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How to choose a pentest company in Kazakhstan: 8 questions for the contractor

KEMEL.TECH · Updated

To choose a pentest contractor, check eight things: the contract and scope of work, the methodology (for example, OWASP), manual confirmation of findings, a clear report, a free retest, handling of your data, transparent pricing and readiness to take part in a regulator's inspection. A mandatory condition in Kazakhstan is written permission from the resource owner, otherwise the work is considered unlawful access (Article 205 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan).

8 questions for the contractor

  • Is there a contract, an NDA and written permission with clear boundaries (scope)?
  • What methodology is used for testing: OWASP Top-10, API testing, business logic?
  • Are findings confirmed manually, or will you receive an export from an automated scanner?
  • What is in the report: description, CVSS level, reproduction steps, recommendations for developers?
  • Is a retest after fixes included, and is it paid?
  • How does the contractor handle the data it saw during the test, and where is it stored?
  • How is the price formed and what happens if there are no vulnerabilities?
  • Will the contractor help during a personal data law inspection and explain the results to the inspector?

Warning signs

  • A promise to “hack in an hour” without written permission.
  • The report is just a scanner export without manual verification.
  • Prepayment without a clearly described result.
  • The contractor is not ready to fix the scope of work in the contract.

How it works at KEMEL.TECH

Work is done under a contract with an NDA and clear boundaries, findings are confirmed manually, payment is only for confirmed vulnerabilities by CVSS, the retest is free, and during a personal data law inspection a specialist takes part as a technical specialist under a power of attorney.

Frequently asked questions

How does a pentest differ from vulnerability scanning?
A scanner automatically finds known issues and produces many false positives. In a pentest a specialist manually confirms the vulnerability and shows what can be done with it.
Does a small business need a pentest?
The law does not require a pentest for small personal data operators. It is useful if you have a website, user account area or app with customer data.