VAPT & Penetration Testing in South Africa

VAPT in South Africa is independent vulnerability assessment and penetration testing of your web, mobile, API, network and cloud assets, carried out to recognised methodologies — the OWASP testing guides, PTES and NIST SP 800-115. It both finds the flaws an attacker would exploit and produces the evidence your customers and regulators ask for, including the Cybercrimes Act and the national cybersecurity policy framework and PCI DSS requirement 11. CyberSigma is CERT-In empanelled and PCI QSA (CEMEA) authorised; we exploit, prove and prioritise, then retest the fixes.

Why VAPT, and what does South Africa expect?

A penetration test is the difference between assuming your controls work and proving it. In South Africa, regular testing is also increasingly an explicit requirement. We test to the methodologies assessors recognise:

• OWASP — the Top 10, the Web Security Testing Guide (WSTG), the API Security Top 10 and the Mobile MASVS/MASTG.
• PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard) and NIST SP 800-115 — for repeatable, defensible methodology.
• the Cybercrimes Act and the national cybersecurity policy framework — the national framework, which expects security testing of important systems.
• PCI DSS requirement 11 — mandatory internal and external penetration testing for anyone handling cardholder data.
• Customer and tender requirements — enterprise buyers in South Africa routinely ask for a recent independent test report before they sign.

What our South Africa VAPT covers

We combine manual exploitation with tooling — a scanner finds the obvious, an attacker finds the chain. In a typical engagement we:

• Web application testing against the OWASP Top 10 and the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide (WSTG) — manual exploitation, not just a scanner run.
• Mobile application testing (Android and iOS) against the OWASP MASVS/MASTG.
• API testing against the OWASP API Security Top 10 — broken object-level authorisation, auth flaws and excessive data exposure.
• External and internal network penetration testing, including privilege escalation and lateral movement.
• Cloud configuration review across AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.
• Clear, reproducible findings with proof-of-concept, business-risk rating and a remediation plan — then a free retest to confirm the fixes.

Representative engagement: a South Africa pre-launch test

A useful way to picture the work: a South Africa company about to launch a customer-facing platform needed an independent test before go-live and for its first enterprise customers. We tested the web app, APIs and cloud configuration, chained two medium findings into an account-takeover proof-of-concept, and gave them a fix list ordered by real business risk — then retested to confirm closure. This example is representative; named client references are available under NDA on request.

How long does a penetration test take, and what does it cost?

Most tests run one to three weeks depending on the number and complexity of in-scope assets. Cost follows that scope rather than a fixed list price, so we scope tightly on a short, free call and give you a fixed quote before any work starts. A retest to confirm your fixes is included.

What is the difference between vulnerability assessment and penetration testing?

A vulnerability assessment finds and rates known weaknesses, largely with tooling. A penetration test goes further: our testers manually exploit and chain those weaknesses to show real business impact — account takeover, data access, lateral movement. VAPT combines both, which is what most regulations and customers actually want.

Do you offer black-box, grey-box or white-box testing?

All three. Black-box mirrors an external attacker with no inside knowledge; grey-box gives us limited credentials/architecture to go deeper efficiently; white-box is a full-knowledge review. We recommend the mix that gives you the best coverage for your budget and goal.

Does PCI DSS require penetration testing?

Yes. PCI DSS requirement 11 mandates internal and external penetration testing at least annually and after significant change for anyone storing, processing or transmitting cardholder data. As a PCI QSA (CEMEA) authorised firm, we test and report to that standard.

Do you retest after we fix the findings?

Yes — a retest to confirm your remediation is included. You get an updated report you can show customers, auditors or your board evidencing closed findings, not just identified ones.

How often should we run a penetration test?

At least annually, and again after any significant change — a major release, new infrastructure, a cloud migration or a merger. Many customers and PCI DSS expect a test dated within the last 12 months.