IoT and Connected Device Penetration Testing
A connected product is four systems at once: the device, its firmware, the radio and the cloud behind it. We test all four, and produce the evidence the PSTI Act expects. CREST-certified testers, fixed price from £4,960, scoped in 24 hours.
- Unlimited retesting
- No rescheduling or cancellation fees
- Fixed quote within 24 hours
“I would highly recommend EJN Labs to any organisation seeking reliable, detailed, and well-managed penetration testing services, particularly for government or enterprise-level projects.”
Imran SaghirProject Lead, SquareOne“There wasn’t another company we could find that could deliver what we needed in the timeframe we needed. The client loved it, and we got instant ROI from the engagement.”
Dan WilcocksonCo-Founder, CelloriSoftware you can fix on a Friday. A product in someone home is different: the firmware has to be updated over the air, the update has to be signed, and the device has to survive being taken apart by whoever bought it.
The device is the part you cannot patch quietly
So the test covers the physical side as well as the network one. Debug interfaces on the board, firmware extracted from flash, secrets stored in it, and whether secure boot actually prevents modified firmware from running.
Then the ecosystem: the pairing flow between app and device, the radio protocol in between, and the cloud API that trusts a device identity which anyone holding a device can also present.
ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS and Cyber Essentials Plus audits accept manual penetration test evidence. Scan-only evidence is generally insufficient.
CONNECTED DEVICE SPECIFICS
What We Actually Test in a Connected Device
Ten areas that apply because there is hardware in the product, on top of the application and cloud testing around it. Every finding is verified, reproducible and mapped to the PSTI Act, ETSI EN 303 645, CWE and CVSS 3.1.
Hardware interfaces
Debug and serial interfaces on the board, flash access, and what can be read or written with physical access.
Firmware analysis
Extracted firmware, hardcoded credentials and keys, third party components and their known issues.
Secure boot and update
Signature verification, rollback protection, and whether modified firmware can be made to run.
Default credentials and provisioning
Unique per-device credentials, first-use setup, and factory reset behaviour, as PSTI requires.
Radio and local protocols
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee or proprietary radio: pairing, encryption, replay and proximity attacks.
Device to cloud
Device identity and authentication to the platform, certificate handling, and what one device can do to another account.
Mobile app pairing
The companion app, its secrets, the pairing flow and the API it uses on the user behalf.
Cloud API
Every endpoint the device and app call, tested for object level authorisation and tenant separation.
Data handling
What the device collects and sends, storage on device, and what a second-hand unit still contains.
Compliance evidence
PSTI statements, ETSI EN 303 645 provisions, disclosure policy and support period, in a form an assessor accepts.
METHODOLOGY
What a IoT and embedded finding looks like
Written the way a finding appears in our reports. The example below is reconstructed from publicly documented research, with hosts, paths and identifiers redacted. We do not republish client findings, named or anonymised.
Debug console gives the firmware, and the pairing layer lets a device be impersonated
- Affected
- A mains powered camera product, hardware revision [redacted], and the cloud pairing service it ships with.
- What we found
- Serial output was available on unmarked test pads and the bootloader dropped to a shell with no password, which gave us the full firmware and a support account reused across the product line. Separately, the peer to peer pairing layer let a device identifier be impersonated, so the mobile client connected to us rather than to the customer camera.
- Why it matters
- Anyone with physical access to one unit extracts a credential valid on every unit shipped, and an attacker on the network path intercepts the video and audio stream and replays the client credentials.
- Fix
- Disable the bootloader console and serial output in production builds, blow the debug fuses, sign and encrypt firmware, give every device a unique identity held in a secure element, and move to a pairing scheme that authenticates both sides.
Reconstructed from public research: CVE-2021-28372, device impersonation on the ThroughTek Kalay peer to peer platform, published by Mandiant with CISA advisory ICSA-21-229-01.
Connected Device Penetration Testing: From Scope to Attestation
CREST-aligned methodology built on OWASP Web Security Testing Guide, OWASP ASVS, NIST SP 800-115, and PTES. Each finding maps to all four standards plus your specific compliance regime.
Reconnaissance
Application mapping, technology fingerprinting, content discovery, parameter enumeration, authentication-flow analysis, role-matrix construction.
Vulnerability Assessment
Authenticated and unauthenticated automated scanning across every user role, plus targeted manual checks for known weakness patterns.
Manual Exploitation
Hands-on testing by a CREST-certified pentester. Business-logic exploitation, chained vulnerabilities, privilege escalation, impact validation.
Reporting + Retest
Executive summary, technical report with CVSS scores and reproduction steps, walkthrough call, free retest after remediation, attestation letter.
CREDENTIALS
Verified Accreditations Auditors Accept
Every credential below is independently verifiable. UK procurement teams, FCA supervisors, ISO 27001 / SOC 2 auditors, and cyber insurance underwriters all recognise these standards.
GET YOUR QUOTE
Get a CREST Connected Device assessment pen test quote in 24 hours
A fixed-price quote back in one business day, from a named CREST assessor. No sales pipeline, no chasing.
- CREST and IASME accredited. Testing your auditors and clients already recognise.
- Fast-track testing within 24 hours where required. Free retest of every fix included.
- Live findings via your client portal, not a four-week PDF.
- Fixed price from £4,960 for a small, single-scope engagement, agreed up front. Most engagements run £7,240 and up. No day-rate surprises.
