WorkNest Secure has achieved CREST Simulated Targeted Attack & Response for Financial Services (STAR-FS) accreditation, recognising its ability to deliver intelligence-led red teaming assessments for organisations operating in high-risk and regulated environments.
The accreditation confirms that WorkNest Secure meets CREST’s standards for conducting threat-led penetration testing, using realistic attack scenarios to assess how effectively organisations can prevent, detect and respond to sophisticated cyber threats.
Developed in collaboration with the Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), STAR-FS is designed to help financial institutions assess the resilience of their critical business services against realistic cyberattacks.
Moving Beyond Traditional Penetration Testing
While conventional penetration testing focuses on identifying technical vulnerabilities, red teaming takes a broader approach by simulating how a determined attacker might target an organisation’s people, processes and technology.
STAR-FS assessments use commercial threat intelligence to develop scenarios based on the tactics, techniques and procedures used by real-world threat actors. These scenarios are then used to test an organisation’s security controls, detection capabilities and incident response processes.
The aim is to identify not only where weaknesses exist, but how effectively an organisation would respond if an attacker attempted to exploit them.
Kirsty Fowler, Managing Director of WorkNest Secure, said organisations are increasingly looking for more comprehensive ways to assess their cyber resilience.
“There is growing demand for security testing that goes beyond identifying technical vulnerabilities. Red teaming provides organisations with a much clearer understanding of how well their people, processes and technology work together when faced with a determined attacker.”
She added: “Achieving CREST STAR-FS accreditation is an important milestone for WorkNest Secure. It recognises the expertise of our red team and ability to deliver intelligence-led assessments that meet one of the highest standards in the industry.”
Strengthening Offensive Security Expertise
The accreditation follows the launch of WorkNest Secure, which brought together the cybersecurity expertise of Pentest People and Bulletproof under a single brand.
It also reflects the company’s continued investment in offensive security services, particularly as organisations face increasing pressure to demonstrate that their security controls and response capabilities can withstand realistic attacks.
Dominic Mortimer, Head of Red Team at WorkNest Secure, said effective red teaming should challenge assumptions about how well an organisation is protected.
“Red teaming is about understanding what would happen if a skilled attacker genuinely targeted your organisation. It’s designed to replicate realistic attack scenarios, challenge assumptions and provide organisations with valuable insight into how effectively their security controls, detection capabilities and response processes perform under pressure.”
Mortimer added that achieving STAR-FS accreditation demonstrates the company’s commitment to maintaining high technical standards while continuing to develop its offensive security capabilities.
The accreditation expands WorkNest Secure’s existing portfolio of CREST-accredited services and supports its focus on helping organisations adopt a more proactive, intelligence-led approach to managing cyber risk.
