Network Penetration Testing for HR Companies in Santa Fe

 

HR companies in Santa Fe and across New Mexico handle some of the most sensitive data in the state: Social Security numbers, payroll records, background checks, medical information, and performance files. This makes HR firms a prime target for cybercriminals looking to steal, extort, or quietly resell that data.

Attacks such as phishing emails aimed at recruiters, malware hidden in resumes, password attacks on remote access portals, SQL injection against applicant tracking systems, and ransomware aimed at payroll or HRIS platforms are now routine. In 2021, the median reported cost of a data breach reached $4.24M per incident. That figure excludes many unreported cases, so the real impact is higher—especially when you factor in New Mexico breach notification laws, client churn, reputational damage, and potential regulatory scrutiny.

To stay ahead of these threats, HR organizations need to regularly review, test, and upgrade their IT security controls. This is where network penetration testing (net-pen testing) comes in. It is a controlled, ethical hacking exercise in which security professionals simulate real-world attacks against your HR networks, cloud systems, and integrations with payroll, benefits, and background-check providers. The goal is simple: find the weaknesses before a criminal does.

Penetration testing results give HR leadership and compliance teams clear answers to three questions:

• Which systems and data are actually at risk? (HRIS, ATS, payroll, file shares, email, VPN, remote recruiters, etc.)
• Are existing security controls doing what we think they are? (firewalls, MFA, EDR, logging, vendor access, remote work setups)
• Are we aligned with regulatory and contract requirements? (data privacy obligations, client security questionnaires, SOC, ISO, state and federal rules)

For HR providers in Santa Fe, this kind of security assessment is no longer optional—it is a basic requirement for doing business with security-conscious clients.

 

Santa Fe Network Penetration Testing Experience for HR Firms

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing services to HR companies in Santa Fe and across New Mexico, from local staffing agencies and executive search firms to payroll processors and HR outsourcing (HRO/PEO) providers.

Our team brings deep experience in IT risk advisory, cybersecurity consulting, and ethical hacking across multiple industries, with a strong focus on organizations that manage high-volume personal and employee data. We understand the systems HR teams rely on every day—HRIS, ATS, timekeeping, background check platforms, and integrated SaaS solutions—and how attackers chain small weaknesses into full compromise.

During each penetration test, we focus not just on breaking in, but on delivering clear, prioritized remediation guidance that HR, IT, and leadership can all understand. The outcome is a practical, plain-language report that:

• Highlights the most critical vulnerabilities affecting HR data and operations
• Explains how we exploited them in realistic attack scenarios
• Provides step-by-step recommendations that your internal team or external IT provider can implement
• Supports client security due diligence, vendor audits, and board or executive reporting

The result is a penetration test that not only uncovers issues, but helps your HR organization strengthen IT security, reduce insider threat risk, and demonstrate due care to clients and regulators.

 

Network Penetration Testing Methodology

 

OCD Tech follows a structured, repeatable methodology designed to mirror how real attackers would approach an HR organization’s environment, while staying within clearly defined rules of engagement. Our testing typically includes:

• Passive Reconnaissance – Quietly gathering public information about your HR domains, cloud services, exposed systems, and external vendors without touching your network.
• Active Reconnaissance – Safely scanning and probing your infrastructure to identify live systems, open ports, misconfigurations, and outdated services.
• Social Engineering (where authorized) – Testing how easily attackers could trick HR staff, recruiters, or remote workers into revealing credentials or opening malicious files (for example, via fake candidate emails).
• Exploitation – Attempting to exploit discovered vulnerabilities—such as weak remote access, poor configuration, or missing patches—to gain initial access.
• Post-Exploitation – Assessing what an attacker could do once inside: access HR databases, read candidate resumes, reach payroll systems, or pivot to other business-critical applications.
• Privilege Escalation – Attempting to move from regular user access to administrative or domain-level control, simulating worst-case compromise of HR infrastructure.
• Lateral Movement – Testing whether an attacker can move from one compromised system to others, such as from a recruiter’s workstation to HRIS, file servers, or backup systems.
• Maintaining Access – Demonstrating how an attacker might persist inside the network without detection, while respecting strict legal and safety boundaries.
• Covering Tracks – Showing how attackers commonly attempt to hide their activity and what logging or monitoring gaps make that easier.
• Reporting – Delivering a structured report and executive summary with risk-based findings, business impact explanations, and remediation steps tailored to HR operations and constraints.

Throughout the engagement, we coordinate closely with your internal IT or managed service provider, keeping business disruption minimal while still providing a realistic red team–style view of your defenses.

 

National Reach

 

While we maintain a strong presence in Santa Fe and New Mexico, OCD Tech also provides network penetration testing and security assessments to HR organizations and other businesses across the United States, including:

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

Wherever your HR team operates—whether fully local to Santa Fe, remote across New Mexico, or distributed nationwide—our services are designed to support modern, hybrid HR environments.

 

Contact Our Santa Fe Network Penetration Testing Consultants

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing, configuration reviews, and cybersecurity consulting to HR companies and other organizations in Santa Fe and across New Mexico. If you want to understand how an attacker would target your HR systems—and how to stop them—complete the form below, and a member of our team will contact you to discuss the right IT security assessment for your environment.