Network Penetration Testing for Financial Services in Seattle

 

Financial institutions in Seattle and across Washington are prime targets for cybercriminals seeking access to payment data, online banking platforms, trading systems, and confidential customer information. Threats such as ransomware, phishing, credential theft, web application attacks, and insider misuse are now part of daily business risk, not rare events.

The average cost of a data breach reached $4.24M in 2021, and that figure excludes many unreported incidents. For banks, credit unions, fintechs, wealth managers, and payment processors in the Puget Sound region, a single compromise can trigger regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage, customer attrition, and direct financial loss.

To stay ahead of these risks, Seattle financial services firms must regularly test, validate, and improve their cybersecurity controls—not just rely on firewalls, antivirus, and policy documents. This is where network penetration testing becomes essential.

 

What Is Network Penetration Testing?

 

Network penetration testing (often called a network pentest) is a controlled, ethical hacking exercise where security professionals simulate real-world cyberattacks against your IT environment. The objective is to identify vulnerabilities, attempt to exploit them, and show how far an attacker could realistically go—from initial access to potential fraud or data theft.

For financial institutions in Washington, a well-scoped penetration test helps:

• Identify weaknesses in internal and external networks, remote access, and branch connectivity
• Validate controls used to protect online banking, trading, and payment platforms
• Support regulatory compliance with expectations from the OCC, FDIC, Federal Reserve, NCUA, PCI DSS, GLBA, and state regulators
• Reduce business impact by finding issues before criminals or insider threats exploit them

The outcome is a clear, prioritized view of where your defenses hold—and where they do not.

 

Seattle & Washington Financial Services Penetration Testing Experience

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing and IT security assessments to financial services companies in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Spokane, and throughout Washington. Our clients include:

• Banks and community banks
• Credit unions and regional financial institutions
• Fintech and digital banking providers
• Investment, wealth management, and asset management firms
• Payment processors and financial technology platforms

Our team combines hands-on penetration testing expertise with a strong understanding of financial-sector risk, regulatory expectations, and real-world attacker behavior. We do more than run automated scans—we perform targeted, manual testing to:

• Expose realistic attack paths to sensitive data, wire transfer capabilities, and internal banking systems
• Assess configuration and architecture decisions that impact your security posture
• Provide actionable remediation guidance tailored to your environment, constraints, and business priorities

The result is a penetration test that delivers clear, business-focused insight, not just a long technical report.

 

Our Network Penetration Testing Methodology

 

OCD Tech follows a structured, repeatable testing methodology aligned with industry best practices. While each engagement is tailored to a client’s environment and regulatory needs, a typical network penetration test includes:

• Passive Reconnaissance – Quietly gathering information about your public-facing footprint, exposed services, and technology stack without active probing.
• Active Reconnaissance – Safely scanning and probing systems to identify open ports, services, and potential vulnerabilities.
• Social Engineering (where in scope) – Testing how users respond to phishing or other manipulation attempts that could lead to credential theft or unauthorized access.
• Exploitation – Attempting to exploit identified weaknesses to gain initial access or elevate privileges, simulating likely attacker techniques.
• Post-Exploitation – Assessing what an attacker could do after gaining access, such as viewing sensitive data or accessing financial transaction systems.
• Privilege Escalation – Attempting to move from standard user accounts to administrative or highly privileged roles.
• Lateral Movement – Testing how far an attacker could move across internal networks, branches, and data centers.
• Maintaining Access – Demonstrating how long-term, stealthy access could be established if controls are weak.
• Covering Tracks – Evaluating logging and monitoring effectiveness by simulating how an attacker might evade detection.
• Reporting & Executive Debrief – Delivering a clear report and walkthrough that explains what we did, what we found, how it affects your business, and exactly what to fix.

For many financial clients, we also coordinate with internal security teams (Blue Team) or conduct Red Team / Purple Team exercises to test detection and response capabilities in a controlled manner.

 

National Reach, Local Understanding

 

While we work extensively with financial services organizations in the Seattle area, OCD Tech also provides network penetration testing and cybersecurity consulting nationwide, including:

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

This national experience allows us to bring best practices from other financial markets directly to Seattle institutions, while respecting local business realities and state-level expectations.

 

Contact Our Seattle Network Penetration Testing Team

 

OCD Tech provides network penetration testing, IT security assessments, and cybersecurity consulting to financial services companies in Seattle and across Washington. Whether you need a first-time assessment, a recurring annual penetration test, or a deeper Red Team engagement, we can help you understand your real exposure—and how to reduce it.

If you are interested in learning how we can assist your organization with a Seattle-focused network penetration test, please complete the form below and a team member will follow up with you shortly.