Financial Infrastructure
Under Nation-State
Adversary Pressure.
Banks, fintech platforms, and payment processors represent the highest-value targets in cyberspace. Nation-state actors, organised financial crime groups, and ransomware operators all prioritise financial institutions for credential abuse, payment fraud, regulatory leverage, and destructive attacks on critical infrastructure.
of financial institutions suffered a significant incident in the last 12 months
average data breach cost — 40% above the global cross-sector average
increase in API-based attacks against banking platforms since 2022
average APT dwell time in financial environments before detection
The adversary reality
for Financial Services.
Understanding who is targeting your sector — and how — is the foundation of an effective security programme. These are the primary threat actors, campaigns, and techniques recorded against financial services organisations in the last 12 months.
APT financial crime groups (FIN7, Carbanak, Lazarus)
SWIFT and payment infrastructure attacks
Credential stuffing and account takeover automation
Ransomware targeting core banking systems
of financial institutions suffered a significant incident in the last 12 months
average data breach cost — 40% above the global cross-sector average
increase in API-based attacks against banking platforms since 2022
average APT dwell time in financial environments before detection
Security pressures unique
to financial services.
Every security challenge in financial services has specific context, specific consequences, and specific adversaries. Generic security programmes don't address them.
Core Banking & Payment Rail Security
Legacy core banking systems, SWIFT connectivity, and real-time payment networks represent critical paths requiring continuous monitoring, anomaly detection, and hardened access controls that operational teams rarely prioritise.
Identity & Credential Abuse
Credential stuffing attacks against online banking portals, synthetic identity fraud, and privileged insider account misuse are the most common initial access vectors across financial institutions globally.
Open Banking API Security
PSD2 and open banking mandates have dramatically expanded the attack surface. Third-party API integrations introduce new token theft, authorisation bypass, and data exposure risks that internal teams are not resourced to monitor.
Insider Trading & Data Leakage
Analysts, traders, and technology staff with access to material non-public information represent a significant regulatory and security risk. UEBA, data classification, and communication monitoring are essential controls.
Third-Party & Vendor Risk
Financial institutions rely on hundreds of third-party providers for critical services. Each vendor represents a potential entry point — and current due diligence processes rarely provide assurance at the depth regulators now expect.
Purpose-built solutions
for financial services.
Each service is calibrated to the specific threat actors, regulatory environment, and operational constraints of your sector — not repurposed from a generic programme.
Rigorous assessment of banking APIs, payment flows, and online platform security
- SWIFT infrastructure and payment API penetration testing
- Online banking portal credential abuse and session management testing
- Open banking third-party API authorisation bypass assessment
- Core banking system access control and privilege escalation testing
Intelligence-driven 24/7 monitoring calibrated to financial sector threat actors
- SWIFT transaction anomaly detection and payment fraud alerting
- Real-time credential abuse and account takeover detection
- Insider trading behavioural analytics and UEBA monitoring
- FIN7, Carbanak, and Lazarus Group TTP-specific detection rules
APT-grade simulation of financial sector threat actors against your defences
- Lazarus Group and Carbanak TTP replication against banking infrastructure
- Full kill-chain campaign from OSINT through payment system access
- TIBER-EU and CBEST compliant red team engagement delivery
- Board-level risk quantification and defensive programme assessment
Frameworks
we align to.
We don't just advise on compliance — we build security programmes that satisfy regulatory requirements as a by-product of genuine security posture improvement.
PCI DSS v4.0
Mandatory for all organisations that store, process, or transmit cardholder data. Version 4.0 introduces significant new requirements around authentication, targeted risk analysis, and automated controls.
Digital Operational Resilience Act (EU)
Enforceable across EU financial entities from January 2025. Mandates ICT risk management, incident reporting within 4 hours, TLPT (threat-led penetration testing), and third-party ICT provider oversight.
SWIFT Customer Security Programme
Mandatory annual attestation for all SWIFT network participants. Covers 32 mandatory and 11 advisory security controls across authentication, network security, and transaction monitoring.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Section 404 requires documented evidence of IT general controls, including access management, change management, and operations controls that directly impact financial reporting integrity.
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
The Safeguards Rule requires financial institutions to implement a written information security programme, conduct risk assessments, and designate a qualified security programme coordinator.
Measurable results across
financial services engagements.
Mean time to detect payment fraud
Real-time transaction telemetry correlation with threat intelligence enabling sub-minute alerting on anomalous payment behaviour
Reduction in fraud-related losses
Measured over 12-month engagements across financial sector clients through early detection and automated containment
Regulatory compliance posture
Full DORA, PCI-DSS v4.0, and SWIFT CSP alignment achieved and evidenced for audit submission
Secure your financial services
operations today.
Our security team will map your adversary threat profile, identify the highest-risk attack paths specific to financial services, and design a programme aligned to your operational constraints and regulatory requirements.