Network Penetration Testing for Financial Services in Detroit (MI)

 

Financial institutions in Detroit and across Michigan are prime targets for cybercriminals. Banks, credit unions, wealth management firms, insurance companies, payment processors, and fintech startups all hold what attackers want most: money, customer data, and transaction records. Threats range from malware and phishing to password attacks, SQL injection, and ransomware, all aimed at gaining unauthorized access to your network and systems.

The financial impact is significant. In 2021, the average reported cost of a data breach reached $4.24M per incident. That figure does not include unreported breaches, business disruption, reputational damage, regulatory penalties, or client churn — all highly relevant for regulated financial services firms in Michigan.

To keep up with evolving threats, financial organizations must regularly review, test, and upgrade cybersecurity controls. Static defenses are not enough. Network penetration testing provides a controlled way to see how a capable attacker would actually move through your environment — before a real one does.

 

What Is Network Penetration Testing for Financial Institutions?

 

Network penetration testing (often called a pentest) is a controlled, ethical hacking assessment where security specialists simulate real-world cyberattacks against your IT infrastructure. The objective is to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and security gaps that could allow an attacker to compromise your network, access sensitive financial data, or disrupt critical services.

For banks and other financial services companies in Detroit, a network penetration test helps:

• Reduce cyber risk by identifying how attackers could move from the perimeter into critical systems (core banking, loan platforms, trading systems, payment applications, etc.).
• Validate existing IT security controls such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, endpoint protection, and identity and access management.
• Support regulatory and compliance needs, including GLBA, FFIEC guidance, PCI DSS for card data, SOX controls, and expectations from state and federal regulators.
• Strengthen incident response by revealing how well your Blue Team detects, responds to, and contains realistic attacks.

Rather than a one-time exercise, effective financial sector security relies on ongoing penetration testing and security assessments aligned with your risk profile, growth, and technology changes.

 

Detroit & Michigan Financial Services Penetration Testing Experience

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing services for financial services organizations in Detroit and across Michigan. Our team has extensive experience delivering IT risk advisory, cybersecurity consulting, and ethical hacking engagements for:

• Banks and credit unions (community, regional, and multi-branch institutions).
• Wealth management and investment advisory firms.
• Insurance and reinsurance providers.
• Payment processors and fintech companies operating in the Detroit metro area.

We combine hands-on penetration testing expertise with a clear, business-focused approach. The outcome is a practical, prioritized remediation roadmap — not just a list of vulnerabilities. Leadership teams receive clear, non-technical explanations of risks, while IT and security staff get detailed, actionable technical guidance to close identified gaps.

 

Our Network Penetration Testing Methodology

 

OCD Tech follows a structured, repeatable penetration testing methodology tailored to the financial services sector. Our testing is designed to mimic realistic attacker behavior, while remaining controlled and compliant with your operational and regulatory requirements.

Typical activities include:

• Passive Reconnaissance – Quietly collecting publicly available information about your organization, systems, and staff to understand your external footprint and identify potential attack paths.
• Active Reconnaissance – Scanning and probing your network to identify live hosts, open ports, services, and potential vulnerabilities within your environment.
• Social Engineering – Where in scope, testing user awareness and insider threat exposure through controlled phishing or pretexting to assess how easily staff could be manipulated.
• Exploitation – Attempting to exploit confirmed vulnerabilities to gain initial access, while maintaining strict rules of engagement appropriate for financial networks.
• Post-Exploitation – Assessing what an attacker could do after gaining access, such as viewing or exfiltrating sensitive financial data, or accessing administrative systems.
• Privilege Escalation – Attempting to move from standard user accounts to elevated or domain-wide administrative privileges.
• Lateral Movement – Testing how far an attacker could move inside your environment, including between branches, data centers, and cloud-hosted systems.
• Maintaining Access – Demonstrating how a sophisticated attacker could persist in the environment over time, if in scope.
• Covering Tracks – Evaluating how easily activity could be hidden from monitoring tools and log analysis, highlighting detection gaps.
• Reporting & Executive Debrief – Delivering a clear report with risk-ranked findings, evidence, and remediation steps, followed by a walkthrough with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

This approach supports Red Team style exercises (simulating a real attacker), while providing your Blue Team with insight to improve detection and response. When desired, we also support Purple Team engagements, working collaboratively with your internal security team to maximize learning.

 

Serving Detroit, Michigan and Nationwide Financial Hubs

 

While we maintain a strong presence in Detroit and throughout Michigan, OCD Tech also provides network penetration testing and financial cybersecurity services to institutions across major U.S. markets, including:

• Boston (MA)
• New York City (NY)
• Washington DC
• Philadelphia (PA)
• Dallas (TX)
• Los Angeles (CA)
• Chicago (IL)
• Baltimore (MD)

 

Contact Our Detroit Network Penetration Testing Team

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing, IT security assessments, and cybersecurity consulting to financial services organizations in Detroit and across Michigan. If you would like to discuss a penetration test, Red Team exercise, or broader security assessment for your institution, please complete the form below. A member of our team will contact you to review your environment, objectives, and regulatory requirements, and outline an approach that fits your risk profile and operations.