CREST-ACCREDITED PROVIDER Independent UK Penetration Testing

Red Team Assessment

Uncover and fortify against real-world threats with an expert-led Red Team Assessment.

  • CREST-accredited penetration testing services
  • Fixed-scope quotes after a short scoping call
  • Aligned to your audit and regulatory requirements (ISO 27001 · SOC 2 · PCI DSS · NHS DSPT · DORA and more)
  • Post-testing confirmation certificate provided for every assessment, ready to share with customers, suppliers and auditors
500+ Tests delivered
24h Scope to quote turnaround
6 Months retest window

Accredited & Trusted Security Services

CREST Accredited Penetration Testing Provider logo
Crown Commercial Service Supplier for public sector cyber security services logo
HM Government G-Cloud Supplier approved logo
Cyber Essentials certified logo & Cyber Essentials Plus certified logo

Trusted penetration testing partner for UK organisations

Supporting organisations across the public and private sectors with independent, accredited penetration testing services.

The image shows the logo for The Pension Lab
The image shows the logo for the NHS
The image shows the logo for The Associated Press
The image shows a logo for Sinara Consultants.
The image shows the logo for Huler
The image shows the logo for DataNest
The image shows the logo for Pangea Connected.
This image shows the logo for Radical Forge
The image shows the logo for Steer Education
The image shows the logo for Trinity College Dublin
This image shows the logo for the compliance people
The image shows the logo for Car Reward.

WHY SENCODE

Why choose Sencode for penetration testing?

Accredited expertise, complimentary retesting and fixed-scope pricing without hidden fees.

Get a pen test quote  →

Expert security consultants

Every engagement is led by CREST-certified consultants and OSCP-certified ethical hackers, providing rigorous, deeply technical penetration testing.

Included as standard

Complimentary retesting

We include complimentary retesting with nearly every penetration test, allowing identified fixes to be verified at no additional cost.

Clear, fixed-scope pricing

Pricing is agreed around your environment and scope before testing begins, with no unexpected testing fees.

Benefits of our Red Team Assessment

A Red Team Assessment is an objective-led cyber attack simulation designed to measure whether your organisation can prevent, detect and respond to a determined attacker. Our consultants emulate realistic adversary tactics across technology, people and processes, providing a true-to-life assessment of your overall security resilience.

Common Red Team Assessment Vulnerabilities

Red Team Assessments expose the linked technical, procedural and human weaknesses that allow an attacker to progress from initial access to a defined objective.

Weak Identity & Access Controls

Excessive permissions, weak authentication and poor account controls can allow an attacker to escalate privileges and move through the environment.

Poor Network Segmentation

Flat or weakly segmented networks can turn an initial foothold into wider access to sensitive systems and critical business services.

Unpatched & Legacy Systems

Outdated software and legacy protocols such as NetBIOS and LLMNR can expose known weaknesses that support exploitation and credential capture.

Exposed External Services

Internet-facing services that are unnecessary, misconfigured or poorly protected can provide attackers with an initial route into the organisation.

Weak Perimeter & Application Defences

Gaps in perimeter controls and vulnerable web applications can enable initial access, persistence or a route to higher-value internal assets.

Sensitive Data Exposure

Accessible credentials, documents, personal information or operational data can support phishing, impersonation and further compromise.

Want to find out if your assets have these vulnerabilities?

Contact our team to discuss the threats, systems and business objectives your Red Team Assessment should test.
TESTIMONIALS

Client Testimonials

Don’t just trust our word for it; hear what our clients have to say about working with our team.

★★★★★ Rated 5 stars on Google Read our reviews

“The team at Sencode are flexible and easy to work with while also being extremely diligent and professional in what they do. As a result, we regard Sencode as a critical partner in ensuring our software is properly tested.”

Chief Technical Officer

Huler

“We held a briefing meeting with Callum to demo the system, answer relevant questions, and provide access for testing. Once the testing was completed, the report was efficient and comprehensive.”

Project Manager

Trinity College Dublin

“The team was super friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to chat with us. They did really great work, and I’m very happy that we got to work with them.”

IT Director

Diversity and Ability

“All conversations with Sencode have been very easy, and it’s clear that the team know their stuff. From the initial chat to the retesting process, we’ve been kept informed and supported throughout.”