Dan WilcocksonCo-Founder, CelloriUnder NDA Further named references available on a scoping call.
- We reply within one business day with a fixed-price quote from a named CREST assessor.
- You approve the scope and we book a start date, usually within 24 hours.
- Live findings land in your client portal as we test, with a free retest of every fix.
Get your fixed pen test quote in 24 hours
Quote request received
We will reply within one business day with your fixed-price quote from a named CREST assessor.
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COMPLIANCE READY
Reports Mapped to Every Framework
Findings are explicitly tagged to the relevant control reference. Your audit team submits the report directly without translation work.
ISO 27001:2022
Annex A.8.8 management of technical vulnerabilities plus A.5.15-5.18 and A.8.2-8.5 access control validation.
SOC 2 Type I & II
CC6 logical access, CC7 system operations, CC8 change management evidence.
PCI DSS
Requirement 11.4 application penetration testing across cardholder data environments, including ecommerce penetration testing for online retail platforms.
FCA SYSC
SYSC 4.1.1R, 6.1.1R, 13 mapped to each finding for FCA-regulated firms.
UK GDPR
Article 32 effectiveness testing, customer-data security controls, ICO-acceptable evidence.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Direct certification through our IASME body status, single-vendor delivery.
PRICING
Transparent Connected Device Penetration Testing Pricing
Pricing depends on the number of device variants, whether firmware and hardware sit in scope alongside the cloud and mobile sides, and how far the radio work goes. The day count flexes; the included deliverables stay the same across all engagements.
4 to 6 days
Single user role, basic CRUD application, marketing website with auth. Typically 5-day engagement.
Get a fixed quote6 to 8 days
Multi-role SaaS, business application with payment integration. Typically 8-12 day engagement.
Get a fixed quote8 to 11 days
Multi-tenant platform, complex authorisation matrix, integration-heavy applications. 15-20 day engagement.
Get a fixed quotePart of Technologies We Pen Test. These are examples of the stacks we publish pages for, not a complete list. If yours is not here we still test it. Related pages:
BY SECTOR
Connected Device Penetration Testing for Your Sector
Sector-specialist scoping for UK businesses with sector-specific compliance regimes and threat models.
Fintech & FCA-Regulated
FCA SYSC, Open Banking FAPI 1.0, PSD2 SCA, payment-flow scrutiny, KYC/AML testing.
Fintech sector pageSaaS Companies
SOC 2 Type I & II evidence, multi-tenant boundaries, role escalation, customer-tenant isolation.
SaaS sector pageLaw Firms
SRA Cyber Standard, privileged data, conveyancing fraud defence, partner-tier procurement.
Law firm sector pageHealthcare
NHS DTAC, DSP Toolkit v6, UK GDPR Article 32, EHR systems, telehealth platforms.
Healthcare sector pageInsurance
FCA / PRA Operational Resilience, cyber underwriting, claims data, broker portals.
Insurance sector pagePublic Sector
CCS / G-Cloud framework, NCSC-aligned, citizen-facing services, PSN-compliance scrutiny.
Public sector pageWHY EJN LABS
What You Get From Connected Device Penetration Testing
Six concrete differentiators competitors don’t all match.
CREST-Certified Testers, Verifiable
Every test by a CREST-certified pen tester (CRT, CCT APP, CCT INF where applicable). Verify our company status at crest-approved.org.
24-Hour Startup, Where Required
From signed scope to active testing in a single business day for incident response, audit deadlines, or regulator-driven timelines.
Live Findings, Not 4-Week PDFs
Critical issues reported during testing through your client portal. Your team remediates while testing continues.
Audit-Ready Reports
Executive summary plus full technical report with CVSS scores and explicit framework mappings (ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, FCA SYSC).
Free Retests, Standard
Verify remediation of every finding before close-out. Letter of attestation for audit submission included. Most competitors charge £1,500-£3,000 per retest.
UK-Based CREST Testers
Every engagement performed by vetted, UK-based CREST-certified testers, matched to your needs, security clearance, and compliance scope.
FAQ
Frequently Asked
Do you need physical units?
Yes, at least two so one can be dismantled. We agree that during scoping.
Do you test to ETSI EN 303 645?
Yes, and the report maps findings to its provisions alongside the PSTI requirements.
Will the devices be returned?
Hardware testing is destructive to at least one unit. We tell you which before we start.
Can you cover industrial devices as well as consumer?
Yes. Industrial and OT devices follow the same method with different protocols, and the safety constraints are agreed first.
Do you provide PSTI statements for us?
We provide the evidence and the findings. The statement of compliance is yours to make, and we tell you what is missing.
What about the cloud platform?
Included by default. A connected product without its cloud is only half tested.
What is included in the price?
Scoping, testing, the executive summary, the technical report, a walkthrough call and free retests until the finding is closed. One scope, one number, no follow-up invoices.
How fast can you start?
Scope to active testing in 24 hours once the scope is agreed, subject to tester availability in your window.
Are your testers CREST certified?
Yes. EJN Labs is a CREST member company and testing is delivered by CREST-qualified testers. The membership is verifiable on the CREST marketplace.
20+ CREST-accredited testing services in one place
Web, mobile, API, cloud, AI, infrastructure, red team. Pick the test that fits your environment.
Get your connected product tested properly
Tell us what the device is and what it talks to. You will have a fixed scope and a number within 24 hours.
