Role-matrix coverage
Test every documented role against every protected resource.
Authenticated testing
The pentest that looks like an actual breach.
Real users, real roles, real privilege boundaries. We test what a low-privilege account, a compromised tenant, or a misused role can actually do — which is where most real breaches live.
What we cover
Inside the trust boundary, role by role.
Tenant isolation
Cross-tenant IDORs, exported reports, shared links, webhooks, integrations.
Privilege escalation
Vertical (user → admin) and horizontal (user A → user B) paths.
Function-level access
Hidden admin endpoints, debug routes, role-aware features called by lower roles.
Abuse cases
Anti-automation, financial-logic abuse, referral and free-trial misuse.
SSO and federated identity
Assertion handling, replay, role-claim manipulation, downgrade bypasses.
How we test
Role matrix in, abuse paths out.
- STEP 01
Role matrix review
You provide test accounts for each role and tenant. We confirm coverage on the call.
- STEP 02
Per-role testing
Each role tested against every protected resource. Cross-tenant where applicable.
- STEP 03
Abuse-case modeling
Privilege escalation, hidden admin endpoints, role-aware features called by lower roles.
- STEP 04
Walkthrough + retest
Live finding walkthrough with the engineering team. Retest of reported findings after fixes, included in scope.
Typical scenarios
Three patterns we see most often.
Multi-tenant SaaS
Validate that one tenant cannot reach another tenant's resources, exports, or webhooks.
Role-rich product
Owner, admin, member, viewer, billing, support — every role tested against every feature.
Just-shipped feature
A new feature added new permissions; the role matrix has not been re-validated yet.
Adjacent engagements
Most teams pair authenticated testing with one of these.
Web application testing →
Cover the unauthenticated and surface layer of the app too.
API testing →
Test the API role boundaries the SPA depends on.
Compliance pentest →
Map findings to SOC 2, ISO, PCI, HIPAA in one report.
Red team operations →
If you want to test detection of role abuse end-to-end.
FAQ
Authenticated testing — common questions
What is authenticated penetration testing?
A pentest performed with valid credentials in the application — typically across every role you ship. The goal is to find issues inside the trust boundary: horizontal and vertical privilege escalation, tenant-isolation gaps, and abuse of role-specific features.
Why does authenticated testing matter more than unauthenticated?
Most real breaches involve compromised or low-privilege credentials, not unauthenticated access. Authenticated testing surfaces the issues a stolen, phished, or low-tier account could exploit — which are usually higher-impact than perimeter findings.
How do you handle role provisioning?
We work from a documented role matrix you supply (or we draft on the scoping call). For every role and tenant in scope you provide a test account; we test each account against every protected resource.
Do you cover SSO and federated logins?
Yes. We test SSO flows for assertion handling, replay, role-claim manipulation, and session-binding issues — and verify that downgrade or local-login bypasses do not exist.
Is this its own engagement or part of web app testing?
It can be either. Most web app pentests already include authenticated testing for the documented roles. A standalone authenticated pentest goes deeper into role-matrix coverage, abuse cases, and multi-tenant scenarios.
Want a credible answer to: are we secure?
A 30-minute review with our lead pentester. No slides, no pitch — we look at what you have, tell you what we would test first, and give you a fair scope and timeline.