and NIST SP 800-115 to ensure a rigorous and repeatable approach.
In Phase 1, an automated, non-authenticated vulnerability scan was performed on internal hosts to identify exposed services, misconfigurations, and known vulnerabilities. Based on the results of this discovery phase, systems were ranked by criticality, allowing the selection of up to 30 high-risk internal IP addresses for an in-depth manual penetration test. This advanced testing simulated real-world attack scenarios, focusing on exploitation, privilege escalation, and potential lateral movement within the internal environment.
Phase 2 focused on a blackbox Wi-Fi penetration test of the client’s on-site wireless infrastructure. The assessment evaluated multiple SSIDs and targeted weaknesses in encryption and authentication mechanisms, access point and client configurations, captive portals, rogue access points, and relevant radio frequency exposure. All testing was conducted without authentication and within strict operational constraints to avoid service disruption.
Outcomes:
The assessment provided the client with a clear and actionable understanding of its internal and wireless security posture. The results highlighted critical vulnerabilities, configuration weaknesses, and realistic attack paths that could be leveraged by an internal or nearby attacker. By prioritizing risks based on technical impact and exploitability, the client was able to focus remediation efforts on the most significant threats and strengthen both network and Wi-Fi defenses.
Next Steps:
The client plans to address the identified vulnerabilities through targeted remediation activities and security hardening initiatives. Optional re-testing and future penetration testing engagements are being considered to validate improvements and support continuous security maturity.
