
Service
Cloud & Application Security
Secure the cloud you run on and the software you ship on top of it.
Cloud and application security covers the two places most incidents start: a cloud environment configured in a way that exposes data, and application code or design that lets an attacker in. We review both by hand, in the context of how your system actually works.
This goes beyond a scanner. We look at identity and access, network boundaries, data storage, secrets handling and the application's own logic, then give you fixes that fit your stack.
What we cover
Identity and access
We examine roles, permissions and trust relationships for over-privileged accounts and paths an attacker could use to escalate.
Network boundaries
We check how your environment is segmented and exposed, from public ingress down to internal service-to-service traffic.
Data storage and encryption
We review where sensitive data lives, how it is encrypted at rest and in transit, and who can reach it.
Secrets and credentials
We look at how keys, tokens and credentials are stored, rotated and passed between services.
Application logic and design
We trace authentication, authorisation and input handling through the application to find flaws that scanners miss.
Build and deployment pipeline
We assess the pipeline that ships your code, since it handles credentials and can push changes straight to production.
Standards we work to
What's included
- Cloud configuration review across identity, network, storage and logging
- Application architecture and design review for security flaws
- Secrets management and access-control assessment
- Review of your build and deployment pipeline for security gaps
- Prioritised, stack-specific remediation guidance
- Guidance on secure defaults so new services start in a safer state
What you walk away with
- A clear view of how your cloud and application could be attacked
- Fixes that fit your stack rather than generic advice
- Safer defaults so future services do not repeat the same mistakes
How it runs
Understand
We learn how your cloud and application are built and what data they hold, so findings reflect real exposure rather than generic checklists.
Review
We assess the configuration and architecture by hand, looking at identity, boundaries, data and the application's own logic.
Prioritise
We rank findings by the exposure they create, so you fix what an attacker would reach first.
Guide
We give remediation guidance that fits your stack and, where it helps, secure defaults to keep new services safer.
How we approach the review
Black box
Outside looking in
We work from the exposed surface with no internal access, seeing your cloud and application as an external attacker first would.
Grey box
Limited access, shared context
You give us scoped credentials and architecture detail, so we spend time on real exposure instead of rediscovering how the system is built.
White box
Full visibility
We review configuration, source and pipeline access directly, which finds design flaws that no amount of probing from outside would surface.
Review versus scanner
An automated scanner and a hands-on review answer different questions, and the gap between them is where most breaches live.
| A hands-on review | An automated scan | |
|---|---|---|
| Context | Findings judged against how your system actually works | Generic rules applied without knowing your setup |
| Design flaws | Logic and architecture weaknesses surfaced by hand | Missed, because they do not match a known signature |
| False positives | Triaged out so you act on what is real | Left for your team to sort through |
| Remediation | Prioritised and fitted to your stack | A flat list of warnings with no ranking |
What this supports
A configuration and architecture review produces evidence and remediation that feed directly into the control frameworks you report against.
- SOC 2
- Supports the logical access, change management and system operations Trust Services Criteria with evidence of how your cloud and application are secured.
- ISO 27001
- Feeds Annex A controls on access control, cryptography, secure development and configuration management.
- PCI DSS
- Supports requirements on secure configuration, protecting stored data and building secure systems and software.
- NIST CSF
- Maps findings to the Identify and Protect functions so you can show where exposure sits and how it is being reduced.
FAQ
- How is this different from a penetration test?
- A penetration test actively exploits the running system. This is a configuration and architecture review: we examine how the cloud and application are built to find flaws by design, often alongside a test.
- Which cloud providers do you cover?
- The major providers and the common services built on them. We focus on the patterns that cause exposure, which carry across platforms.
- Can you review our deployment pipeline too?
- Yes. Build and deployment pipelines handle secrets and credentials and are a frequent weak point, so we include them in the review.
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Related reading
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