OpenShift Penetration Testing
OpenShift adds guardrails to Kubernetes and then lets you loosen them. The finding is almost always a workload granted the privileged security context constraint because that was the quickest way to make it start. CREST-certified testers, fixed price from £3,740, 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, CelloriOpenShift ships with stricter defaults than upstream Kubernetes, which is genuinely valuable. Security context constraints stop containers running as root or reaching host resources, and the restricted SCC applies unless someone changes it.
Why OpenShift findings are the guardrails you removed
Someone usually changes it. A workload fails to start, the quickest fix is to grant anyuid or privileged, and that grant stays. We enumerate every SCC binding and test what the workloads holding them can actually do, including whether they can reach the node.
Build configurations are the OpenShift-specific path worth knowing about. Source-to-image builds run in the cluster with a service account, and a build that pulls from a repository someone can influence is arbitrary code execution inside your cluster.
ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS and Cyber Essentials Plus audits accept manual penetration test evidence. Scan-only evidence is generally insufficient.
SCCs, PROJECTS + BUILDS
What we actually pen test on an OpenShift cluster
Manual pen testing across security context constraints, project isolation, routes and ingress, build configurations, operators and escape paths to the node.
Security context constraints
Every SCC and its bindings enumerated, which workloads run with anyuid, hostmount or privileged, and what a container holding each one can reach including host filesystem, network and process namespace.
Project and namespace isolation
Network policy between projects, whether a pod in one project can reach services in another, RBAC role bindings and their scope, and whether a project administrator can escalate cluster-wide.
Routes and ingress exposure
Every route enumerated for what it exposes, TLS termination and edge configuration, whether internal services are reachable from outside, and wildcard route handling.
Build configurations and image supply
Source-to-image and Docker build configurations, webhook triggers and their secrets, whether a build can be triggered by an outsider, image stream sources, and registry access from builds.
Operators and cluster services
Installed operators, their service account privilege, operator lifecycle manager configuration, and whether a namespace-scoped operator holds cluster-wide permission.
Escape and node access
Container to node escape paths, service account token mounting and scope, whether a pod can reach the API server with more authority than intended, and etcd and control plane exposure.
METHODOLOGY
OpenShift 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 OpenShift 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 £3,500 for a single-role, single-app scope, agreed up front. Most engagements run £5,000 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
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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 OpenShift Penetration Testing Pricing
Pricing depends on app complexity, user-role count, business-logic depth, and integration surface. The day count flexes; the included deliverables stay the same across all engagements.
3 to 4 testing days
Single user role, basic CRUD application, marketing website with auth. Around 5 working days from kickoff to report.
Get a fixed quote4 to 6 testing days
Multi-role SaaS, business application with payment integration. Around 8 to 12 working days from kickoff to report.
Get a fixed quote6 to 8 testing days
Multi-tenant platform, complex authorisation matrix, integration-heavy applications. Around 15 to 20 working days from kickoff to report.
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
OpenShift 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 OpenShift 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 test the cluster from inside or outside?
Both, and the inside view matters more. We start from an unprivileged pod in a project you nominate, which is the position an attacker reaches after compromising any workload, and see how far it goes.
Will testing disrupt running workloads?
No. We do not delete or modify workloads, we scale nothing, and anything with a risk of disruption is agreed with you first. Testing escape paths does not require breaking anything.
Is this different from your Kubernetes testing?
It shares the foundation and adds the OpenShift-specific surface: SCCs, projects, routes, build configs and operators. If you run OpenShift, this is the right scope. If you run upstream Kubernetes, the Kubernetes page is.
What access do you need?
A standard user account with access to a test project, and read access to cluster configuration if you can provide it. We do not need cluster-admin and would rather not have it.
What do we receive?
A report mapped to ISO 27001, SOC 2 and the CIS OpenShift Benchmark where relevant, a prioritised remediation plan, and unlimited free retesting.
20+ CREST-accredited testing services in one place
Web, mobile, API, cloud, AI, infrastructure, red team. Pick the test that fits your environment.
Get a fixed price for your OpenShift cluster
Tell us the version, roughly how many projects and nodes, and whether build configurations are in scope. Fixed-price quote within one business day.
