Penetration Testing Companies in Australia 2025 (Reviewed)

Penetration Testing Company in Australia

• Penetration testing is essential in Australia’s evolving threat landscape. Cyber incidents are rising: the ACSC logged 1,100+ major incidents and 36,700 calls in 202324. Data breaches jumped 19% in late 2023.
• High profile stats e.g. average breach cost $4.4M and new regulations APRA CPS 234, Privacy Act reforms mean businesses must proactively test security.
• Best practices include OWASP’s WSTG framework and the ASD Essential Eight mitigations. Regular pen tests find hidden gaps before attackers do.
• Checklist: Key factors in choosing a provider include industry expertise e.g. fintech, healthcare, use of recognized standards OWASP, NIST, etc., strong reporting, and relevant certifications.
• Case studies: Anonymous examples from a fintech and a healthcare org show how pen tests uncovered and fixed critical flaws preventing costly breaches.
• Read our DeepStrike blog for in depth security insights, and explore our penetration testing services to secure your systems.

Why Penetration Testing Matters in 2025 Australia Context

Cybersecurity threats are intensifying globally and locally. Australia’s recent cyber threat report shows 36,700 hotline calls in 202324 12% up and 1,100+ incidents. Nation state actors are testing resilience: for example, over 11% of incidents targeted critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, a newly increased global average breach cost of $4.4 million motivates defense.

In plain terms, penetration testing is like hiring expert break-in testers for your network. Think of it as a home inspector checking locks and windows before a thief tries. By proactively simulating attacks, you find weak spots in systems, code or configuration before real hackers exploit them. This proactive approach helps avoid disastrous breaches after all, IBM reports breach costs running into millions.

Importantly, Australian regulators now expect these safeguards. Financial and healthcare firms and their vendors must comply with standards like APRA’s CPS 234 and the Privacy Act’s security rules. For example, APRA mandated all regulated entities to implement controls to protect information assets and undertake regular testing and assurance. In other words, regular security testing including pen tests is no longer optional if you hold sensitive customer data. In 2024 the Privacy Act was also reformed to impose heavier penalties up to AUD 3.3M for data breaches. Given this landscape, Australian businesses are treating penetration testing as a crucial security check up.

Regulatory and Compliance Drivers

Australian regulations increasingly tie into penetration testing and security verification. APRA’s Information Security Standard CPS 234 in force since 2019 explicitly requires banks, insurers and super funds to map their systems, implement security controls, and test those controls regularly. As APRA notes, institutions must maintain an information security capability commensurate with the size and extent of threats to their information assets. In practice, this means financial firms often perform annual or continuous pen tests to validate their defenses.

Similarly, the Privacy Act reforms of late 2022 and 2024 heighten accountability. Organizations subject to the act now face stronger enforcement powers and higher breach penalties. The Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requires prompt reporting of breaches. In late 2023, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner OAIC reported a 19% rise in notifiable breaches 483 vs. 407, with malicious attacks causing two thirds of incidents. This highlights that simply complying on paper isn’t enough robust testing and remediation is expected.

Across industries, compliance standards like ISO 27001, PCI DSS for payments, and sector specific guidelines e.g. APRA’s CPS 230 for operational risk also drive penetration tests. In many cases, passing a security audit or meeting Essential Eight maturity levels will involve documented evidence of testing. In short, regulators and industry frameworks reinforce that you can’t manage what you can’t measure and one key metric is how your IT stands up to simulated attacks.

Best Practices & Standards OWASP, ASD Essential Eight, etc.

Reputable penetration testing services follow internationally recognized guides. A cornerstone is the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide WSTG, a comprehensive framework of test scenarios and techniques. The WSTG outlines tests from information gathering to input validation, authentication, session management and more. By referencing OWASP, testers ensure no major attack vector is overlooked. In other words, your provider should know and cite WSTG chapters relevant to your app or network.

Another useful resource is the ASD Essential Eight from Australia’s Signals Directorate. While not tests per se, the Essential Eight are baseline mitigations patching, MFA, privileged access management, etc. that make it much harder for adversaries to compromise systems. Penetration testers often check whether these controls are in place and effective. For example, they may try to bypass multi factor authentication, exploit an unpatched application, or escalate privileges to mimic a ransomware attack. Citing Essential Eight shows a service that understands the Aussie context.

In plain terms, a top provider should use a layered approach: automated scans and manual testing. Automated tools find low hanging fruit known CVEs, misconfigurations, while skilled testers manually probe business logic and hidden flaws. Look for methodologies that combine network, system and web app testing. Strong report deliverables will reference OWASP or NIST categories and explain risks in understandable terms often using analogies, e.g. this flaw is like an unlocked rear door allowing hackers in.

