How Does a Cloud Pentest Work?
See our step-by-step methodology for testing identity, configuration, network and workloads across your cloud environments.
Cloud Penetration Testing
Expert-led cloud penetration testing that safely validates how identity, configuration, network and workload weaknesses can be chained across AWS, Azure and GCP - then prioritizes remediation by real-world impact.
How We Test Your Cloud Environment
Cloud security testing of controls, IaC, identity, and data paths across AWS, Azure, and GCP, to surface misconfigurations, privilege escalation, and drift from best practices.
Cloud Penetration Testing
Test cloud environments - including AWS penetration testing, Azure penetration testing, and GCP penetration testing - to uncover exploitable weaknesses across infrastructure, identities, and workloads.
Methodology:
- Validate cloud IAM, identity trust paths, and privilege escalation risks
- Test exposed services, APIs, and network configurations
- Assess container, serverless, and workload security through cloud application security testing
- Simulate real-world attacker behavior across cloud attack paths
- Deliver prioritized remediation aligned to cloud provider best practices
Cloud Security Assessment
Assess cloud configurations and controls to reduce risk, misconfigurations, and compliance gaps.
Methodology:
- Review cloud architecture, configurations, and shared responsibility alignment
- Assess security posture against CIS, NIST, and cloud-native benchmarks
- Identify misconfigurations, insecure defaults, and policy gaps
- Evaluate logging, monitoring, and incident response readiness
- Provide risk-ranked findings with actionable remediation guidance
Our Cloud Testing Methodology
Every cloud penetration testing engagement follows the same six phases across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Microsoft 365.
Step 01
Scoping & Access
01
Accounts, subscriptions and regions in scope
Access level agreed
Rules of engagement
Step 02
Configuration Review
02
IAM, storage and network settings
Logging and monitoring
CIS Benchmark checks
Step 03
Identity & Privilege Testing
03
IAM trust relationships
Privilege escalation paths
Cross-account / cross-subscription access
Step 04
Workload & Service Testing
04
Exposed services and APIs
Containers and Kubernetes
Serverless functions
Step 05
Attack Path Validation
05
Chained misconfigurations
Public exposure to sensitive data
Validated exploitation with no false positives
Step 06
Reporting & Remediation Validation
06
Risk-ranked findings with evidence
Provider-specific fix guidance
Retest to confirm each fix
Which Service Do You Need?
Cloud testing overlaps with three other services. Here is how they differ, so you can choose the right one.
Cloud Penetration Testing
Choose this when you need to know if a misconfiguration in your cloud environment could be exploited to reach sensitive data or escalate privileges.
Your Are Here
Attack Surface Management
Choose this when you need continuous visibility into what's exposed across your cloud accounts, before any testing begins.
Continuous Penetration Testing
Choose this when your AI features change often and need ongoing testing.
Network Penetration Testing
Choose this when your environment spans both on-premises infrastructure and the cloud, and the connection between them needs testing too.
Choose your model
Engagement Options
Choose the Cloud penetration testing model that fits your release cycle.
Continuous
Continuous Cloud Penetration Testing
Ongoing validation alongside every deployment, so new infrastructure doesn't ship with unknown risk. Learn about continuous testing →
Best for
Teams deploying continuously who need security to keep pace.
Point-in-time
Point-in-time Cloud Penetration Testing
A scheduled, defined-scope engagement at a key point in the environment's lifecycle.
Best for
Compliance-driven assessments, annual audits, or pre-launch checkpoints.
Testing Standards & Compliance
Our Cloud penetration testing follows proven methodologies and provider guidance, from the first test scenario to the final report.
How we test
The methodologies that shape every enagement
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CIS Benchmarks
Consensus hardening baselines for AWS, Azure and GCP; we test live configurations against them to surface insecure defaults and drift.
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NIST SP 800-115
The technical guide to information security testing; it structures how each engagement is planned, executed, analyzed and reported.
OWASP Cloud-Native Top 10
The cloud-native risk categories, including insecure configuration and improper authentication, used to shape container, serverless and microservice test cases.
The Process
How Engagements Work
Every Cloud penetration testing engagement follows one connected process, from planning to retest.
Scope & Rules of Engagement
We agree on the accounts, subscriptions, and regions in scope, test windows, and what's off-limits before testing starts.
Test the Environment
Experts test identity, configuration, network, and workloads across AWS, Azure, and GCP, supported by the Darwin platform.
Validate Attack Paths
Every finding is confirmed as exploitable, showing how weaknesses chain from public exposure to sensitive data.
