Australia Based · Operating Internationally · OSCE / OSCP Certified
☏ 1300 859 443
SENIOR-ONLY TESTING TEAM · SYDNEY · AUSTRALIA-WIDE

Let us hack you
before they do.

Senior-only, fixed-price penetration testing from a Sydney-based team of OSCE/OSCP-certified testers. Whether you're meeting a compliance mandate, answering a client security requirement, or responding to a breach — we find the flaws across your applications, infrastructure and people, then hand you a prioritised, immediately-actionable fix list. No junior bench. No scan-and-send.

20+
years experience
30+
certifications held
OSCE
/ OSCP certified
100%
senior-led engagements
OSCE / OSCP certified testers Sydney-based · Australia-wide Fixed-price, quoted up front Free re-test & letter of attestation ABN 51 611 410 658
Attack surface

Three ways in. We test all of them.

01 / APPS

Your applications

Web & mobile apps and APIs tested to full OWASP coverage — client, server-side and data-in-transit.

02 / INFRA

Your infrastructure

Internal & external network penetration testing — firewalls, IPS, VPNs and wireless.

03 / PEOPLE

Your people

Phishing, ransomware and social-engineering resilience across your whole team.

Right-sized

From first compliance test to red-team-grade assurance.

Startups & SMEs

Pass the audit. Win the contract.

A fixed-price test and a clean report is often all that stands between you and a signed enterprise customer or a compliance tick.

  • Fixed-price, up-front quote — no surprises
  • Essential Eight, ISO 27001 & ST4S-ready reporting
  • Letter of attestation for clients and auditors
Enterprise & regulated

Assurance your board and regulator accept.

Senior, manual, assumed-breach testing that maps to the frameworks you report against — delivered by testers who've worked with multinational organisations.

  • APRA CPS 234, IRAP-aligned & SOCI-ready engagements
  • Internal / assumed-breach and red-team-grade depth
  • Prioritised, evidence-based reporting for audit
Services

Expert penetration testing services.

Six focused engagements — every one delivered by a senior certified tester and reported with a prioritised, immediately-actionable fix list. See all penetration testing services →

Methodology

A penetration test isn't a scan.

Automated tools find the obvious. Senior, manual, methodology-led testing finds what they miss — and reports it so your team knows what to fix first.

~/engagement — core-sentinel
cs@target:~$ scope --threat-model --rules-of-engagement
▸ Targets agreed. Realistic threats to your business mapped.
cs@target:~$ test --manual --senior-led
▸ Every engagement run by a senior certified tester. No junior bench. No scan-and-send.
cs@target:~$ report --prioritised --actionable
▸ Comprehensive, readable reports with a ranked list of fixes.
cs@target:~$ remediate --guide --retest
▸ We tell you what to fix, in what order — then verify it.
OSCE / OSCP Certified
30+ professional certifications
20+ years experience
Banking · Finance · Gov · Defence · Health · Education
Led by a recognised veteran

Industry-renowned expertise on every engagement.

Core Sentinel was founded by industry-renowned security veteran Steve McLaughlin, who has worked with high-profile and multinational organisations worldwide. Engage us and you get that calibre of expertise directly — not a junior consultant on their first week.

Aggreko UKMott MacDonald UKStudent Loans Company UKCSCService NSWWesfarmers InsuranceCaltex

Steve McLaughlin

Founder & Principal Consultant
LinkedIn →

“Our reports leave no stone unturned — but they stay easy to understand, with a prioritised list of fixes you can act on immediately.”

Their penetration testing is incredibly detailed, delivered quickly, and at a price that fits our budget. The hardening guidance is straightforward and practical — total peace of mind for us and our clients.
— Michael R., Managed Service Provider
Common questions

Penetration testing services — common questions.

Who provides penetration testing services in Australia?
Core Sentinel is a Sydney-based, Australia-wide penetration testing company. Every engagement is delivered by a senior, OSCE/OSCP-certified tester — no junior bench, no automated scan-and-send.
How much do penetration testing services cost in Australia?
Engagements are fixed-price and quoted up front from the scope — the number of applications, IP ranges and users, and the depth of testing. Send us your scope and you get a clear, fixed quote with no surprises.
Are you CREST certified?
Our testers hold OSCE and OSCP — the hands-on offensive-security certifications — backed by 20+ years and 30+ professional certifications. Every test is senior-led and manual.
Can you test against Essential Eight, ISO 27001, APRA CPS 234 or ST4S?
Yes. We scope engagements to the framework you report against — the Essential Eight, ISO 27001, SOC 2, APRA CPS 234, PCI DSS, IRAP, the SOCI Act and ST4S — and map every finding to the control it affects. See our penetration testing for compliance guide.
How fast can you start, and how long does a test take?
We scope quickly and agree a start date and rules of engagement up front. A typical application or infrastructure engagement runs a few days to two weeks of active testing, followed by a prioritised report and a free re-test.
Get started

Get a scoping quote.

Tell us what you're protecting and a senior tester will scope the right engagement — fixed-price, no obligation. Or call 1300 859 443.

Core Sentinel Contact Form

A senior tester replies personally — no automated sales funnel.