Client Profile
A global financial services provider managing high-value transactions, customer data, and critical banking infrastructure, operating under strict regulatory requirements, including PCI DSS, GDPR, and financial cybersecurity frameworks.
Challenges Faced
With the financial sector being a prime target for cybercriminals, the client faced increasing threats from sophisticated cyberattacks, including data breaches, fraud, and insider threats. The organization needed a proactive approach to identify vulnerabilities before they could be exploited, ensuring the security of financial transactions and compliance with industry regulations.
- Identifying Hidden Vulnerabilities Uncovering weaknesses in applications, networks, and internal systems before attackers could exploit them
- Protecting Financial Transactions Securing real-time transactions against fraud, account takeovers, and unauthorized access
- Ensuring Regulatory Compliance Meeting strict financial regulations, including PCI DSS, GDPR, and other international banking security standards
Solution
The financial services provider partnered with COE Security to implement Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) – a continuous, scalable, and intelligence-driven approach to security testing.
Comprehensive Security Testing
- Conducted external and internal penetration testing to assess security gaps in banking applications, networks, and databases
- Simulated real-world attack scenarios, including phishing, credential stuffing, and privilege escalation, to evaluate system resilience
- Utilized advanced techniques to test for zero-day vulnerabilities and emerging attack vectors in financial transactions
Continuous Threat Assessment and Remediation
- Delivered real-time vulnerability insights and prioritized remediation strategies based on risk severity
- Provided continuous security testing rather than point-in-time assessments, ensuring evolving threats were addressed proactively
- Integrated with DevSecOps pipelines to identify security flaws early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC)
Regulatory Compliance and Security Governance
- Ensured full alignment with PCI DSS, GDPR, and global banking security regulations by validating compliance controls
- Conducted regular security audits, vulnerability assessments, and penetration tests to maintain regulatory adherence
- Strengthened governance frameworks with risk-based security policies and incident response playbooks
Security Awareness and Training
- Conducted red team exercises to assess staff preparedness against social engineering and phishing attacks
- Provided targeted security awareness training for employees handling sensitive financial data
- Developed customized security best practices to enhance the organization’s overall cybersecurity culture
Results
With COE Security’s Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS), the financial services provider achieved:
- Enhanced Cyber Resilience Identified and remediated security vulnerabilities before they could be exploited, reducing the risk of breaches
- Strengthened Financial Transaction Security Secured payment systems, preventing fraud and unauthorized access to sensitive financial data
- Regulatory Compliance Assurance Maintained compliance with PCI DSS, GDPR, and other financial regulations, minimizing legal and operational risks
- Proactive Threat Mitigation Adopted a continuous testing approach, ensuring security measures evolved with emerging threats
- Improved Security Culture Increased awareness and preparedness among employees, reducing human-related security risks
Through COE Security’s PTaaS, the organization fortified its cybersecurity posture, ensuring customer trust, regulatory compliance, and uninterrupted financial services.