Netragard

Netragard We protect you from people like us. Netragard, Inc is a research driven Network Pe*******on Testing firm.

Our pe*******on testing deliverables are guaranteed to be free of false positives and the product of expert driven research. If we deliver a pe*******on testing report that contains even a single false positive, we will deliver the next test free of charge.

Different systems face different threats and a one-size-fits-all pe*******on test can leave critical attack paths untest...
08/26/2026

Different systems face different threats and a one-size-fits-all pe*******on test can leave critical attack paths untested.

Our new guide covers the major types of pe*******on testing, from networks, web apps, APIs, and cloud environments to wireless, mobile, IoT, physical security, and social engineering.

It also explains why the difference between a vulnerability scan and genuine human-driven testing matters. A scan may identify potential issues. A real pe*******on test shows whether those weaknesses can be exploited, chained together, and used to reach sensitive systems or data.

Read the guide to learn which testing approach best aligns with your organization’s real-world attack surface: https://netragard.com/blog/types-of-pe*******on-testing/

*******onTesting

Learn about the different types of pe*******on testing that can be performed to secure your digital operations based on target, tester knowledge, and scope.

Most pe*******on test reports don’t create meaningful security improvements - they get filed away after a compliance che...
08/21/2026

Most pe*******on test reports don’t create meaningful security improvements - they get filed away after a compliance checkbox is checked.

A real report should show more than a list of vulnerabilities. It should explain how an attacker could move through your environment, what they could access, where defenses failed, and exactly what actions will disrupt that path.

Our latest article breaks down what to look for in a pe*******on test report, including:

1️⃣The difference between a real attack-path narrative and scanner output
2️⃣Why CVSS scores alone don’t tell you your actual business risk
3️⃣How to identify generic remediation advice
4️⃣What effective remediation, ownership, and retesting should look like

If the report has no documented Path to Compromise, no environment-specific findings, and no clear plan to validate fixes, it may be a vulnerability assessment, not a true pe*******on test.

Read the full post: https://netragard.com/blog/how-to-interpret-pe*******on-test-results/

*******onTesting

Learn about the essential components within a pe*******on test report and how best to take action on the results to ensure IT security and regulatory compliance for your organization.

Was the OpenAI / Hugging Face incident really “rogue AI”?Short answer: no.In my new blog, “AI Didn’t Go Rogue: How OpenA...
08/04/2026

Was the OpenAI / Hugging Face incident really “rogue AI”?

Short answer: no.

In my new blog, “AI Didn’t Go Rogue: How OpenAI’s Harness Failed and Turned Hugging Face into Collateral Damage,” I walk through the attack like a red team engagement and explain:

Why the incident was a containment and architecture failure, not machine “intent”

What this means for anyone using AI agents in real environments

If you care about practical AI security — not hype — this breakdown is for you.

👉 Check it out here:

A real red team operator dissects the OpenAI–Hugging Face incident, showing it was a harness and containment failure - not rogue AI - and how similar issues are emerging across the industry, including Anthropic.

Weak encryption can make credentials look protected when they really aren’t.In a new Netragard blog post, we break down ...
07/21/2026

Weak encryption can make credentials look protected when they really aren’t.

In a new Netragard blog post, we break down a FaciliWorks deployment where the credential “encryption” was simple enough to reverse, exposing plaintext SQL and application passwords. The focus is on how the protection worked, how it was broken, and the broader lessons for securing credentials.

In the article, we walk through:
1️⃣How credentials were stored in the app and database
2️⃣The custom cipher used to “protect” them
3️⃣How that design exposed plaintext passwords
4️⃣What this means for real‑world risk and hardening

If you care about how applications actually protect your credentials under the hood, this is worth a read.

👉 Check out the full post:

Netragard pe*******on testers demonstrate how weak encryption in FaciliWorks allows attackers to recover plaintext credentials, exposing serious enterprise risk.

“How often should we run a pe*******on test?”Most people expect a simple answer like “once a year” or “quarterly,” but r...
07/17/2026

“How often should we run a pe*******on test?”

Most people expect a simple answer like “once a year” or “quarterly,” but real security doesn’t work on a one-size-fits-all calendar.

In our new blog, we walk through how to:
1️⃣Set annual + post-change testing as a baseline
2️⃣Layer in ad-hoc tests after major releases, incidents, or infrastructure changes
3️⃣Combine deep manual testing with continuous automated scanning / PTaaS for real coverage
4️⃣Align your cadence with PCI, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, GLBA, DORA and other requirements without turning it into a box-checking exercise

Read the full article: https://netragard.com/blog/pe*******on-testing-frequency/

*******ontesting

Explore best practices for how frequently your organization should be conducting pe*******on testing based on industry, compliance needs, and other factors.

