Cyber Operations Division

Cyber Security & Offensive Operations

From perimeter hardening to full-spectrum adversary simulation, S3 Systems delivers cyber capabilities that mirror the threats you actually face — not the ones in a textbook.

2,200+
Attacks per day target U.S. infrastructure
277
Avg. days to identify a breach
$4.45M
Average cost of a data breach
68%
Of breaches involve a human element

The question isn't if you'll be targeted. It's whether you'll know when it happens.

Penetration Testing

We don't run automated scanners and hand you a PDF. Our operators manually exploit your environment the same way a real adversary would — chaining misconfigurations, weak credentials, and logic flaws to reach crown jewels. Every engagement maps to recognized frameworks so your compliance team and your security team speak the same language.

PTES Penetration Testing Execution Standard — our primary methodology. Covers pre-engagement through reporting with repeatable rigor.
OWASP Web & API testing follows the OWASP Testing Guide v4 and Top 10. Every web app engagement maps findings to OWASP categories.
NIST SP 800-115 Technical Guide to Information Security Testing. Required baseline for federal and DoD assessments.
OSSTMM Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual — quantitative security metrics for operational trust analysis.
CREST / CHECK UK NCSC-aligned testing standards. Applicable for allied-nation and Five Eyes engagements.
MITRE ATT&CK Every finding mapped to ATT&CK techniques. Gives your SOC actionable detection opportunities from day one.

Red Team Operations

Full-scope adversary emulation. We replicate the TTPs of nation-state APT groups to stress-test your people, processes, and technology — not just your firewall rules.

Phase 1 — Reconnaissance

OSINT collection, passive DNS enumeration, social media profiling, email harvesting, org-chart mapping, leaked credential analysis. We build the same target dossier a real threat actor would.

Phase 2 — Weaponization & Delivery

Custom payload development, phishing pretexts with domain spoofing, watering hole setup, supply-chain vectors, and physical delivery mechanisms. Payloads are tailored to evade your specific defensive stack.

Phase 3 — Exploitation & Persistence

Initial access, C2 establishment, persistence mechanisms (scheduled tasks, registry, WMI subscriptions, implant deployment), and foothold expansion across network segments.

Phase 4 — Lateral Movement & Escalation

Credential harvesting (Mimikatz, Kerberoasting, NTLM relay), Active Directory abuse (DCSync, Golden/Silver Ticket, ACL exploitation), and cross-domain pivoting to reach high-value targets.

Phase 5 — Exfiltration & Impact

Data staging, encrypted exfiltration over covert channels (DNS tunneling, steganography, cloud dead drops), and objective completion — proving what an adversary could actually take or destroy.

Phase 6 — Debrief & Purple Team

Joint review with your blue team. Full attack narrative, detection gaps identified, MITRE ATT&CK heat map, and prioritized remediation roadmap. We don't just break in — we help you fix it.

APT Emulation Profiles

We model operations after documented threat groups. Your assessment isn't generic — it mirrors the adversaries most likely to target your sector.

APT28 (Fancy Bear) APT29 (Cozy Bear) APT41 (Double Dragon) Lazarus Group Sandworm FIN7 Volt Typhoon Custom Profiles
Governance & Policy

The foundation of every security program. We develop and implement security governance frameworks, policies, standards, and procedures aligned to your regulatory requirements and business objectives.

  • Security policy development — acceptable use, data classification, incident response, BYOD, remote work
  • Risk management frameworks — NIST RMF, ISO 27005, FAIR quantitative risk analysis
  • Compliance mapping — CMMC, NIST 800-171, FedRAMP, HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOX
  • Board-level security reporting and executive risk dashboards
  • Third-party risk management and vendor security assessment programs
Identity & Access Management

Identity is the new perimeter. We architect and deploy IAM solutions that enforce least privilege, eliminate standing access, and make stolen credentials useless.

  • Active Directory hardening — tiered administration, PAM, LAPS, credential guard
  • Multi-factor authentication rollout — FIDO2/WebAuthn, certificate-based, conditional access
  • Privileged Access Management (PAM) — just-in-time access, session recording, vault integration
  • Identity governance — access reviews, role mining, joiner-mover-leaver automation
  • SSO and federation — SAML, OIDC, cross-domain trust architecture
Network Security

We design, segment, and harden network architectures to contain breaches, limit lateral movement, and maintain visibility across every segment.

  • Network segmentation and microsegmentation — VLAN architecture, SDN policies, zero trust zones
  • Firewall rule audits — rule base optimization, shadow rule removal, compliance validation
  • IDS/IPS deployment and tuning — signature management, custom rules, false-positive reduction
  • DNS security — DNSSEC, sinkholing, DNS-over-HTTPS policy, query logging and analytics
  • Network access control (NAC) — 802.1X, device profiling, guest network isolation
Endpoint Protection

Endpoints are where attacks land. We deploy, tune, and operate endpoint security stacks that detect, contain, and respond to threats before they spread.

  • EDR deployment and tuning — CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender, Carbon Black
  • Custom detection rules — behavioral analytics, YARA rules, Sigma-based hunt queries
  • Application whitelisting and execution control — AppLocker, WDAC, allowlist policy management
  • OS hardening — CIS Benchmarks, DISA STIGs, attack surface reduction rules
  • Patch management — automated deployment, vulnerability-to-patch correlation, SLA enforcement
Data Protection

Data is the ultimate target. We implement layered data protection controls that classify, encrypt, and monitor sensitive information at rest, in transit, and in use.

