Network Penetration Testing for Financial Services in San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Financial institutions in San Juan and across Puerto Rico are prime targets for cybercriminals. Banks, credit unions, payment processors, insurance companies, and fintech firms hold large volumes of high‑value financial and personal data, making them attractive for targeted attacks and large-scale fraud.

Common attack methods include phishing and business email compromise (to move money or intercept wire transfers), ransomware, malware, password attacks, SQL injections into customer-facing portals, and exploitation of remote access and VPNs. All of these are designed to gain access to internal banking systems, cardholder data, payment platforms, or customer records.

The cost of a breach is substantial. In 2021, the median reported cost per data breach reached $4.24M (source)—and that only reflects incidents that were voluntarily disclosed. For financial services operating under U.S. and Puerto Rico regulatory expectations, the real impact often includes operational downtime, regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage, and client churn.

To manage this risk, financial institutions need to regularly review, test, and upgrade their cybersecurity controls. This is where network penetration testing—also known as a net‑pen test or ethical hacking engagement—comes in.

Network penetration testing is a controlled, simulated cyberattack against your organization’s IT infrastructure. Experienced ethical hackers use the same techniques as real attackers to identify vulnerabilities, attempt to exploit them, and demonstrate business impact. For a bank or financial services company in Puerto Rico, this typically focuses on:

• Internal and external networks (branches, HQ, data centers, cloud)
• Online banking, mobile banking, and payment platforms
• Remote access used by employees, vendors, and third parties
• Core banking and financial applications exposed to other networks

The results of a well‑executed penetration test give executive leadership, boards, and regulators clear insight into:

• Actual exploitable weaknesses in current security controls
• Realistic attack paths to sensitive financial systems and data
• Effectiveness of monitoring and response (Blue Team / SOC)
• Regulatory and compliance gaps relevant to the financial sector

Performed on a recurring basis, penetration testing becomes a core part of a mature IT security assessment program and supports requirements aligned with U.S. financial regulations and industry standards applicable in Puerto Rico.

 

Puerto Rico Financial Services Network Penetration Testing Experience

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing and IT security assessment services to financial services organizations in San Juan and throughout Puerto Rico. Our team has extensive experience working with:

• Banks and savings institutions
• Credit unions and cooperative banking entities
• Insurance companies
• Wealth management and investment firms
• Payment processors and fintech providers

We combine practical offensive security experience (Red Team / ethical hacking) with risk advisory and cybersecurity consulting. This allows us to tailor each penetration test to the specific risk profile of a financial institution—whether the priority is wire fraud prevention, cardholder data protection, online banking resilience, or insider threat scenarios.

The outcome is more than a simple vulnerability list. Our reports provide:

• Clear, non‑technical explanations for executives and boards
• Detailed technical evidence for IT and security teams
• Prioritized remediation guidance based on impact and likelihood
• Support for regulatory examinations and audits

In other words, you receive a practical, actionable security assessment aligned with how attackers actually operate—and how regulators expect you to respond.

 

Network Penetration Testing Methodology

 

OCD Tech follows a structured, repeatable methodology to assess the network defenses of San Juan financial institutions. While the technical depth is significant, the logic is straightforward: we think and act like an attacker, but with reporting and accountability.

Our typical penetration test includes:

• Passive Reconnaissance – Quietly collecting public and open‑source intelligence about your organization, domains, IP ranges, and exposed services.
• Active Reconnaissance – Scanning and probing systems to identify live hosts, services, ports, and potential vulnerabilities in your internal and external networks.
• Social Engineering – Where in scope, testing how easily attackers could trick staff into disclosing credentials or approving fraudulent access (e.g., phishing simulations targeting finance and operations staff).
• Exploitation – Attempting to exploit identified weaknesses to obtain unauthorized access, focusing on high‑impact financial systems and data.
• Post‑Exploitation – Assessing what an attacker could do after gaining a foothold: access to transaction systems, sensitive records, financial reporting, or authentication platforms.
• Privilege Escalation – Attempting to move from a low‑level account to administrative or domain‑wide access, mimicking a serious compromise within your network.
• Lateral Movement – Testing whether an attacker can pivot between systems, branches, or environments (e.g., from a compromised workstation to core banking servers).
• Maintaining Access – Demonstrating how persistent access could be maintained if not detected, highlighting the need for strong monitoring and incident response.
• Covering Tracks – Reviewing logging and monitoring to assess how easily an attacker could hide activity and whether your Blue Team or SOC would detect it.
• Reporting – Delivering a clear, structured report that documents findings, business impact, risk ratings, and recommended remediation steps, suitable for both technical teams and senior leadership.

This methodology supports multiple engagement types, including traditional penetration tests, Red Team exercises, assumed compromise scenarios, and Purple Team collaborations with your internal security staff or service providers.

 

National Reach

 

While we maintain a strong presence in Puerto Rico, OCD Tech also provides network penetration testing and cybersecurity consulting to financial institutions and other regulated entities across the U.S., including:

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

This national footprint allows us to bring best practices from U.S. mainland financial hubs directly to institutions in Puerto Rico.

 

Contact Our San Juan Network Penetration Testing Consultants

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing and cybersecurity consulting to financial services companies in San Juan and across Puerto Rico. If you would like to discuss how a targeted penetration test can strengthen your defenses, support regulatory expectations, and reduce the risk of costly incidents, please complete the form below and a team member will follow up with you shortly.