It's no secret we feel the industry has done the customer a disservice by abandoning real quality standards for pe******...
07/02/2026

It's no secret we feel the industry has done the customer a disservice by abandoning real quality standards for pe*******on testing, and by passing off automated scanners and AI-generated output as genuine pen testing.

So when we get the chance to sit down with veterans who actually get it, we take it.

Our founder and CEO, Adriel Desautels, joined the Enterprise Security Weekly podcast (ESW #465) on SC Media this week for a candid conversation about the state of pe*******on testing — why it hasn't meaningfully moved the needle for security teams in 20 years, and why layering AI on top of a broken model won't fix it.

But the conversation didn't stop at the problems. Adriel also shared some very practical and not expensive ways organizations can meaningfully improve their security posture right now, regardless of budget.

If you're tired of pen test reports that look impressive but don't actually help you get more secure, this one is worth your time.

Listen here: https://www.scworld.com/podcast-segment/14920-fixing-pentesting-meta-is-destroying-its-engineering-org-the-weekly-news-adriel-desautels-esw-465

*******onTesting

Interview with Adriel Desautels – the pentest is broken. Adriel joins us for a discussion on the state of pe*******on testing, why it hasn’t done much to help security teams over the last 20 years, and why AI won’t save it. Segment Resources: https://hbr.org/2026/04/boards-are-falling-short-on...

Big security budget. All the “right” tools. Clean audits.And then a single compromised account or cloud misconfiguration...
06/17/2026

Big security budget. All the “right” tools. Clean audits.
And then a single compromised account or cloud misconfiguration leads to a major incident.

The issue isn’t just how much you spend - it’s what you’re buying, and whether it’s been tested against realistic attack paths.

Adriel’s new article breaks down:
✅Why tools and compliance alone aren’t enough
✅How attackers move through environments
✅How human-led testing makes every security dollar count

👉 Big Security Budgets, Still Easy to Hack

Learn why tools and compliance aren’t enough and how adversary-driven testing makes your security spend truly count.

Quick quality check for your last pe*******on test report:1️⃣Open any finding in your last pentest report2️⃣Copy the des...
05/27/2026

Quick quality check for your last pe*******on test report:
1️⃣Open any finding in your last pentest report
2️⃣Copy the description, risk statement, and remediation text
3️⃣Strip out environment-specific details (IPs, hostnames, app names, account names)
4️⃣Search what's left in Google with quotes around it

If you get hits from other vendor reports, scanner documentation, or template libraries → your finding was copied or generated, not written for your environment.

Real human-driven pe*******on testing produces findings unique to your engagement.

This is one of 5 practical signals you can use to evaluate whether you received genuine adversary emulation or automated scanning with a polished cover page.

The other signals include:
→ Whether findings include context about YOUR environment and business logic
→ If the report contains a documented Path to Compromise unique to your infrastructure
→ The false positive rate (experienced human testers deliver near-zero; automation produces them in high volume)
→ Whether your provider asked detailed scoping questions before providing a quote

We just published a complete guide on the 5 pe*******on testing basics every buyer should understand to tell real tests from compliance theater.

Read it here: https://netragard.com/blog/5-pe*******on-testing-basics/

Explore the top-5 basics of pe*******on testing that all IT security professionals should know when approaching pentesting for their organization.

DORA has brought Threat‑Led Pe*******on Testing (TLPT) into the conversation for a lot of financial organizations.We put...
05/19/2026

DORA has brought Threat‑Led Pe*******on Testing (TLPT) into the conversation for a lot of financial organizations.

We put together a straightforward, high‑level article that explains what TLPT is in this context and how it fits into broader resilience and testing work, without getting too deep into the weeds. If you’re looking for a simple introduction you can share with colleagues, this might help.

Read it here: https://netragard.com/blog/dora-requirements/

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is transforming financial cybersecurity. Explore our comprehensive overview of ICT risk management.

When's the last time your organization ran a real pe*******on test - not an automated scan, but an actual human-driven a...
05/12/2026

When's the last time your organization ran a real pe*******on test - not an automated scan, but an actual human-driven assessment?

There's a big difference. Automated tools find known vulnerabilities. Human testers find the ones that will actually get you breached - the novel attack paths, the business logic flaws, the complete chain from initial access to your most sensitive data.

This is what we've been doing since 2006 with no shortcuts, no false positives - just real findings that help you build smarter defenses.

If you're interesting in genuine pe*******on testing and what it could do for your specific organization, read our latest blog: Manual vs Automated Pe*******on Testing: Which is Better?

https://netragard.com/blog/manual-vs-automated-pentesting/

*******onTesting

Explore the differences between manual and automated pe*******on testing, including the pros and cons of each and when they are best to use.

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