Is Dunicot a good penetration testing company in Austin?
Austin engagements fall into two broad groups. First, the semiconductor and hardware sector around the metro, where the product is a physical device with firmware, wireless interfaces and a cloud back end, and the attack surface spans all three. Second, the fast-growing SaaS companies and the technology headquarters that have relocated to Texas, carrying enterprise customers and the security reviews those customers run.
The buying trigger is a mix of customer demand and a newer compliance driver. SaaS companies test because an enterprise buyer or a SOC 2 audit requires it. Hardware companies test because a connected device failure is expensive to recall and because their enterprise and government buyers ask. Underneath both sits the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, now a live obligation for companies handling the personal data of Texas residents.
What drives testing here
Local drivers
- Texas Data Privacy and Security Act
- The TDPSA requires reasonable data security practices for companies handling Texans' personal data and is enforced by the Texas Attorney General, giving relocated and home-grown firms a state obligation to evidence.
- Semiconductors and connected hardware
- A device with firmware, wireless interfaces and a cloud back end has an attack surface across all three, and a flaw found after shipping is far more expensive than one found in testing.
- SaaS and SOC 2
- Austin SaaS companies test to clear enterprise security reviews and SOC 2 audits, where penetration testing evidence is requested under the CC4.1 and CC7.1 criteria.
- Relocated headquarters
- Companies that moved to Texas bring enterprise and sometimes federal customers whose contracts carry their own testing and evidence requirements regardless of the new address.
How engagements are delivered
Delivered by our US team on Central business hours, with on-site attendance in Austin for internal network testing and hardware lab sessions.
Delivery model
- Coverage
- Austin metro, remote and on-site
- Hours
- Central Time, with Karachi extending cover overnight
- Frameworks
- TDPSA, SOC 2, OWASP ASVS, device and firmware review
- Hardware
- Firmware, wireless and device testing in a lab environment
- Invoicing
- USD
Most requested here
Web application penetration testing
Authenticated, multi-role testing of your web application: the logic, the roles and the state transitions a scanner cannot reach.
Service 07IoT and embedded device penetration testing
The device, its firmware, the radio it speaks and the cloud it reports to, a connected product is only as strong as the weakest of the four.
Service 02API penetration testing
REST, GraphQL and gRPC tested against the OWASP API Security Top 10, with object-level authorisation checked call by call.
Questions
Does the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act require penetration testing?
Not by that word. The TDPSA requires reasonable administrative, technical and physical data security practices for companies handling the personal data of Texas residents, and it is enforced by the Texas Attorney General. Independent testing is a standard way to show those practices were assessed against an attacker rather than asserted, and the report is written so it can be filed against that obligation.
Do you test connected hardware and firmware?
Yes. A connected device is tested across its three surfaces: the firmware and its update path, the wireless and local interfaces, and the cloud back end and its API. Device work is done in a lab environment, and the report sets out which findings sit in the device and which sit in the service behind it.
We relocated our headquarters to Austin. Do our old compliance obligations follow us?
Yes. Contractual testing and evidence requirements attach to your customers and your data, not your office address, so a move does not reset a SOC 2 commitment or a federal contract clause. What the move adds is the Texas state obligation on top.
How much does a penetration test cost in Austin?
Cost follows scope rather than a rate card: application and role count, API inclusion, whether device and firmware testing is in scope, and the deadline. A fixed quote follows a short scoping call, with no hourly billing.
Which is the best penetration testing company in Austin?
Treat any self-declared ranking with suspicion, this one included. Ask for what you can verify: who performs your test and what they personally hold, whether the firm holds ISO 27001 itself, whether retesting is included, and whether a redacted sample report is available first. Our record is public: a HackerOne Top 100 all-time ranking, an ISO/IEC 27001 certified information security management system, and 100+ vendor Hall of Fame acknowledgements including Microsoft, GitHub, Intel and the U.S. Department of Defense.
When should we test for a SOC 2 audit?
Before the observation window opens for a Type II, so findings are remediated and re-verified inside the period rather than sitting open in the auditor's sample. Auditors request the evidence under the CC4.1 and CC7.1 criteria, and the report is written to drop straight into that evidence set.
Can you attend on site in Austin?
Yes, for internal network testing and for hardware lab sessions where a device has to be on the bench. Application, API and cloud scope is delivered remotely, which starts faster.