AVAKA Financial Services
South AfricaAuthorised attack simulation

Penetration testingTest whether an attacker can turn weakness into impact.

Within an agreed scope and safety envelope, we emulate relevant attack techniques to determine whether weaknesses can be chained into unauthorised access, privilege or business impact.

Discuss this serviceReview the scope
South African business environment representing penetration testing

Standalone service

Penetration testing

Controlled exploitation of defined attack paths under written authorisation and rules of engagement.

Questions this service answers

A precise scope starts with the right question.

  1. 01

    Can an attacker gain unauthorised access through the defined target?

  2. 02

    Can weaknesses be chained to reach sensitive systems, data or privileges?

  3. 03

    Would current detection and response controls identify the activity?

Choosing the right scope

When penetration testing is the right next step

Penetration testing uses controlled, authorised exploitation to determine whether an attacker could turn weaknesses into unauthorised access, privilege or business impact.

A useful test starts with written authorisation, a defined target, agreed rules of engagement and safety constraints. It is appropriate when a South African organisation needs evidence over a specific application, environment or attack path—not simply a longer vulnerability list.

Consider this service when

  • A critical application, external service or infrastructure change needs attack-path validation.
  • Leadership needs to know whether identified weaknesses can be combined into material impact.
  • Remediation or detection controls must be retested against a clearly defined threat scenario.

Assessment or technical test?

Choose the cyber service that answers the actual question.

A cybersecurity assessment reviews the wider control environment. A vulnerability assessment finds and prioritises weaknesses. A penetration test attempts controlled exploitation to prove whether defined attack paths can create impact.

03.04
Cybersecurity assessmentA risk-based assessment of cybersecurity governance, controls and resilience against defined outcomes.
03.05
Vulnerability assessmentStructured discovery, validation and prioritisation of weaknesses across in-scope technology assets.
03.06
Penetration testingControlled exploitation of defined attack paths under written authorisation and rules of engagement.
Defined outputs

Evidence designed for action.

Final coverage follows the agreed target, authority, materiality and evidence available. These are the core outputs around which the engagement is built.

  • 01

    Written scope, authorisation and rules of engagement

  • 02

    Evidence-backed attack narrative

  • 03

    Executive impact summary and technical findings

  • 04

    Remediation guidance and controlled retest

Delivery discipline

A method that protects the conclusion.

  1. 01

    Context

    Identify critical dependencies

    Map the processes, systems, data and third parties the organisation relies on.

  2. 02

    Control

    Assess design

    Evaluate whether controls address the intended risk with clear ownership and evidence.

  3. 03

    Evidence

    Test operation

    Inspect configurations, records and populations to determine whether controls operated.

  4. 04

    Sequence

    Prioritise remediation

    Order actions around material exposure, technical dependencies and delivery capacity.

Reference points

Criteria agreed before testing begins.

  • OWASP Web Security Testing Guide where applicable
  • NIST SP 800-115 testing guidance
  • Written authorisation and agreed rules of engagement

Applicability and final criteria are confirmed during engagement scoping.

Also in Technology assurance

Related services

03.07ICT strategy and policy reviewAn independent review of technology alignment, policy coverage, decision rights, performance and infrastructure priorities.03.08Technology project assuranceIndependent assurance over implementations, migrations and technology-enabled change.03.01IT auditIndependent testing of access, change, operations, backup and other technology controls.

Start with the target

Define what this penetration testing needs to prove.

Request a scoping call