Overall, align with E-E-A-T best practices: ask your provider to share case studies or certifications e.g. CREST/OSCP. Expert providers often publish whitepapers or blogs demonstrating their methods. For example, DeepStrike’s blog regularly discusses recent vulnerabilities and mitigation tips, demonstrating our commitment to security education.

Checklist: How to Choose a Penetration Testing Provider in Australia

Selecting the right testing partner is crucial. Use this checklist as a guide:

• Industry Experience: Choose a provider familiar with your sector’s unique threats and compliance needs. For instance, fintech firms have different targets than hospitals. Check if they list case studies in finance, healthcare, e-commerce, etc.
• Reputation and Certifications: Look for recognized accreditations e.g. CREST, Checkmarx, OSCP. Ask for customer references or public testimonials. DeepStrike, for example, holds ISO 27001 and often writes about industry cases on our blog.
• Testing Methodology: Ensure they follow established standards OWASP WSTG, NIST SP 800 115, etc. and cover all relevant attack surfaces networks, cloud, mobile, APIs. Verify they use both automated scanners and manual techniques. A thorough provider will tailor the scope to your environment.
• Regulatory Knowledge: The tester should understand Australian regulations affecting you APRA CPS 234 for finance, Privacy Act for personal data, HIPAA for health information, etc. They should design tests to ensure compliance e.g. network segmentation for CPS 234, data encryption for APP security.
• Reporting & Remediation: Check that reports are clear, actionable and include risk ratings. Good reports use non technical summaries and executive action plans. Ask if they offer a walkthrough meeting of results. Some firms like DeepStrike even include post test re testing to verify fixes.
• Legal and Ethics: Confirm the provider operates under strict legal rules, signed contracts, rules of engagement, and limited scope. Responsible testers will obtain written authorization to test each system to avoid white collar crime issues.
• Follow Up Support: See if they provide guidance on patching and long term improvements. Ongoing services like quarterly scans or retests can help maintain security over time. Providers that view testing as a partnership not just a one time sale often yield better outcomes.

Using these criteria will help you filter out one size fits all vendors and find a true security partner. Remember: the cheapest quote isn’t always the best security decision.

Real World Success Stories

While confidentiality means we can’t name clients, anonymized examples show the impact of professional pen testing:

• Fintech Case: A growing financial tech startup FinCo was expanding its mobile app user base. DeepStrike conducted an external penetration test and discovered an unprotected API endpoint that exposed user data and allowed transaction manipulation. By patching this before going live, FinCo avoided what could have been a multi million dollar fraud.
• Healthcare Case: A regional hospital HealthSys underwent annual accreditation and needed to demonstrate compliance. In their pen test, we found a misconfigured server that exposed patient records. The hospital fixed the issue and then re-tested to confirm no patient data could be accessed illegally. This proactive test not only met compliance requirements but likely prevented a serious data breach.

These scenarios illustrate that pen tests are not just a checkbox. They provide concrete before and after snapshots of security. In each case, the organizations treated the findings as learning opportunities. Analogous to how a doctor might treat a diagnosis, these companies patched and strengthened defenses so small issues didn’t become chronic problems.

DeepStrike Continuous Pentesting Leader with Transparent Pricing

• DeepStrike is Australia’s leading Penetration Testing Company in Australia, especially known for its continuous security testing platform. Unlike traditional annual only vendors, DeepStrike offers a subscription based service where a dedicated team continually tests new features and deployments.

• Our Premium plan includes automated scanning, bi annual deep pen tests, dark web monitoring and Slack/Jira integration. This means findings show up in real time for your developers, dramatically shortening the window of vulnerability.

• DeepStrike’s pricing is fully transparent published on our site: a basic one off pentest or ongoing plan can be started within 48 hours, and clients see a live results dashboard as work proceeds. DeepStrike’s engineers hold top infosec certifications OSCP, CISSP, OSWE and have extensive hands on experience with cloud and web technologies.

• We emphasize developer collaboration for example, clients have a direct Slack channel with our testers so that remediation becomes part of the development cycle, not an afterthought. DeepStrike also supports compliance for Australian standards: our methodology aligns with PCI DSS, ISO 27001, ASD’s Essential Eight, and APRA CPS 234.

• Our reports are known for clarity and completeness, and we offer free retesting to prove all issues are fixed. In short, DeepStrike differentiates by offering a modern pentesting platform and developer friendly service that many legacy firms lack.