  • Data classification and labeling — automated discovery, sensitivity tagging, handling procedures
  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP) — endpoint, network, and cloud DLP policy deployment and tuning
  • Encryption — full-disk, file-level, database-level, TLS configuration, and key management
  • Backup and recovery — immutable backups, air-gapped copies, recovery time testing
  • Data retention and destruction — policy enforcement, secure wipe verification, chain-of-custody
Monitoring & Response

Detection without response is just watching yourself get breached. We build monitoring and incident response capabilities that cut dwell time and contain threats fast.

  • SIEM engineering — log source onboarding, correlation rules, detection-as-code pipelines
  • SOAR integration — automated playbooks for alert triage, enrichment, and containment
  • 24/7 SOC buildout — staffing models, runbook development, escalation procedures, shift handoff
  • Incident response planning — IR playbooks, tabletop exercises, breach notification procedures
  • Threat hunting — hypothesis-driven hunts, IOC sweeps, behavioral anomaly detection

Baseline Security Hardening

Offensive operations expose gaps. Baseline security fills them. We implement defense-in-depth architectures aligned to NIST CSF, CIS Controls, and CMMC requirements — because the best time to harden was yesterday.

  • STIG implementation and compliance automation across endpoints, servers, and network devices
  • Zero Trust architecture design — microsegmentation, identity-aware proxies, continuous verification
  • Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) deployment, tuning, and custom detection rule development
  • SIEM/SOAR engineering — log aggregation, correlation rules, automated playbooks, and alert triage workflows
  • Vulnerability management programs — scan cadence, risk-based prioritization, and patch SLA tracking
  • Security awareness training with simulated phishing and measurable behavior change metrics

Electronic Warfare

The electromagnetic spectrum is contested terrain. We operate in it — providing electronic attack, electronic protection, and electronic warfare support capabilities for the modern battlespace.

Electronic Attack (EA)

Directed energy, RF jamming, communication disruption, and GPS denial testing. We simulate adversary EW capabilities to validate your force's resilience to spectrum denial.

Electronic Protection (EP)

Frequency hopping validation, anti-jam testing, EMCON procedures, signal hardening, and TEMPEST assessments to ensure your communications survive a contested environment.

EW Support (ES)

Signals intelligence collection, spectrum monitoring, emitter geolocation, protocol analysis, and electromagnetic order of battle development for operational planning.

Spectrum Management

Electromagnetic spectrum operations planning, frequency deconfliction, and spectrum dominance strategies for joint and coalition operations.

Cyber-EW Convergence

Where cyber meets the spectrum. Wi-Fi exploitation, Bluetooth attack frameworks, SDR-based protocol reverse engineering, and combined cyber-EW kill chain development.

EW Training & Exercises

Force-on-force EW exercises, operator training on EW platforms, and table-top simulations for spectrum operations in denied and degraded environments.

Target Reconnaissance

Every operation starts with intelligence. Our recon capabilities span the digital and physical domains — mapping attack surfaces, identifying high-value targets, and building the operational picture before the first packet is sent or the first door is tested.

  • OSINT Collection — domain enumeration, certificate transparency logs, WHOIS analysis, breach data correlation, dark web monitoring, and social media intelligence
  • Active Reconnaissance — network scanning, service fingerprinting, vulnerability discovery, and technology stack identification with controlled-scope authorization
  • Human Intelligence (HUMINT) — pretexting, social engineering assessments, vishing campaigns, and insider threat scenario modeling
  • Physical Reconnaissance — facility surveillance, access control analysis, perimeter assessment, wireless signal mapping, and dumpster diving operations
  • Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) — bug sweeps, RF analysis, and detection of unauthorized surveillance devices in sensitive spaces
  • Attack Surface Management — continuous external asset discovery, shadow IT identification, and third-party exposure monitoring
Network & Infrastructure
NmapMasscanShodanCensysWiresharkBurp Suite
OSINT & Intelligence
MaltegoSpiderFoottheHarvesterRecon-ngFOCAAmass
Exploitation & Post-Exploitation
Cobalt StrikeMetasploitBloodHoundImpacketCrackMapExecRubeus
Wireless & RF
Aircrack-ngHackRFSDR++KismetFlipper ZeroWiFi Pineapple

How We Engage

Every engagement follows a disciplined, repeatable process — from scoping to debrief. No surprises, no scope creep, full transparency.

01

Scope & Rules of Engagement

Define targets, boundaries, authorized TTPs, communication protocols, emergency contacts, and legal frameworks. Nothing happens without signed ROE.

02

Intelligence Gathering

Passive and active reconnaissance tailored to the engagement type. Build the target model and identify initial attack vectors.

03

Threat Modeling

Map the attack surface against your specific threat landscape. Prioritize vectors by likelihood and impact using STRIDE, DREAD, or custom models.

04

Execution

Active testing, exploitation, and adversary simulation within the defined scope. Real-time logging of every action taken for full auditability.

05

Analysis & Reporting

Executive summary, technical findings, CVSS-scored vulnerabilities, ATT&CK mapping, evidence packages, and prioritized remediation guidance.

06

Debrief & Remediation Support

Walk-through with your technical and leadership teams. Optional retesting after remediation to validate fixes. Knowledge transfer, not just a report.

Ready to Test Your Defenses?

Whether you need a targeted pentest, a full red team engagement, or a ground-up security architecture — we're ready to scope it.

Request a Cyber Assessment