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Offensive Security

Thick Client Penetration Testing

Desktop application, local storage and backend channel security.

Security assessment of Windows, macOS and Linux desktop applications, including local storage, IPC, privilege boundaries and backend communication.

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Typical timeline
Typically 2–3 weeks
Business benefit
Secure the installed software that carries privileged access into your network.
Industries
Banking & Financial ServicesManufacturingHealthcareGovernmentBusiness Management

Overview

What Thick Client Penetration Testing covers

Thick clients often run with elevated privileges, cache credentials locally and speak proprietary protocols. All three properties make them attractive to attackers already inside the network.

We assess the binary, the workstation footprint and the server-side channel together.

The problem we solve

Desktop applications are rarely re-tested after release, yet they hold connection strings, cached credentials and trusted paths into core systems.

Scope & outcomes

What we test and what you receive

Scope coverage

  • Binary analysis, packing and integrity controls
  • Local storage, registry and configuration secrets
  • DLL hijacking and insecure file permissions
  • Privilege escalation on the host
  • Memory inspection for sensitive data
  • Proprietary and encrypted protocol analysis
  • Client-side control bypass
  • Backend authorisation and injection testing

Key benefits

  • Reduced workstation-to-server attack paths
  • Protection of embedded credentials and secrets
  • Hardened update and installation process
  • Clear remediation for desktop engineering teams

Deliverables

  • Executive summary written for business stakeholders
  • Technical findings with severity, CVSS and reproduction steps
  • Evidence: requests, responses, screenshots and payloads
  • Prioritised remediation roadmap
  • Remediation support session with your engineers
  • Re-test report and closure statement

Methodology

Our assessment process

  1. 01

    Scoping and rules of engagement

  2. 02

    Reconnaissance and asset mapping

  3. 03

    Threat modeling against business context

  4. 04

    Automated scanning and coverage checks

  5. 05

    Manual exploitation and chained attack paths

  6. 06

    Impact validation and evidence capture

  7. 07

    Risk analysis and prioritisation

  8. 08

    Reporting, debrief and remediation support

  9. 09

    Re-testing of fixed findings

Tooling

Tools and techniques

Tooling supports expert manual testing — it never replaces it.

Debuggers and disassemblers
Process, file and registry monitors
Traffic interception for non-HTTP protocols
Memory analysis utilities

FAQ

Thick Client Penetration Testing questions

Yes. Where traffic is not HTTP based we reverse the protocol sufficiently to manipulate messages and test server-side trust.

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Ready to scope Thick Client Penetration Testing?

Talk to our offensive security team about scoping an assessment around your actual risk, stack and timelines.

Book a Security AssessmentTalk to a Security Expert

Prefer email? business@securityloyals.com