Digital Lead

Verve Group

“Sencode have conducted our penetration testing for the last two years. Each time, they were professional, polite and kept us informed throughout the process. The reports were received in a timely manner and were concisely written. All this and at a competitive rate.”

Technical Engineer

Pip Studios

“Working with Sencode has been brilliant. You can tell they genuinely love what they do – it shows in how thoroughly they test everything and dig into the details. Even a non-tech person could understand what they found and what needed fixing.”

Cyber Security Specialist

Home Group

What is included in a Red Team Penetration Test

Each engagement is tailored around agreed objectives, realistic threat scenarios and strict rules of engagement. We combine controlled attack simulation with detection and response testing, then provide evidence-led recommendations. For more details, contact a team member today to arrange a no-obligation consultation.
Threat-Led Reconnaissance
Objective & Attack Path Modelling
External Perimeter Assessment
Internal Network Attack Simulation
Identity & Access Testing
Web Application Exploitation
Authorised Social Engineering
Physical Security Scenarios
Command & Control Simulation
Detection & Response Testing
Evidence-Led Technical Reporting
Stakeholder Debrief & Remediation Guidance
SENCODE IS CREST ACCREDITED

What does choosing a CREST provider mean?

CREST accreditation is an independent, rigorous assessment of technical competence, process and data security. Choosing a CREST-accredited provider means your testing is delivered to a standard you can trust – and evidence you can stand behind.

The image shows logos that demonstrate Sencode are a CREST accredited penetration testing provider.
Official CREST-accredited penetration testing provider

Certified Penetration Testing Consultants

Our consultants are highly trained and individually certified.

Proven Pen Test Methodologies

Our pen testing follows recognised best practices: PTES, OWASP, and NIST.

Compliant reporting

Our reports provide executive context, technical evidence, risk-rated findings and practical remediation guidance.

ISO aligned

Our information security and quality policies align with ISO 27001 and ISO 9001.

TEST PERSPECTIVE

Grey, Black and White Box Penetration Testing

At Sencode, we test from every perspective. Not sure which fits your needs? Speak to a member of our team; our experts are on hand to advise.

Black Box

Penetration testing
  • No prior knowledge
  • Simulates an external attacker
  • Real-world attack simulation

Grey Box

Penetration testing
  • Partial knowledge
  • Balanced approach
  • Efficient, targeted testing

White Box

Penetration testing
  • Full knowledge
  • Comprehensive coverage
  • In-depth analysis
Our Red Team Assessment methodology is aligned with the MITRE ATT&CK framework and follows a controlled, objective-led attack path. Every stage is authorised, carefully documented and designed to test how effectively your organisation prevents, detects and responds to realistic adversary activity.

Our Red Team Assessment Methodology

Work with key stakeholders to identify critical assets, realistic threats and specific security concerns. We define success criteria, testing boundaries, escalation routes and rules of engagement before activity begins.

Gather intelligence about the organisation, its people and its exposed technology to identify realistic attack vectors and develop a threat-informed plan.

Develop and deploy approved tools, payloads and delivery techniques that emulate the tactics a relevant adversary may use against the organisation.

Exploit validated weaknesses to gain controlled initial access and establish a foothold without creating unnecessary operational risk.

Establish controlled communication channels that simulate how a real attacker could maintain access and orchestrate activity within the environment.

Progress through agreed attack paths towards defined objectives, such as accessing sensitive information or demonstrating the potential compromise of critical systems.

Document the complete attack narrative, control successes, detection opportunities and remediation priorities, then debrief technical and senior stakeholders.

Translate the findings into a prioritised improvement plan covering preventative controls, monitoring, incident response, staff awareness and longer-term resilience.

Sencode Portal
Secure reporting for every engagement
Sencode Portal

Penetration test reports, delivered securely.

Clear reporting turns technical findings into practical action. Every engagement includes evidence, prioritised remediation guidance and content that both technical teams and decision-makers can understand.

Secure delivery through the Sencode Portal
Prioritised findings with clear remediation guidance
Downloadable PDF reports for sharing with stakeholders
Get in touch for a consultation.

Contact a consulting team member by phone, email, or pigeon post. We will then discuss whether we can help you and arrange a scoping meeting to discuss your requirements.

