Australia’s penetration testing specialists
Since 2015, Core Sentinel has been a trusted partner in cybersecurity, helping Australian businesses secure their systems against constantly evolving threats. From our roots as a dedicated penetration testing firm, we’ve grown into one of the country’s most respected names in offensive security — safeguarding critical infrastructure for organisations across Australia and beyond.
Our mission is simple: protect your business by finding and fixing vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Through rigorous, senior-led penetration testing and a relentless focus on real-world risk, we deliver genuine peace of mind in an increasingly hostile threat landscape.
A decade of finding what others miss
Over the past ten years, Core Sentinel has conducted thousands of penetration tests, uncovered hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities, and helped clients across small business, startups, finance, healthcare, government and more strengthen their defences. Our team holds credentials including OSCE, OSCP, OSWP, CISA, CISM and CISSP — and brings decades of combined, hands-on experience in penetration testing, ethical hacking and system hardening.
We’re driven by a single passion: outsmarting attackers so your systems stay secure. Our tailored testing uncovers hidden weaknesses — from network and infrastructure flaws to subtle application logic bugs — keeping you ahead of threats and aligned with standards and frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, OWASP, NIST and the ASD Essential Eight.
Ready to secure your systems? Contact Core Sentinel today for a penetration test that delivers clear, actionable results.
Led by an industry veteran
Core Sentinel was founded in 2015 by one of the cybersecurity industry’s best-known names: Steve McLaughlin. An OSCE, OSCP and CREST-certified penetration tester with more than 20 years’ experience, Steve has worked for some of the world’s biggest brands across high-risk industries including banking, finance, insurance, health, utilities, oil & gas, government and defence.
Steve began his career in Sydney in 2001. At the time, cybersecurity was still in its infancy in Australia, so in 2004 he moved to the UK — where the security landscape was far more mature — to learn from the best and take on cutting-edge, business-critical challenges.
For the next seven years, Steve worked for high-profile employers including Aggreko UK, Mott MacDonald UK and the Student Loans Company UK, building deep, hands-on experience both conducting and coordinating penetration tests. During this time he also completed his Master’s Degree in Network Engineering (with Distinction) through Charles Sturt University.
In 2010, with seven years of world-leading experience behind him, Steve returned to Australia, where he has since held senior positions at Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Ambulance NSW, Service NSW, Wesfarmers Insurance, Caltex and The University of Sydney — before bringing that expertise directly to Core Sentinel’s clients.
Steve McLaughlin — qualifications & certifications
- OSCE — Offensive Security Certified Expert
- OSCP — Offensive Security Certified Professional
- OSWP — Offensive Security Wireless Professional
- CREST Registered Penetration Tester (CRT Pen) — completed
- CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) — completed
- CISA — Certified Information Systems Auditor
- CISM — Certified Information Security Manager
- CISSP — Certified Information Systems Security Professional
- CISSP-ISSAP — Information Systems Security Architecture Professional
- CCSK — Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge
- C|CISO — Certified Chief Information Security Officer
- CHFI — Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator
- TCNA — Tenable Certified Nessus Auditor
- CEH — Certified Ethical Hacker
- Security+ Certified
- RSA enVision Certified Systems Engineer 4.0
- Tripwire Enterprise 7.5 Operator
- CITP — Chartered IT Professional
- CCNP — Cisco Certified Network Professional
- CCDP — Cisco Certified Design Professional
- CCNA — Cisco Certified Network Associate
- CCDA — Cisco Certified Design Associate
- MCSE:Security — Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Security
- MCSE — Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
- MCSA:Security — Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security
- MCSA — Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
- MCP — Microsoft Certified Professional
- Server+ Certified
- Network+ Certified
- A+ Certified
- Master of Network Engineering (with Distinction)
Senior-only, by design
Many firms win your business with senior consultants, then quietly hand the actual testing to juniors. We don’t. Every Core Sentinel engagement is performed by a senior, certified tester. No junior bench. No scan-and-send. It’s the single biggest difference in the quality of what you receive — and the reason clients in Australia’s most security-conscious sectors keep coming back.
Why CoreSentinel
It’s straightforward: we’re Australia’s penetration testing specialists, and we’ve earned that position. This isn’t hype — it’s a proven track record. Our experts hold superior credentials and experience, we’ve operated continuously since 2015, and we’ve outlasted countless other Australian firms offering penetration testing. When your security genuinely matters, you want the team that’s been doing this the longest and doing it best.
Experience that spans modern and legacy threats
Hackers don’t only exploit the newest vulnerabilities. In fact, around a third of all breaches stem from old vulnerabilities — sometimes years old. So while proactive research into the latest trends and techniques is critical, so too is deep, hands-on experience with legacy technologies built up over many years.
Core Sentinel delivers both. We stay across the latest vulnerabilities by continuously studying and participating in the industry, and we regularly put on our ‘hacker’s hats’ to discover weaknesses not yet identified by the wider field. And we’ve been doing it for years. Our founder, Steve McLaughlin, has more than 20 years’ international penetration testing experience, and across the team we average more than 15 years each.
Experience that translates into results for you
All that expertise only matters if it delivers real benefits to your business — and at Core Sentinel, we make sure it does. We scope your risk profile accurately, apply proven testing methodologies, manage every project efficiently with repeatable processes, and deliver a high-quality, prioritised, genuinely actionable report that’s easy to read and understand. And we do it within budget.
Superior reports — and free re-tests
Our reports leave no stone unturned, but never drown you in noise. Every finding is risk-rated, clearly explained, and paired with practical remediation guidance in priority order. Once you’ve made the fixes, we re-test to confirm they’ve worked — so you know your risk is genuinely closed, not just documented.
Committed to the highest professional standards
As qualified, certified penetration testers, we hold ourselves to the highest ethical and professional standards in the industry — including the ISACA Code of Professional Ethics, the (ISC)² Code of Ethics, and the CREST Code of Conduct. In practice, that means:
Promotion of good practices
Promoting best practice among security testers, evaluating new tools, and helping protect the wider community, public trust and critical infrastructure.
Client interests first
Acting honourably, honestly and legally; committing to strict client confidentiality and objectivity; and accepting only the assignments we’re genuinely qualified for.
Competence and continuous learning
Providing diligent, competent service while maintaining the highest calibre of technical knowledge — staying current through ongoing training, technical publications and professional bodies.
Integrity, always
Acting with honesty and integrity at all times, and standing firmly against bribery, corruption and anti-competitive behaviour, in full compliance with all relevant legal and regulatory frameworks.
Get in touch or call 1300 859 443 to talk to a senior tester today.