Network Penetration Testing for HR Companies in Orlando

 

HR organizations in Orlando and across Florida handle some of the most sensitive data in the business world: Social Security numbers, salary information, background checks, I‑9 documentation, medical and benefits records, and sometimes even biometric data. This makes HR systems a prime target for cybercriminals and insider threats who want to steal or extort that information.

Common attacks against HR environments include phishing emails to recruiters and payroll staff, ransomware on applicant tracking systems (ATS), password attacks against remote access and HR portals, and exploitation of misconfigured cloud-based HR and payroll platforms. Nationwide, the average reported cost of a data breach in 2021 was $4.24M—and that excludes many incidents that never make it into public statistics. For HR firms and in‑house HR departments, the true cost also includes regulatory scrutiny, loss of client trust, and reputational damage in the Orlando business community.

To reduce this risk, HR companies need to regularly review, test, and strengthen their IT security controls. That is where professional network penetration testing (net‑pen testing) comes in.

 

What Is Network Penetration Testing for HR Firms?

 

Network penetration testing is a controlled, ethical hacking exercise where security specialists simulate real-world cyberattacks against your HR systems and network. The goal is simple: find the security gaps before someone with bad intentions does.

For HR organizations in Orlando, this typically includes testing:

• HR and payroll systems (on-premise and cloud-based)
• Applicant tracking systems (ATS) and candidate portals
• Remote access used by recruiters, HR staff, and executives
• File shares and databases storing employee and candidate records
• VPNs, firewalls, and wireless networks used across Florida offices

Penetration test results give leadership and compliance teams the information they need to:

• Identify and prioritize vulnerabilities before they are exploited
• Validate existing IT security controls and monitoring
• Support regulatory and client requirements (for example SOC 2, HIPAA for benefits data, state privacy expectations, and contractual security assessments required by large clients)
• Demonstrate due diligence to boards, auditors, and insurance providers

 

Florida & Orlando HR Security Testing Experience

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing services to HR companies in Orlando and throughout Florida, including staffing agencies, recruitment firms, PEOs, and internal HR departments of mid-market and enterprise organizations.

Our consultants combine IT risk advisory experience with hands-on ethical hacking and security assessment skills. We understand the realities of HR operations in Central Florida: high staff turnover, seasonal and remote hiring, third-party payroll integrations, and heavy use of cloud platforms. This allows us to tailor each penetration test to how your HR team actually works, not just how the network diagram says it should work.

The outcome is more than a technical report. You receive clear, prioritized remediation guidance focused on protecting HR data, improving your security posture, and aligning with the expectations of regulators, auditors, and corporate clients.

 

Our Network Penetration Testing Methodology

 

OCD Tech follows a proven, repeatable methodology that simulates realistic attacker behavior while keeping your HR operations running. Depending on scope and engagement type (Red Team, targeted penetration test, or broader IT security assessment), testing activities typically include:

• Passive Reconnaissance – Quietly gathering information about your HR systems, HR SaaS providers, and exposed infrastructure without direct interaction.
• Active Reconnaissance – Scanning and probing your network and applications to identify live systems, open ports, and potential entry points into HR and payroll environments.
• Social Engineering – Testing how HR staff respond to phishing, credential harvesting, and impersonation attempts, a common initial vector against Orlando employers and staffing firms.
• Exploitation – Attempting to exploit identified vulnerabilities in a controlled way to demonstrate real business impact, such as unauthorized access to HR records or payroll data.
• Post-Exploitation – Assessing what an attacker could do after getting a foothold: extract data, pivot to other systems, or tamper with HR processes.
• Privilege Escalation – Trying to move from standard user access to HR admin, payroll admin, or domain admin rights that would allow large-scale data compromise.
• Lateral Movement – Moving between systems (for example, from a recruiter’s workstation to the HR database or file server) to understand how far a breach could spread.
• Maintaining Access – Demonstrating how an attacker might quietly maintain long-term access to HR systems if undetected.
• Covering Tracks – Evaluating how well your logging, alerting, and Blue Team monitoring can detect and respond to malicious actions.
• Reporting & Remediation Guidance – Delivering a clear report that prioritizes findings by risk, explains business impact in non-technical language, and provides actionable steps for IT, HR, and leadership.

 

National Reach Beyond Orlando

 

While we maintain a strong presence in Orlando and Florida, OCD Tech also delivers network penetration testing and IT security assessments to HR organizations and other businesses across the U.S., including:

• Boston (MA)
• Chicago (IL)
• New York City (NY)
• Los Angeles (CA)
• Dallas (TX)
• Philadelphia (PA)
• Detroit (MI)
• Memphis (TN)

 

Contact Our Orlando Network Penetration Testing Consultants

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing, configuration review, and cybersecurity consulting to HR companies and HR departments in Orlando and across Florida. If you would like to discuss how a tailored penetration test can help protect your employee and candidate data, support compliance, and reduce business risk, complete the form below and a team member will follow up with you shortly.