Physical Security

Physical Penetration Testing

A Physical Penetration Test assesses all physical security controls, including locks, fences, security guards, cameras, and other security measures

What you'll get:
  • A comprehensive evaluation of your building, campus, or site's security perimeter
  • Employ penetration technics such as RFID Cloning, Tailgating, Social Engineering, Lock Picking, ect
  • Recommendations for enhancing physical security and security policies
  • A comprehensive report with detailed findings and remediations steps

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What is Physical Penetration Testing?

Physical penetration testing is a security assessment that evaluates the effectiveness of an organization's physical security controls by simulating real-world attempts to gain unauthorized access to facilities, restricted areas, and sensitive assets. Our testers use the same techniques employed by criminals and adversaries — including lock picking, badge cloning, tailgating, and social engineering — to identify weaknesses in your building's security posture before a real attacker does.

Unlike traditional security audits that review policies on paper, physical penetration testing puts your controls to the test in practice. Our team attempts to bypass locks, defeat alarm systems, evade security cameras, circumvent access control systems, and manipulate employees to gain entry to server rooms, executive offices, and other sensitive areas. This hands-on approach reveals gaps that policy reviews and compliance checklists simply cannot detect.

DarkPoint Security's physical penetration tests provide organizations with a realistic understanding of how vulnerable their facilities are to unauthorized access and deliver actionable recommendations for strengthening physical security controls, employee awareness, and incident response procedures.

Physical penetration testing

Why Your Organization Needs Physical Penetration Testing

Organizations invest significantly in digital security but often overlook the physical attack surface. A single unauthorized facility entry can lead to data theft, device compromise, or a full network breach. Physical penetration testing validates whether your security investments actually work under adversarial conditions.

  • Protect Sensitive Areas and Servers — Verify that server rooms, network closets, and data centers are properly secured against unauthorized physical access that could lead to data theft or device tampering
  • Test Employee Vigilance — Assess whether employees follow security protocols such as challenging unknown visitors, refusing tailgating attempts, and reporting suspicious activity
  • Meet Compliance Requirements — Satisfy data center security and physical access control requirements mandated by PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and OSFI guidelines
  • Validate Access Controls — Confirm that badge systems, biometric readers, mantraps, locks, and visitor management processes function as intended and resist bypass techniques

Our Physical Testing Methodology

Our physical penetration tests follow a structured methodology grounded in recognized industry frameworks:

  • PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard) — Provides the overall engagement framework from reconnaissance and threat modeling through on-site testing and reporting
  • OSSTMM Physical Security Testing — Guides our assessment of physical barriers, access controls, human security processes, and operational security measures
  • NIST SP 800-116 and NIST SP 800-53 — Informs our evaluation of physical access control systems, facility security planning, and environmental security controls

Every engagement begins with passive reconnaissance — gathering publicly available information about the facility, photographing entry points, and observing employee routines and security guard patterns. We then move to active testing, where we attempt to bypass physical controls using a combination of technical exploits and social engineering. Throughout the engagement, we document every action with timestamps, photographs, and video evidence to provide a detailed attack narrative in the final report.

Testing Coverage

Our physical penetration tests cover a comprehensive range of attack vectors targeting your facility's security controls:

  • RFID and badge cloning
  • Lock picking and lock bypass
  • Tailgating and social engineering
  • Perimeter assessment and fence line testing
  • Security guard testing and response evaluation
  • Camera and alarm system assessment
  • Dumpster diving for sensitive information
  • USB drop attacks
  • Server room and network closet access attempts
  • Sensitive document access and clean desk assessment
  • Visitor management system bypass
  • After-hours access attempts

Industries We Serve

DarkPoint Security delivers physical penetration testing to organizations across Canada's most security-conscious sectors. We understand the unique facility security requirements of financial services and banking (PCI DSS physical access controls, OSFI technology and cyber risk guidelines, bank branch and data center security), healthcare (PIPEDA, provincial health information acts, pharmacy and medical records room security), technology and SaaS companies (SOC 2 Type II physical security criteria, ISO 27001 Annex A physical controls, co-location and data center assessments), and government and public sector organizations (ITSG-33, facility security clearance requirements, classified information handling areas). Our reports map findings directly to the compliance frameworks relevant to your industry.

Why Choose DarkPoint Security

  • Experienced Physical Testers — Our team has hands-on experience with lock picking, RFID cloning, social engineering, and covert entry techniques used in real-world physical penetration tests
  • Comprehensive Evidence Collection — Every engagement is thoroughly documented with timestamped photographs, video footage, and a detailed attack narrative so your team can see exactly what happened and when
  • Coordinated and Safe Approach — We carry letters of authorization and coordinate with designated stakeholders to ensure testing is conducted safely and within agreed-upon boundaries
  • Combined Assessment Capability — We integrate physical testing with red team, wireless, and internal network assessments for a complete view of your organization's real-world attack surface
  • Actionable Remediation Guidance — Our reports go beyond listing weaknesses to provide prioritized, practical recommendations for improving physical security controls, policies, and employee training

Frequently Asked Questions

All physical penetration testers carry a signed letter of authorization from your organization at all times during the engagement. If our team is confronted or detained by security guards, law enforcement, or employees, we present the authorization letter immediately. Testing activities are fully coordinated with designated stakeholders in your organization before any on-site work begins, and we maintain an emergency contact line throughout the engagement. Being caught is actually a positive outcome — it demonstrates that your security controls and employee awareness are working as intended.

We can test multiple sites and locations as part of a single engagement. The specific facilities and number of locations are determined during the scoping and planning phase. Many organizations choose to start with their primary office or data center and then expand testing to additional sites such as branch offices, warehouses, or co-location facilities in subsequent engagements. We work with you to prioritize locations based on the sensitivity of the assets they house and your overall risk profile.

A typical physical penetration test takes 1 to 2 weeks, including the reconnaissance phase and on-site testing. The reconnaissance phase involves gathering open-source intelligence about the facility, observing employee patterns, and planning entry strategies. On-site testing typically spans several days and may include both daytime and after-hours attempts. The exact timeline depends on the number of locations, complexity of the facility, and the scope of testing scenarios agreed upon during the planning phase.

Yes, physical penetration testing is often combined with other assessments for a more comprehensive evaluation of your security posture. Common combinations include pairing physical testing with red team engagements to simulate a full-scope attack that includes both physical and digital vectors, wireless network penetration testing to assess rogue access point deployment and wireless security from within the facility, and internal network penetration testing to demonstrate the impact of physical access on your digital infrastructure — for example, plugging a device into an open network port after gaining building access. This combined approach provides the most realistic assessment of how an attacker could compromise your organization.

Related Services

Strengthen your security posture with complementary assessments:

  • Red Team Engagement — Simulate a full-scope, multi-vector attack combining physical, digital, and social engineering techniques
  • Wireless Network Penetration Testing — Assess the security of your wireless infrastructure from within and around your facilities
  • Phishing Engagement — Test employee susceptibility to phishing and social engineering attacks that complement physical security assessments

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