CyberCX Australia’s Largest Cybersecurity Consultancy

• CyberCX is Australia’s biggest cybersecurity firm, with offices in every state and a team of hundreds of specialists. It offers end to end services from pentesting to managed security. CyberCX brings massive local presence and enterprise experience.

• The company performs red teaming, web, mobile, network and OT penetration tests, all backed by a strong governance framework. They highlight adherence to industry standards OWASP, NIST, CREST and compliance frameworks for example.

• Their site touts help with PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and NIST requirements. This broad coverage is ideal for large organizations seeking a one stop shop.

How DeepStrike differs: CyberCX’s scale and consulting breadth come with higher overhead and cost. DeepStrike, by contrast, focuses on delivering penetration testing as a service PTaaS with a lean, technical team. 

We offer faster engagement start within 48h and real time dashboard updates, whereas large firms often work on quarterly schedules.

DeepStrike also emphasizes transparent flat rate pricing, whereas CyberCX projects may involve custom bids and variable consulting hours. For pure pentesting agility, DeepStrike’s model with Slack and Jira integration is built for today’s DevOps world, while CyberCX is more traditional in delivery.

Tesserent Thales Comprehensive Services by Global Backer

• Tesserent now part of Thales is a well known Australian cyber services provider offering pentesting among its suite. It holds CREST accreditation for penetration testing and is ISO 27001 certified.

• Tesserent provides thorough technical testing and advice: clients cite its skilled security experts and ongoing remediation guidance. As a full service firm, Tesserent handles web, network, mobile, and cloud pentests, and can bundle these with governance, risk and compliance consulting.

• Its penetration tests follow rigorous methodologies, and its parent company Thales brings global security resources and sector expertise in defense, finance, etc..

How DeepStrike differs: Tesserent’s heritage is broad consulting, whereas DeepStrike specializes deeply in pentesting technology. We match Tesserent on credentials DeepStrike’s consultants also have CREST level skills and ISO trained processes but offer a more modern engagement model.

DeepStrike’s PTaaS platform means clients get faster cycles and integration with development tools, not just a single report. And DeepStrike’s pricing is transparent and geared toward faster turnaround for example, offering a guaranteed 48 hour start which appeals to tech startups and mid sized firms that need agility.

We also specialize in shorter sprint based testing for agile teams, while a big firm might emphasize multi week projects.

Sekuro Risk Led Security & Compliance Emphasis

• Sekuro based in Melbourne positions itself as a risk led security consultancy. It integrates penetration testing into a broader resilience strategy. Sekuro emphasizes real world outcomes.

• Their experts simulate attacker scenarios and focus on business impact. They are CREST accredited and experienced with compliance driven clients, often in regulated industries.

• Sekuro’s strengths include a risk oriented approach and cybersecurity advisory. They do web, network, IoT, and social engineering tests, but details on delivery style are limited.

How DeepStrike differs: Sekuro’s risk led approach is valuable, but DeepStrike offers more hands-on testing innovation. For example, DeepStrike’s continuous testing shrinks exposure time to days instead of months, whereas risk driven assessments typically remain periodic. DeepStrike also provides direct developer channels Slack/Jira which Sekuro does not advertise. In practice.

DeepStrike tends to be a fit for tech driven teams that want an ongoing security partnership; Sekuro may be a better match for enterprises wanting a comprehensive security strategy without in-house technical focus.

StickmanCyber CREST Certified, PCI/ISO Focus

• StickmanCyber is a small Sydney based firm specializing in penetration testing and PCI compliance. Its team is entirely CREST certified both ANZ and international and also holds ISO 27001 and PCI DSS certifications.

• StickmanCyber prides itself on manual, realistic testing not just automated scans. Its reports are said to be very thorough, and they often advise on PCI DSS remediation.

• A notable niche StickmanCyber is a Qualified Security Assessor QSA for PCI, so it is trusted to test cardholder environments end to end.

How DeepStrike differs: StickmanCyber’s focus is heavily on mid sized organizations, especially those processing payments. DeepStrike, while also CREST aligned, takes a broader approach: we handle not only PCI related systems but also complex web and cloud applications.

Unlike StickmanCyber’s smaller team, DeepStrike can scale resources up or down even on a day’s notice via Slack requests. Additionally, DeepStrike’s continuous program and platform give visibility and speed that complement the occasional deep dives StickmanCyber offers.

In summary, StickmanCyber is excellent for companies with strict PCI needs, but DeepStrike serves all sectors with the added efficiency of continuous engagement.