Report & Prioritize
A clear report with proof for each finding, ranked by real-world impact, with clear steps to fix.
Retest
After your team fixes an issue, we test again to confirm it's closed.
WHAT YOU GET
Results You Can Act On
Every engagement ends with more than a list of vulnerabilities. Here's exactly what lands in your hands when testing wraps.
Risk-ranked findings
Ordered by real-world exploitability and business impact, not just CVSS score
Exploit evidence, not a CVE list
Proof-of-concept steps showing how each finding was actually exploited
Prioritized remediation guidance
Clear next steps for your cloud and security team, ordered by what to fix first
A retest to confirm the fix
We verify each issue is actually closed, not just marked resolved
Why Evolve Security?
01
CTEM Maturity Model
Evaluate CTEM maturity and strengthen resilience by assessing readiness against evolving adversary techniques and attack vectors.
02
CPT Market Leader
Offensive SOC and engineering experts drive measurable outcomes, guiding every phase from exposure discovery to remediation.
03
Award Winning Platform
Darwin Attack platform validates security controls and precisely pinpoints prioritized vulnerabilities across dynamic environments.
04
OffSec Operations Center (OSOC)
Agile bullpen of offensive testers rapidly adapts tactics, mirroring adversaries as threats and business priorities shift.
05
Trusted Methodologies
Industry-trusted methodologies including OWASP, OSSTMM, PTES, and NIST ensure disciplined, comprehensive penetration testing rigor.
06
Customized Simulations
Tailored simulations reflect an industry’s distinct threats, adversary behaviors, and mission-critical attack scenarios.
FAQ’s
Do you test across AWS, Azure, and GCP, or do we need separate engagements?
One engagement is enough. Our cloud penetration testing services cover AWS, Azure and GCP together, with one report and one point of contact.
What's the difference between a cloud security assessment and cloud penetration testing?
A security assessment reviews configurations against benchmarks like CIS and NIST. Cloud pentesting goes further: a tester actively tries to exploit what's found and confirms the real-world impact.
Can you test our environment without disrupting production workloads?
Yes. Testing is scoped and controlled in advance, with test windows and exclusions agreed with your team, so it runs without disrupting production.
What access do you need to our cloud accounts?
Access is scoped to your engagement and agreed together during onboarding, with no broad or standing credentials.
What do we receive when testing is complete, and is retesting included?
A risk-ranked findings report with exploit evidence, prioritized remediation guidance, and a retest to confirm each fix closes the gap.
Can cloud and application testing be combined?
Yes. When an application, its APIs and its cloud environment are all in scope, both can be covered in one engagement.
Do AWS, Azure, or GCP need to approve the test?
Provider rules vary by service and testing activity. Each engagement is scoped around resources you're authorized to test and follows the AWS, Azure or GCP rules of engagement.
Continuous Testing Resources
Case studies, threat intel, and insights on what continuous, human-led testing looks like in practice.
Best Practices for Conducting AWS Penetration Tests
Discover the power of the AWS Shared Security Model and learn how to leverage it to fortify your cloud infrastructure. Learn how to master the essential preparatory steps for penetration testing, ensuring your AWS environment meets compliance standards and boasts top-tier security.
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Securing Azure Managed Identities: Understanding Risks and Implementing Mitigation Strategies
Exploring security risks of Azure Managed Identities, the blog post outlines mitigation strategies centered on diligent management and regular permission audits.
Rusty Wolf, Director of IT Infrastructure & Security, Custom Truck One Source
In this customer spotlight, Rusty Wolf, Director of IT Infrastructure & Security at Custom Truck One Source, sits down with Evolve Security to share what's kept the partnership strong, why continuous testing matters, and the value of human-in-the-loop validation.
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Matt Sharp, CISO, Xactly Corp
In this customer spotlight, Matt Sharp, CISO at Xactly, discusses how AI is reshaping the threat landscape, why Continuous Penetration Testing has become essential for modern security programs, the importance of human-in-the-loop validation, and how Evolve Security helps prioritize the exposures that matter most to reduce business risk.
Executive Dinner: Offensive Security in the Age of Frontier AI
Carnevor | Milwaukee’s Premier Steakhouse, Milwaukee, United States
Black Hat & Def Con 2026
Las Vegas
Is Anybody Safe? Adaptability in the Age of AI Disruption - with Mark Carney
Is any security company safe from AI disruption? Evolve Security CEO Mark Carney's answer: no and that's the wrong question anyway.
Pen Testing in the Age of AI: Man + Machine w/ Paul Petefish
AI is changing security fast. But is it replacing pentesters, or just giving them a powerful new co-pilot?
