Penetration Testing for UK Commercial
The UK commercial market is one of the most mature buyers of penetration testing in Europe. The SaaS layer — analogue stacks of GoCardless, Octopus Energy, Hopin and the broader vertical-SaaS estate — buys VAPT primarily to close US enterprise procurement under SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022. The fintech layer — Wise, Revolut, Monzo, Starling style architectures — buys it to keep FCA supervisors comfortable and to clear the operational-resilience bar. Retail tech, direct-to-consumer and healthtech round out the cohort, with UK GDPR plus the ICO's 72-hour breach clock as the constant. AxVeil delivers vulnerability assessment, penetration testing and red team services for UK commercial buyers — operator-led, named-operator engagements with fixed-fee GBP or USD proposals.
Engagements are served from our Bengaluru-headquartered team across the UK — London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Cambridge and Leeds. India Standard Time is 5.5 hours ahead of GMT, so our IST working day overlaps cleanly with the UK morning and early afternoon. Whether you are a Series-B SaaS chasing a Fortune 500 logo under SOC 2 Type 2, a UK fintech preparing for an FCA Skilled Persons review on cyber risk, a retail-tech platform closing a UK GDPR gap before a board cycle, or a foreign-HQ company with UK engineering ops consolidating ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 evidence, our methodology compresses 4-week manual audits into 10-14 day engagements without sacrificing depth. Reports are mapped to UK GDPR, ICO breach-readiness, FCA / PRA expectations where applicable, SOC 2 TSC, ISO 27001:2022, OWASP ASVS L2, OWASP API Top 10 and PCI DSS v4.0 — so a single engagement satisfies multiple audiences.
The UK threat surface we scope against
The ICO, FCA / PRA and NCSC each push a distinct threat lens. We threat-model these clusters first, then map findings to whichever regulator and customer audience governs scope.
Fintech & FCA operational resilience
FCA expects impact tolerances and tested recovery for important business services. We threat-model payment APIs, KYC/onboarding abuse and the third-party chain a Skilled Persons review would probe.
SaaS isolation for US procurement
UK SaaS lives on SOC 2 + ISO 27001 to close US Fortune 500 deals. We hunt multi-tenant IDOR, broken object-level auth and SSO/SCIM trust-boundary flaws that break the trust narrative.
UK GDPR & cross-border transfers
Post-Brexit transfers run on UK adequacy and the IDTA. We map where UK personal data leaves the jurisdiction and whether the safeguards hold under an ICO enquiry.
Retail & healthtech data surface
D2C retail and NHS-adjacent healthtech carry payment-page and special-category-data exposure. We test checkout integration, consent flows and MHRA/ICO-relevant data handling end to end.
AxVeil is not a CREST member firm and is not an NCSC CHECK provider. For UK Government engagements that mandate CHECK on the signed report — and for FCA-authorised firms that require a CREST member-firm signature — AxVeil partners with a CHECK or CREST member-firm provider; AxVeil delivers the technical engagement under sub-contract. AxVeil's individual operators are pursuing CREST individual certifications, and our methodology is CREST-aligned — the claim is honest: CREST-aligned methodology, not CREST member-firm status. For UK commercial buyers — SaaS, fintech (non-FCA-mandated), retail tech, healthtech and foreign-HQ companies with UK engineering — AxVeil contracts directly. The contracting path is stated in the proposal up front.
Industries we serve in the UK
The UK SaaS and fintech corridor is the densest cluster — analogue stacks of GoCardless, Octopus Energy, Wise, Revolut, Monzo and Starling, plus the broader vertical-SaaS estate from Hopin to ClearBank to ClearScore. Most of these buyers commission VAPT under one of three drivers: SOC 2 Type 2 window pentest for US enterprise procurement, ISO 27001:2022 stage-2 audit prep, or follow-on testing after a material change. UK GDPR plus the ICO 72-hour breach-notification clock is the constant overlay; FCA operational-resilience expectations apply to authorised firms.
Retail tech, direct-to-consumer and healthtech round out the AxVeil ICP. Healthtech specifically: NHS-adjacent commercial buyers (not NHS Digital primary, which routes via a CHECK provider) and private healthtech and pharma engineering teams subject to MHRA and ICO obligations. UK Government, FCA-mandated CREST-only-panel work, and DORA TLPT for systemic financial entities route through partner CHECK / CREST / TIBER providers. AxVeil's direct contracting path is the commercial layer — where technical merit and methodology rigour beat empanelment paperwork.
