Penetration Testing for Housing Associations

Requirement gathering: We identify your key objectives — whether that’s resident data protection, compliance evidence for auditors, or board-level assurance.

Scope definition: We work with you to define the precise systems, portals, and infrastructure components to be tested — ensuring coverage where it matters most.

Test planning: We prepare a tailored methodology, outlining the testing approach, tooling, and timelines — designed for minimal disruption to day-to-day operations.

Static Analysis: We analyse system configurations, scripts, and application code (where available) to identify insecure practices, misconfigurations, and legacy components that pose a risk — particularly in shared or inherited IT environments.

Dynamic Analysis: Our team simulates real-world attacks against your live environment to uncover vulnerabilities that emerge during system operation — such as session handling issues, authentication flaws, or misbehaving services.

Network Analysis: We inspect how data flows between systems — including between resident-facing portals and backend infrastructure — to identify weaknesses in encryption, authentication, or internal segmentation.

Identify Threat Agents: We assess who might target your organisation — from opportunistic attackers scanning for exposed services, to more targeted threats such as ransomware actors or disgruntled insiders — and evaluate their likely methods and motivations.

Identify Potential Vulnerabilities: Using knowledge of common housing-sector architectures, we map out where systems are most likely to be at risk — including internet-facing portals, outdated legacy software, or unsegmented internal networks.

Automated Scanning: We deploy industry-leading automated tools to rapidly identify known vulnerabilities across your infrastructure — from outdated services to exposed configurations — with a focus on assets typically found in housing sector environments.

Manual Testing: Our security consultants then go beyond automation, performing targeted manual testing to uncover more complex, logic-based issues that tools often miss — especially in bespoke systems like tenant portals or in-house applications.

Simulated Attacks: We safely exploit identified vulnerabilities to demonstrate how real-world attackers could access sensitive data, disrupt operations, or escalate privileges — all without risking live systems or resident services.

Proof of Concept: Where high-impact vulnerabilities are discovered, we develop clear, controlled proofs of concept. These illustrate potential breach scenarios in a way that’s understandable for both technical teams and board-level stakeholders.

Reporting: You’ll receive a comprehensive report outlining each identified vulnerability, its severity, and potential impact — with technical detail for IT teams and executive-ready summaries for board and compliance reporting.

Remediation: We provide clear, actionable remediation guidance prioritised by risk — enabling your team to address issues efficiently and meet regulatory expectations with confidence.

Re-testing: Where required, we perform follow-up testing to verify that critical vulnerabilities have been resolved — supporting a closed-loop approach to risk management and audit assurance.

Ongoing Assurance: For housing associations seeking sustained visibility, we offer optional ongoing monitoring and periodic testing to help maintain a strong security posture year-round.

Sector-Aligned Advisory: Our consultants remain available for ad hoc guidance — whether you’re navigating regulatory changes, planning system upgrades, or responding to new threats.

Partnership Approach: We don’t just test and leave — we work as an extension of your team, supporting your long-term cyber resilience goals with trusted, sector-specific insight.