Network Penetration Testing for Biotech companies in Seattle
Network Penetration Testing for Biotech Companies in Seattle
Biotech organizations in Seattle and across Washington handle highly sensitive assets: clinical trial data, genomic datasets, proprietary formulas, FDA submissions, and protected health information (PHI). These make Seattle’s biotech sector a prime target for ransomware groups, nation‑state actors, and industrial espionage.
Common attack methods include phishing, malware, password attacks, ransomware, and exploitation of misconfigured cloud or on‑premise systems. Many of these attacks start with a single weak point in the network and quickly move toward research environments, lab systems, and data repositories.
According to industry research, the average reported cost of a data breach in 2021 reached $4.24M (source). This excludes many unreported or undisclosed incidents, particularly in R&D‑driven industries such as biotech. For Seattle’s life sciences companies, the true impact also includes lost IP, delayed trials, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational damage.
To manage this risk, organizations need to regularly test, validate, and improve their cybersecurity controls instead of relying solely on policies and tools. This is where network penetration testing becomes essential.
What Is Network Penetration Testing for Biotech?
Network penetration testing (net‑pen testing) is a controlled, authorized simulation of a cyberattack against your IT and OT (operational technology) environment. In biotech, this typically includes corporate networks, research networks, lab environments, VPN access, cloud platforms, and third‑party connections (CROs, CDMOs, and academic partners).
Our security specialists attempt to think and operate like real attackers: identifying vulnerabilities, exploiting weaknesses, and demonstrating realistic attack paths to critical assets such as:
Scientific data repositories and IP libraries
Clinical and pre‑clinical data systems
Laboratory information management systems (LIMS)
Cloud environments hosting research workloads
Systems in scope for HIPAA, 21 CFR Part 11, and other regulations
The outcome is a clear, prioritized view of your real‑world risk and practical guidance to strengthen your security posture, support regulatory compliance, and protect your most valuable data assets.
Seattle & Washington Biotech Penetration Testing Experience
OCD Tech provides network penetration testing services to biotech and life sciences companies in Seattle and across Washington. Our team combines experience in IT security assessments, ethical hacking, and IT risk advisory with an understanding of how biotech actually operates—fast‑paced R&D, complex vendor ecosystems, and strict regulatory expectations.
We routinely support organizations such as:
Biotech startups in South Lake Union and the greater Seattle area
Established biopharma and life sciences enterprises across Washington
Research institutions and healthcare‑adjacent organizations collaborating with biotech firms
Our goal is not just to “run tools” but to replicate realistic attack scenarios against your environment and then provide clear, actionable remediation steps. You receive a penetration test that highlights exploitable weaknesses and gives leadership the information needed to prioritize fixes and investments.
Our Network Penetration Testing Methodology
OCD Tech follows a structured, repeatable methodology that aligns with industry best practices. While the technical work is complex, the process is straightforward from your perspective. A typical engagement includes:
Passive Reconnaissance – Quietly gathering information about your environment from public and open sources without directly interacting with your systems.
Active Reconnaissance – Safely scanning and probing your networks and applications to identify open ports, services, and potential vulnerabilities.
Social Engineering (where in scope) – Testing how well your staff and processes resist phishing, pretexting, and other human‑focused attacks commonly used against biotech and healthcare organizations.
Exploitation – Attempting to exploit identified weaknesses to gain unauthorized access, while strictly controlling risk and impact to your operations.
Post‑Exploitation – Assessing how far an attacker could move once inside: what data they can reach, what systems they can control, and how much damage they could realistically do.
Privilege Escalation – Attempting to move from a low‑level account to higher‑value administrative or domain‑level access, as a real attacker would.
Lateral Movement – Testing the ability to move between systems and network segments, such as from corporate IT to research or lab networks.
Maintaining Access – Demonstrating how an attacker could establish persistence to survive reboots, password changes, or simple clean‑up efforts.
Covering Tracks – Highlighting how attackers may attempt to evade detection and what logging or monitoring gaps enable that.
Reporting & Executive Briefing – Delivering a clear report with risk‑ranked findings, technical details for your IT/security teams, and plain‑language explanations for executives, along with remediation recommendations and suggested roadmap.
This approach supports both Red Team–style offensive testing and collaboration with your internal defenders (Blue Team) to create a more effective Purple Team style engagement if desired.
National Reach
While we work closely with biotech companies in the Seattle area, OCD Tech provides network penetration testing services nationwide, including in:
Contact Our Seattle Network Penetration Testing Consultants
OCD Tech provides network penetration testing and cybersecurity consulting to biotech and life sciences organizations in Seattle and throughout Washington.
If you would like to discuss how a network penetration test can help protect your research data, intellectual property, and regulated information, please complete the form below. A member of our team will follow up with you to discuss scope, timing, and next steps in clear, non‑technical terms—unless you prefer it technical.
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