FinTech Security Audit
ISO 27001 Readiness Program
Confidential FinTech lender (multi-region)
8 weeks
Security lead, AppSec engineer, Cloud engineer, Delivery manager
Situation
The client had grown quickly—new product lines, new integrations, and multiple engineering squads shipping weekly. Security controls existed, but they were inconsistent across teams. Leadership wanted a clear risk picture and a pragmatic path toward an information security management system aligned with ISO/IEC 27001 requirements.
Objectives
- Establish a "single source of truth" for risk: assets, data flows, and threat exposure
- Identify and remediate critical web and API security gaps
- Harden cloud baseline configurations and access controls
- Build an audit-ready security program foundation (policies, evidence, ownership)
What We Did
We ran short, structured interviews (Engineering, DevOps, Support, Compliance) and mapped core systems (customer portal, underwriting services, internal admin tools), trust boundaries, and vendor limitations.
We used OWASP Top 10 categories as a common language to communicate risk. Deliverables included reproducible findings, exploit narratives, and patch guidance matching their tech stack.
We standardized guardrails using CIS Benchmark-aligned configuration recommendations (identity, logging, storage, network controls) to create a reusable baseline.
We created a lightweight security management layer aligned to ISO 27001: ownership, risk register workflow, policy pack, and evidence collection approach.
Challenges & Solutions
Asset sprawl & unknown systems
Solution: Implemented an ownership map and tagging rules—no tag, no deploy.
Vendor black boxes
Solution: Introduced a vendor risk questionnaire and compensating controls (network segmentation, least privilege, monitoring).
Fixes competing with roadmap
Solution: Created a severity-based remediation plan with sprint-sized tasks and assigned "security champions" per squad.
What's Next (Phase 2)
Tabletop incident response exercise, continuous vulnerability management, and quarterly security reviews.
- Reduced critical web/app findings from 12 to 0 within the engagement window
- Achieved full coverage of centralized logging and alerting for 100% of production services
- Established a repeatable ISO 27001-aligned risk and policy workflow adopted across all teams
Deliverables
- Executive risk report + engineering remediation backlog
- Cloud baseline hardening checklist + IaC guardrails
- Security policy pack + risk register + evidence plan