The Missing Link Veteran Offensive Security Team

• The Missing Link now part of Infosys is one of Australia’s oldest security firms over 25 years in business. It is CREST approved and ISO 27001:2013 certified. The Missing Link’s penetration team is staffed by highly experienced testers OSCP, OSCE, OSEE and has discovered multiple zero day vulnerabilities.

• They offer custom testing campaigns, from web and network to social engineering, often tying them into broader security training. As an international player, The Missing Link brings global best practices and highly tailored consultancy including defence sector expertise.

How DeepStrike differs: The Missing Link is reputable for high end, bespoke engagements but tends to be more traditional in project pacing. DeepStrike differentiates with its automated continuous workflow and SaaS like platform.

While Missing Link might spend months planning and executing a red team, DeepStrike can respond in hours via Slack and immediately start tests on new code or fixes. For startups or agile companies, DeepStrike’s model delivers faster feedback loops.

That said, for organizations seeking a very deep, hands-on audit , especially legacy or mission critical systems, The Missing Link’s depth of experience remains unparalleled. DeepStrike bridges the gap by combining that high skill with modern delivery speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is penetration testing, and why do we need it?

Penetration testing is a simulated, ethical hacking attack on your systems. It identifies weaknesses in code, configuration, or processes that adversaries could exploit. In Australia, pentests help you meet compliance PCI, NESA, HIPAA equivalent, etc. and prevent breaches that can cost millions. A test validates whether your security controls actually work under attack.

How much does penetration testing cost in Australia?

Costs vary by scope. A simple external network pentest might be AUD 5 10K, a single web app $10 20K, and a broad internal+app+social engineering engagement $25K+. Our Basic plan offers fixed prices for common scopes. Ultimately, you should budget like a security investment: a $30K test could prevent a >$10M breach. DeepStrike’s transparent plans help you predict costs upfront.

What is CREST certification in penetration testing?

CREST is a non profit that accredits companies and certifies testers against rigorous standards. A CREST certified penetration test means the team met ANZ requirements for skills and procedures. Competitors like Tesserent and StickmanCyber highlight CREST status. DeepStrike’s team members hold CREST aligned certifications OSCP, OSCE, etc. and follow CREST best practices, even as we operate under our own brand. Clients should look for CREST or OSCP in a provider, and DeepStrike delivers on those expectations.

What’s the difference between internal and external penetration tests?

An external test simulates an outside hacker attacking your perimeter: it targets public assets like websites, firewalls, VPNs, email servers, and cloud services. An internal test assumes someone is already inside your network e.g. via phishing or a compromised VPN account and tries to move laterally and escalate privileges. Each has a distinct goal. DeepStrike recommends doing both: external tests harden your Internet facing defenses, while internal tests protect against insider threats and weak internal controls. See our deep dive on internal vs external penetration tests for more.

How does DeepStrike handle reporting and remediation?

We deliver comprehensive reports that are easy to understand for both technical and executive audiences. Each finding includes risk level, replication steps, and clear fix instructions. We also give an attestation letter for compliance. Crucially, we stay engaged through remediation: our Slack channel is open for questions, and we automatically schedule a retest once fixes are implemented, at no extra cost.

What should I look for in a penetration testing provider?

Key factors include experience, methodology, and transparency. Look for a provider that tests to standards OWASP, NIST, etc., uses manual techniques, and has strong credentials OSCP, CREST, etc.. Check that they include re testing, follow up support, and clear reporting. Also consider their process: DeepStrike’s digital platform and open communication Slack integration are examples of modern best practices. Ask competitors if they offer similar collaboration and pricing clarity many do not. Finally, ensure cultural fit: DeepStrike prioritizes a customer centric approach, often praised by clients.

Penetration testing is a proven, cost effective way to harden your digital assets against evolving threats. In Australia’s current climate with rising cybercrime and strict regulations the question is no longer if you need a penetration test, but when and with whom.

Ready to secure your systems? Explore our DeepStrike services page to see how we approach testing, or read more expert insights on our DeepStrike blog. Our team can help tailor a testing program that meets both your technical needs and compliance goals.

Think of a pen test as an insurance policy: you invest in it now to avoid the much higher costs of a breach later. DeepStrike Security Team

Contact DeepStrike’s experts today to schedule a security assessment and stay ahead of threats in 2025.

About the Author:

Mohammed Khalil is a Cybersecurity Architect at DeepStrike, specializing in advanced penetration testing and offensive security operations. With certifications including CISSP, OSCP, and OSWE, he has led numerous red team engagements for Fortune 500 companies, focusing on cloud security, application vulnerabilities, and adversary emulation.