Offensive security for financial institutions.
Banks, fintechs, payment providers and credit unions operate under three simultaneous pressures: organised fraud, regulatory scrutiny and constant integration with third parties. We test what holds all three together.
Why financial services are a permanent target
A financial institution does not face opportunistic attackers. It faces specialised groups with funding, patience and deep knowledge of the sector itself. The prize is not only the balance in an account — it is the chain of trust between institution, partner and customer, which can be broken at any link.
- The payoff is direct and immediate, which sustains professional, recurring criminal operations.
- Instant payment rails shortened the window between fraud and irrecoverable funds.
- Open banking widened the surface: APIs, consents and partners now sit outside your perimeter.
- Regulatory exposure turns a technical incident into a compliance and reputation event.
What we test at a financial institution
The surface extends far beyond online banking. We map the path that money and identity travel, then attack every link along that route.
Online banking, mobile apps and authenticated areas: authentication, session handling, object-level authorisation and the business logic behind sensitive operations.
Payment initiation and data sharing endpoints, consent flows, token scope and isolation between participating institutions.
Collection flows, dynamic codes, refunds and reconciliation — including logic abuse that does not rely on a classic technical flaw.
We test whether transaction limits, trusted device and step-up authentication survive manipulation, and where the fraud pipeline can be bypassed.
Lateral movement from an initial foothold, segmentation between environments and the path towards core banking and customer databases.
Processors, banking-as-a-service providers and vendors with network or data access — the link that rarely makes it into an internal scope.
A report that supports the regulatory conversation
Evidence is delivered in a form that audit, risk and regulators can read without further technical translation.
- GDPR and data protection
- Financial data is personal data with heightened sensitivity in practice. We document which data subjects are exposed and the technical route that would lead to disclosure.
- DORA and operational resilience
- Digital operational resilience rules require regular threat-led testing of critical systems. The report fits that cycle as documented evidence.
- PCI DSS
- Where cardholder data is stored, processed or transmitted, we align scope and evidence format with what a QSA will request.
- Open banking requirements
- Ecosystem security requirements, including consent integrity and isolation between participants, are covered as a dedicated scope.
How a financial engagement runs
Scope by value flow
Before scanning a single host, we map where money, identity and consent travel. Scope follows that route, not a server inventory.
Window and safeguards
We agree an execution window, volume limits and a direct contact channel. Transactional environments demand explicit agreement on what will not be touched.
Manual exploitation and validation
Every finding is exploited and confirmed by hand. We do not report tool suspicion — we report what we reproduced, with the steps to repeat it.
Retest and closure
After remediation we retest the findings and issue the final version. That version is what evidences a closed cycle.
What you receive
- Executive report framed in business risk
- Technical report with reproducible steps
- CVSS scoring with justification per finding
- Signed evidence with timestamps
- Remediation priority by real impact
- Debrief session with your technical team
- Retest of remediated findings
- Attestation letter for audit and partners
Sector FAQ
Can testing run without risk to production?
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Yes, and it is the most common arrangement in this sector. We work within an agreed window, with volume limits and an open channel throughout execution. Potentially disruptive operations only happen in staging or under specific written authorisation. The goal is to find the flaw, not to cause an outage.
Do you test instant payments and open banking specifically?
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Yes, as dedicated scopes. Most problems there are not classic technical flaws but logic abuse: manipulation of collection flows, refunds, consent and token scope. Automated tooling does not surface that kind of issue — it requires manual exploitation with an understanding of the business.
Does the report work as evidence for auditors and regulators?
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That is what it is written for. It comes in two layers: an executive one in risk language, and a technical one with step-by-step reproduction and signed evidence. We also issue an attestation letter, which is usually the document external audit and partners request during due diligence.
How is confidentiality handled for data accessed during testing?
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An NDA is signed before any activity. We work with the minimum data necessary to demonstrate impact, prefer masked records in evidence, and destroy collected material at the end of the cycle upon formal confirmation. All delivery traffic runs over an encrypted channel.
Services applied to this sector
Ready to uncover your flaws?
First scoping call is free and covered by NDA. Within 48 hours you receive technical proposal, scope and timeline. No bureaucratic forms.