SaaS & API VAPT
Web, API, mobile and cloud penetration testing for UK-headquartered SaaS scaling into US enterprise procurement under SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001.
Learn more →Fintech Red Team
Adversary emulation against UK fintech, neobank and payment stacks — FCA-aware methodology and UK-relevant threat-actor TTPs.
Learn more →Compliance
UK GDPR, ICO breach-readiness, SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001:2022, PCI DSS v4.0 and DORA-relevant evidence packs for EU-licensed entities.
Learn more →AdSim
Continuous purple-team simulation against UK SaaS production stacks with detection-engineering output for in-house SOC and MDR providers.
Learn more →UK regulators we map every report to
FCA — Financial Conduct Authority
FCA-authorised firms (banks, e-money, payment institutions, investment firms, consumer credit) are expected to manage cyber risk under PRIN, SYSC and the Operational Resilience policy. Independent system security testing is a baseline supervisory expectation.
PRA — Prudential Regulation Authority
PRA-regulated banks, insurers and investment firms must demonstrate operational resilience including impact tolerances for important business services and tested response and recovery capability.
ICO — Information Commissioner's Office
ICO enforces UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Personal-data breaches must be reported to the ICO within 72 hours of awareness. Penalties up to £17.5m or 4% of global annual turnover for serious infringements.
NCSC — National Cyber Security Centre
NCSC owns the CHECK scheme for HMG-mandated penetration testing. AxVeil is not a CHECK provider — for CHECK-mandated UK Government engagements we partner with a CHECK provider; AxVeil delivers under sub-contract.
DORA — Digital Operational Resilience Act
DORA applies to financial entities authorised in EU member states. UK-domiciled groups operating EU-licensed entities from London or via passporting arrangements must comply for those entities — including TLPT (threat-led penetration testing) thresholds.
SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria
Window-period VAPT under TSC CC7.1 / CC8.1 is the default trust pack UK SaaS firms ship to US enterprise buyers. AxVeil contracts directly for UK commercial buyers under this driver.
Why AxVeil for a UK commercial engagement
AxVeil is operator-led. Founder Aman Kumar (OSCP, CEH v12) has direct delivery experience across India and MENA, including documented banking-sector engagements, and runs every UK engagement under a named-operator model: the human writing the PoC and the multi-tenancy isolation finding is the same human on the readout call with your CISO. UK SaaS and fintech buyers used to faceless big-four delivery routinely tell us this is the most measurable difference between an AxVeil engagement and the alternative — including the speed at which a critical finding moves from PoC to fix in a Linear ticket.
Time-zone match is workable: IST is 5.5 hours ahead of GMT, so the entire UK morning and early afternoon overlap with our working day. English is the contracting language. We sign UK-jurisdiction MSAs and DPAs that reflect UK GDPR plus the buyer's parent-jurisdiction overlay (US SOC 2, EU GDPR). Pricing is GBP for UK-resident buyers with 20% UK VAT; USD invoicing supported for foreign-HQ buyers. Engagements are served from our Bengaluru-headquartered team across the UK — we are explicit in proposals that we do not maintain a UK office, and onsite kick-offs in London or Edinburgh for sensitive scopes are arranged per engagement.
Engagement model — Starter / Professional / Enterprise
Web + API VAPT
5-7 business days. OWASP Top 10, business logic, auth flows. UK GDPR gap notes. SOC 2 evidence cross-reference.
Full-stack VAPT
10-14 business days. Web + API + mobile + cloud IAM + multi-tenancy. UK GDPR / ICO, SOC 2 / ISO 27001 evidence pack.
Red Team / AdSim
4-8 weeks. MITRE ATT&CK adversary emulation, purple-team detection engineering, multi-region scope. Quarterly continuous AdSim retainer available.
Engagement timeline (typical 14-day Professional VAPT)
Scoping call in GMT / BST (overlapping IST window). NDA + MSA exchanged under preferred jurisdiction. Scope, RoE and asset list locked.
Recon + threat-modelling against UK-relevant actors and regulators (UK GDPR / ICO, FCA where applicable, SOC 2, ISO 27001, OWASP ASVS L2).
Active testing — web, API, mobile, cloud IAM, business logic. Daily Slack / Teams digest with critical findings as they surface.
Draft report: UK GDPR / ICO / FCA / SOC 2 / ISO 27001 cross-references with reproducible PoCs and developer-friendly remediation guidance.
Readout call with engineering + CISO in GMT. Free retest of remediated criticals within 30 days. Final signed PDF for board, ICO and enterprise auditors.
