PENETRATION TESTING · OFFENSIVE SECURITY

We break in
before they do.

We attack your systems the way a real intruder would, then hand your team a plain-English report they can actually act on.

We provide the human side of cybersecurity.

Real exploits, not scanner noise · experienced practitioners on every engagement · reports your team can actually act on

Action Guard
Action Guard // offensive security
action-guard / status.log
LIVE
100%
Practitioner-run engagements
$16K+
In funded security research
1:1
Debrief on every finding
01 About

We'd rather be trusted than big.

// Trusted beats big, and we earn it the same way every time: one documented method, real exploitability over scanner noise, and a report that is one the business can actually use.

positioning.cfg
+ what we are
  • Consistent, engagement to engagement
  • Real exploitability, not scanner noise
  • Clear scope, easy to work with
  • Reports the business can act on
– what we're not
  • The biggest shop with the longest list
  • The cheapest scanner-output report
  • “Magic hacker” culture, no process
  • Bloated reports nobody reads
team / working.jpg
Action Guard practitioners at work
The human side Real practitioners, on the keys

// Industries we serve

SMBs Mid-sized organizations Regulated environments Financial Critical infrastructure Healthcare Unusual or neglected tech
02 How we work

Four reasons
clients choose us.

// Most cybersecurity consulting fails in the same places: undefined scope, inconsistent delivery, bloated reports. Action Guard is intentionally designed around those failure modes.

PRINCIPLE [01]

Real-world attack simulation.

Chained findings, attacker paths, validated impact, not blind scanner output or inflated severity.

Validated findings only. No noise.
PRINCIPLE [02]

Structured, repeatable execution.

Every engagement follows the same documented playbook, so delivery is consistent, engagement to engagement.

SOPs over heroic improvisation.
PRINCIPLE [03]

The report IS the product.

Business impact, attack-path clarity, and remediation your engineers can act on. A finding without a fix isn't a finding.

If it doesn't drive action, we cut it.
PRINCIPLE [04]

Built for the weird edges.

IoT, OT/ICS, and embedded systems. When your stack isn't a standard corporate network, that's exactly where we want to be.

Where the interesting problems live.
03 Services

Three services,
done properly.

// We keep the menu tight on purpose. Each service has a documented method, defined deliverables, and known timelines, because we'd rather do three things well than nine things adequately.

01 CORE

External Network Penetration Testing

Assessment of internet-facing infrastructure to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.
// Testing areas
  • Exposed services & weak configs
  • Authentication & TLS posture
  • Attack surface analysis
  • Exposed management interfaces
  • Privilege escalation paths
TIMELINE 1–2 weeks SCALE ~10 IPs +
Scope this
02 CORE

Web & API Security Assessment

Manual, authenticated testing of your apps and APIs for real-world attack paths, not just automated scans.
// Testing areas
  • AuthN, AuthZ, sessions
  • Business logic flaws & IDOR
  • Injection & file upload abuse
  • API authorization & token handling
  • Role escalation paths
TIMELINE 2–3 weeks SCALE Per app / API
Scope this
03 CORE

Security Posture Review

A strategic read on your architecture and posture, for teams who want direction before a full pentest.
// Testing areas
  • Identity, access & MFA
  • Segmentation & cloud exposure
  • Logging, monitoring & EDR
  • Backup & ransomware readiness
  • Privilege & architecture
TIMELINE 2 weeks SCALE Per environment
Scope this
// beyond the core
Also in our range

Engagements often reach past the core three, and we bring in the right capability when the scope calls for it, always to the same standard. If you don't see exactly what you need here, ask.

Internal pentest Red teaming Phishing sims OT / ICS IoT Mobile Cloud Adversary emulation Wireless
04 The engagement

Five phases.
No surprises.

// The same documented flow runs every engagement. You'll always know where we are, what we're doing, and what comes next.

PHASE [01]

Discovery & Scoping

Understand the environment, define goals, identify constraints.

  • Environment review
  • Goal definition
  • Scope agreement
PHASE [02]

Rules of Engagement

Documented testing windows, communication, and excluded systems.

  • Testing windows
  • Emergency contacts
  • Out-of-scope assets
PHASE [03]

Testing Phase

Structured execution against the agreed methodology and evidence standard.

  • Documented methodology
  • Evidence collection
  • Live comms when needed
PHASE [04]

Reporting

Technical findings, executive summary, prioritized remediation guidance.

  • Executive summary
  • Technical findings
  • Remediation path
PHASE [05]

Debrief & Retest

Walkthrough of findings, remediation discussion, optional re-testing.

  • Findings walkthrough
  • Remediation review
  • Optional retest

"The report
IS the product."

RISK
Every finding states business impact in plain language, not just a CVSS score.
PATH
We walk you through how the issue happened and why it matters before we recommend a fix.
FIX
Realistic, prioritized remediation, written so engineers can act on it without translation.
READS
Useful to executives and technical teams from the same document.
05 The team

The people on the keys.

// The people who scope your engagement are the people who run it, experienced offensive-security practitioners, accountable from kickoff to retest. No handoff to a faceless team.

practice.profile
Discipline
Offensive security
Capabilities
Pentest · Web/API · IoT · DFIR
Delivery
Practitioner-run, documented
Reporting
Plain-English, business-ready
Research
$16K+ in funded work

Action Guard is built on real offensive-security experience, earned inside established security teams, then sharpened across pentests, CTF circuits, and hands-on research.

Our capabilities run past standard pentesting into web and API security, IoT and embedded systems, and digital forensics, a holistic posture that's rare in a firm this focused. When your stack doesn't look like a textbook network, that's exactly where we do our best work.

100%
Manual, human-led testing
$16K+
In funded research
0
Scanner-only reports
Pentesting Web & API IoT & embedded Digital forensics CTF authoring Conference talks
// a nice bonus
We also run Cyb3r Club, our community & training arm. The research and teaching there keep our engagement work sharp, and clients can tap it for hands-on team workshops when they want them.
06 Transmissions

A record of the work.

// Selected transmissions from the field, talks, competitions, and research from Action Guard's ongoing work in the security community. A living record, added to over time.

07 Talk to us
FREE 30-MINUTE SCOPING CALL

Let's scope
your next test.

// Tell us about your environment. We'll scope it together on a free 30-minute call and map out exactly what a test would cover.