In the scoping meeting, our team will discuss your requirements in further detail. Our team will ask questions in regards to the following:

We send your company a Project Proposal

Our expert consultants will discuss and finalise which digital assets you need testing in the scoping meeting. Based on the requirements, we will then assemble a project proposal and quote and agree on a schedule for conducting the security assessment. Our proposal document will include the following information:

We start the Penetration Testing

The Penetration Testing starts. A member of our Penetration Testing team will liaise with a member of your company throughout the entire testing process. You will be the first to know if we have any questions or concerns. Our testing team will be on hand throughout the penetration test lifecycle to answer any questions or concerns. Our tester will:

You receive your Report and Remediate Issues

A Penetration Test is useless without a well-written report. Our reports are written in plain English, concise, and thoroughly documented. The Penetration Test Report is typically furnished within 5 days after the testing phase is complete. If you are interested in seeing an example report, please contact our team.

Each report details the following:

We test the remediation efforts and update the Report

At Sencode, we offer free retesting for every Penetration Test we conduct. You fix the issues; then we will verify they can no longer be exploited by an attacker. Our team will arrange a mutually suitable time to conduct the retest, after the remediation efforts have taken place. Our tester will follow these steps:

Deliver a Security Testing Certificate

Our clients receive a testing certificate that can be shared with partners and customers, showing that their company takes security seriously. The certificate and document are designed to be easily digested by third-party suppliers, the document removes the technical details and can be safely distributed.

The Security Testing Certificate is available on request, after the retest has been complete. The security certificate shows:

Get in touch for a consultation.

Contact a consulting team member by phone, email, or pigeon post. We will then discuss whether we can help you and arrange a scoping meeting to discuss your requirements.

In the scoping meeting, our team will discuss your requirements in further detail. Our team will ask questions in regards to the following:

Frequently Asked Questions: Red Team Assessment

Take a look at our frequently asked questions and find the answers you’re looking for, our FAQ provides clear and concise responses to common inquiries.
How is a Red Team Assessment conducted?

A Red Team Assessment follows a structured, authorised process aligned with the MITRE ATT&CK framework. After objectives and rules of engagement are agreed, the team conducts reconnaissance, develops and delivers approved attack techniques, attempts controlled exploitation, establishes a simulated foothold and progresses towards defined objectives. The engagement concludes with a detailed report and stakeholder debrief covering the attack path, successful controls, missed detection opportunities and prioritised improvements.

What is the difference between a Red Team Assessment and a penetration test?

A penetration test normally examines defined systems or applications to identify and validate technical vulnerabilities within an agreed scope. A Red Team Assessment is broader and objective-led. It simulates the behaviour of a real attacker and may combine technical exploitation, authorised social engineering and physical security scenarios to test people, processes, prevention, detection and response as a whole.

How are Red Team Assessment goals defined?

Goals are agreed collaboratively with key stakeholders and based on the organisation’s critical assets, operations, threat landscape and specific security concerns. Each goal must be realistic, measurable and supported by clear success criteria. Common objectives include assessing employee security awareness, testing physical security controls, evaluating detection and response capabilities, or demonstrating whether an attacker could reach a critical system or sensitive dataset.

How much does a Red Team Assessment cost in the UK?

UK Red Team Assessment costs vary according to scope, duration, organisational size, environment complexity, locations and whether social engineering or physical security testing is included. Smaller, focused engagements may cost several thousand pounds, while complex multi-week assessments can cost tens of thousands. Sencode confirms the scope, assumptions and fixed price before testing begins.

Read the latest from our Cyber Security Blog

Here, you’ll find a curated list of articles that delve into a wide range of topics, ranging from practical cyber security advice, and deep dives into penetration testing content. Whether you’re looking for the latest industry trends or thought-provoking discussions, our blog has something for everyone.


Explore Our Downloadable Resources

Whether you’re considering a penetration test or looking to improve your understanding of API security, our free resources are here to help. The Penetration Testing Buyer’s Guide supports informed purchasing decisions, while the OWASP API Top 10 Flash Cards offer a quick and accessible way to learn about common API security risks.

Our Penetration Testing Buyer’s Guide 2025 outlines penetration testing fundamentals, service types, cost factors, testing approaches, and compliance considerations. Download a copy of our guide.

The OWASP API Top 10 Flash Cards highlight critical security threats affecting modern APIs, including authorisation flaws, misconfigurations, and unsafe integrations and many more. Download a copy of the cards.