UK Commercial FAQ
›Is AxVeil a CREST member firm or NCSC CHECK provider?
No. AxVeil is not a CREST member firm and is not an NCSC CHECK provider. For UK Government engagements that mandate CHECK on the signed report, AxVeil partners with a CHECK provider; AxVeil delivers the technical engagement under sub-contract. AxVeil's individual operators are pursuing CREST individual certifications, and our methodology is CREST-aligned — the framework defines how we scope, test and report. The claim is honest: CREST-aligned methodology, not CREST member-firm status. For UK commercial buyers — SaaS, fintech (non-FCA-mandated), retail tech, healthtech and foreign-HQ companies with UK engineering — AxVeil contracts directly. Reference: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/.
›What does "CREST-aligned methodology" actually mean for an AxVeil engagement?
It means the engagement is scoped, executed and reported against the CREST methodology framework: defined rules of engagement, structured risk acceptance, evidence-grade PoCs, CVSS v3.1 / v4.0 scoring, retest cycle and a written technical methodology. Where the buyer requires a CREST member-firm signature on the report — typically NCSC CHECK-mandated UK Government engagements or specific FCA-authorised buyers operating to internal CREST-only policy — AxVeil partners with a CREST member firm; AxVeil delivers under sub-contract. Most UK commercial buyers do not require member-firm status; they require methodology rigour, which is what we deliver.
›Do you support FCA-authorised firms and DORA-relevant entities?
Yes — for commercial layers and for FCA-authorised firms where the engagement is internal readiness, scope-design or follow-on retest. Where an FCA-authorised firm requires a tester from a pre-approved CREST-only internal panel, AxVeil partners with that panelled provider. DORA applies to EU-authorised financial entities; UK-domiciled groups operating EU-licensed subsidiaries must comply for those subsidiaries, including TLPT thresholds (which align closely with the TIBER-EU framework). AxVeil scopes DORA-aligned engagements directly for non-systemic entities and partners with TIBER-registered providers where TLPT is mandated.
›How do you handle UK GDPR, the ICO 72-hour clock and the Data Protection Act 2018?
Every UK engagement includes a UK GDPR gap pack covering lawful basis, purpose limitation, data-subject rights workflow, retention schedule, cross-border-transfer controls (UK adequacy regulations and IDTA) and a tested 72-hour ICO breach-notification runbook. The Data Protection Act 2018 overlay is included for criminal-offence data and law-enforcement processing. Penalties under UK GDPR reach £17.5m or 4% of global annual turnover for serious infringements. Reference: https://ico.org.uk/.
›Where is AxVeil based and how do you deliver in GMT?
Engagements are served from our Bengaluru-headquartered team across the UK — London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Cambridge and Leeds. India Standard Time is 5.5 hours ahead of GMT (4.5 hours ahead of BST), so our IST working day overlaps cleanly with the UK morning and early afternoon. Daily standups, Slack triage and draft-report walkthroughs run in this window; full-day onsite kick-offs in London for sensitive scopes are arranged on a per-engagement basis. We do not maintain a UK office.
›What is the typical engagement timeline and pricing in the UK?
Pricing tiers mirror /pricing. Starter web + API VAPT runs 5-7 business days from £10,000. The Professional tier (web + API + mobile + cloud + UK GDPR alignment, SOC 2 / ISO 27001 evidence) runs 10-14 business days from £15,000-25,000. Enterprise red team and adversary simulation engagements scope at 4-8 weeks. Pricing is GBP for UK-resident buyers; USD invoicing is supported for foreign-HQ buyers with UK engineering ops. UK VAT (20%) is added cleanly on UK-resident invoices.
›Which UK industries does AxVeil work with directly?
B2B SaaS chasing US enterprise procurement under SOC 2 and ISO 27001 — analogue stacks of GoCardless, Octopus Energy, Hopin and similar; UK fintech and neobank infrastructure (Wise, Revolut, Monzo, Starling style architectures) for non-FCA-mandated layers and follow-on testing; retail tech and direct-to-consumer platforms; UK healthtech for NHS-adjacent commercial buyers (not NHS Digital primary, which routes via CHECK provider); and foreign-HQ companies with UK engineering ops where the parent-jurisdiction auditor (US SOC 2, EU GDPR) drives the scope and UK GDPR is the local overlay.
Need penetration testing in the UK? Talk to a tester.
Free 30-minute scoping call in GMT / BST. We map your attack surface, name the regulators you must satisfy, and quote in GBP with UK VAT or USD for foreign-HQ buyers.