Network Penetration Testing for Colleges and Universities companies in Milwaukee (WI)
Network Penetration Testing for Colleges and Universities in Milwaukee (WI)
Colleges and universities in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin are prime targets for cybercriminals. Higher education networks hold valuable research, student records, financial data, and sensitive intellectual property. Attackers use methods such as malware, phishing, password attacks, SQL injection, and ransomware to gain access to this information and disrupt operations.
The cost of a data breach continues to climb, with the median reported cost in 2021 reaching $4.24M per incident. This figure does not account for the many unreported or undisclosed breaches. For higher education institutions already under budget pressure, a serious incident can mean lost tuition revenue, damaged reputation, research disruption, and regulatory scrutiny.
To manage this risk, colleges and universities need to regularly review, test, and improve their cybersecurity controls. That includes verifying that firewalls, access controls, wireless networks, VPNs, and cloud environments are actually configured and behaving as intended in a real attack scenario.
What Is Network Penetration Testing for Higher Education?
Network penetration testing (or “net-pen testing”) is a controlled, ethical hacking exercise where security professionals simulate real-world attacks against an institution’s IT environment. For a college or university, this typically includes:
Campus networks (wired and wireless)
Data centers and virtualized environments
Cloud-hosted systems used for learning management, research, or administration
Remote access for faculty, staff, and students
Third-party integrations (payment portals, student information systems, research partners)
The goal is to identify vulnerabilities before real attackers do, demonstrate how far an intruder could get, and show what data or systems could be at risk. The outcome gives institutional leadership, IT, and security teams a clear, prioritized roadmap to strengthen defenses and meet compliance and regulatory expectations (FERPA, GLBA, research-related requirements, and internal policies).
Milwaukee & Wisconsin Network Penetration Testing Experience
OCD Tech provides network penetration testing services to colleges, universities, and educational systems in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin. Our team combines hands-on penetration testing experience with higher education IT security knowledge, including:
Open campus networks and guest wireless
Student housing networks and IoT devices
Research environments with sensitive or regulated data
Legacy systems common in academic environments
We conduct testing with minimal disruption to classes and campus operations, while still performing a realistic security assessment. The result is a penetration test that not only highlights weaknesses, but also delivers practical, prioritized remediation guidance tailored to academic institutions and their resource constraints.
Our Network Penetration Testing Methodology
OCD Tech follows a structured, repeatable methodology aligned with industry best practices. For higher education environments, this provides a clear, defensible approach that can be communicated to leadership, boards, and auditors. Our typical network penetration test includes:
Passive Reconnaissance – Quietly mapping exposed systems and services without active disruption.
Active Reconnaissance – Safely probing systems to identify weaknesses such as outdated software or misconfigurations.
Social Engineering – Where in scope, simulating phishing or similar techniques to assess user awareness and insider threat exposure.
Exploitation – Attempting controlled exploitation of identified vulnerabilities to confirm real-world impact.
Post-Exploitation – Assessing what an attacker could do after initial access (data exposure, account compromise, system control).
Privilege Escalation – Testing whether limited access (e.g., a student account) can be escalated to administrative or domain-level access.
Lateral Movement – Determining how easily an attacker could move between departments, labs, or campuses once inside.
Maintain Access – Demonstrating how an attacker might persist in the environment undetected, within agreed scope.
Cover Tracks – Showing how logging and monitoring might fail to detect malicious behavior, supporting Blue Team improvements.
Reporting – Delivering a clear, executive-friendly report and technical details for IT, with prioritized remediation steps and, where useful, recommendations for Red Team / Blue Team / Purple Team exercises.
This approach helps institutions move beyond a simple vulnerability scan and into a meaningful, scenario-based IT security assessment that reflects how real attackers actually operate.
National Reach
While we work closely with Milwaukee and Wisconsin colleges and universities, OCD Tech also provides network penetration testing services nationwide, including in:
Contact Our Milwaukee Network Penetration Testing Consultants
OCD Tech provides network penetration testing and cybersecurity consulting to colleges, universities, and educational organizations in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin. If you would like to discuss a penetration test for your campus network or broader IT environment, please complete the form below. A member of our team will contact you to review your objectives, scope an appropriate engagement, and outline next steps.
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