What services does Nokta Guard offer?

Nokta Guard offers penetration testing and other offensive security tests, digital forensics, vulnerability and exposure management, risk and compliance consulting, and training and awareness services. You can engage us for a single service or combine several into a programme.

Where is Nokta Guard based and which regions do you serve?

We are headquartered in Kartal, Istanbul. We serve organisations across Turkey both on site and remotely, and organisations abroad remotely. Work that requires an on-site presence is planned during scoping.

What size of organisations do you work with?

We work at different scales, from small businesses testing a single web application to large organisations with many systems. We set the scope and testing depth according to your organisation's size and risk level.

What certifications does your team hold?

Our penetration testing team holds national and international certifications: OSCP, OSEP, CRTO, CEH, eMAPT, eCPTXv2, eWPTX / eWPTXv2, plus TSE Senior Penetration Tester and TSE Certified Penetration Tester personnel certificates. On request, we can share the CVs of the assigned specialists with the proposal.

Do you offer ongoing services beyond one-off tests?

Yes. Through vulnerability management, a CTEM programme and patch validation, we can track your weaknesses on a weekly or monthly basis. This also gives you visibility of new risks that appear between two penetration tests.

What is penetration testing?

Penetration testing is a controlled test of your systems by authorised specialists using real attacker techniques. The aim is to find vulnerabilities before an attacker does, prove that they can be exploited and report how to fix them.

What is the difference between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing?

Vulnerability scanning lists known weaknesses with automated tools and often includes false positives. In a penetration test, specialists validate findings manually, look for business logic flaws and show how far an attacker could get by chaining vulnerabilities.

How often should a penetration test be performed?

The general recommendation is at least once a year and after every major system or application change. For organisations subject to BDDK, SPK, EPDK or PCI DSS, frequency may also be set by the relevant regulation.

What is the difference between black-box, grey-box and white-box testing?

In a black-box test, the team receives no information about the target and simulates an external attacker. In a grey-box test, limited information such as a user account is shared, while a white-box test provides architecture documents or source code. The more information provided, the deeper the review possible in the same time.

How long does a penetration test take?

Duration depends on scope. We confirm the timeline in the proposal after scoping.

What happens if a critical vulnerability is found during testing?

When we identify a critical vulnerability, we notify the contact named in the rules of engagement immediately, without waiting for the report. This lets you act on urgent risks before testing ends.

What is a digital forensic examination and when is it needed?

A digital forensic examination is the analysis and reporting of digital traces on computers, phones, storage media or servers while preserving evidence integrity. Common cases include internal investigations, data leaks, commercial disputes, employment and family law matters.

Can deleted data be recovered?

Whether deleted data can be examined depends on the device type, how the data was deleted, whether the device was used afterwards and whether it is encrypted. Where technically possible, deleted files and records can be examined, but the outcome cannot be guaranteed in advance. We share the likelihood with you during the initial assessment.

Can your forensic report be used as evidence in court?

Our reports are prepared in an auditable way, including methods, tools and hash values. Whether a report is admitted as evidence and how much weight it carries is at the discretion of the relevant authority. Nokta Guard is not a court-appointed expert witness; we provide expert opinion and technical consultancy.

Can you review an existing court expert report?

Yes. Through our expert opinion service, we can review the technical methods of an existing expert report, its findings on evidence integrity and the basis of its conclusions. We present our assessment as a technical expert opinion.

Do you accept requests from individuals?

Yes. In addition to organisations, we assess requests from individuals who have lost data, are involved in legal proceedings or need digital evidence examined. Call us or fill in the contact form for an initial assessment.

How does a project get started?

Once you reach us via the contact form, email or phone, we hold a short initial call. We then complete the scoping form together, prepare a proposal and, with your approval, sign the contract and authorisation documents.

Do you sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)?

Yes. An NDA can be signed before any scope details are shared. All project information, findings and reports are kept in environments accessible only to the team members assigned to the project.

What authorisation is needed before testing starts?

Before testing begins, the system owner's written authorisation and rules of engagement defining the limits of the test are signed. If you use cloud or hosting services, the provider's testing policies are also followed. Testing does not start without these documents.

How are our data and test findings stored?

Reports, evidence and forensic images are stored in encrypted environments with access limited to authorised team members. Data is either not retained at all or kept for 3 or 6 months, as you prefer, and then securely destroyed.

Can tests be run outside business hours?

Yes. Tests that could affect live services can be scheduled at night, at weekends or in maintenance windows. Testing times are set out in writing in the rules of engagement.

How is the price of a penetration test determined?

Pricing depends on the number of applications, IP addresses and user roles in scope, the type of test (web, mobile, internal network, etc.), the testing approach and reporting requirements. These factors determine the specialist effort required and therefore the proposal.

How is the fee for a forensic examination determined?

The fee depends on the number and type of devices, storage capacity, the physical and encryption status of the devices, the depth of examination required and the type of report. Cases requiring advanced methods such as chip-off are assessed separately.

What information should I share to get a quote?

For a penetration test, share the list of systems to be tested, their approximate size, the test type and any regulatory requirement. For forensics, a brief description of the devices, their condition and the purpose of the examination is enough for an initial assessment.

Is the retest included in the proposal?

The scope of the retest and the period within which it will be performed are stated clearly in the proposal. That way you know from the start under what conditions retesting will take place after you fix the findings.

What does a penetration test report include?

The report includes an executive summary, scope and method, a risk matrix and, for each finding, impact, CVSS score, evidence, reproduction steps and remediation guidance. A separate retest report is delivered after fixes are made.

When and how is the report delivered?

The delivery time is stated in the proposal according to the size of the scope. Reports are delivered encrypted, with the password sent through a separate channel. We then review the results with your team in a presentation meeting.

Can the report be prepared in English?

Yes. Reports can be prepared in Turkish or English on request. Simply let us know your language preference during scoping.

Can we present the report to an auditor or regulator?

Our reports present scope, method, findings and retest results in a format suitable for audits. Whether a report is accepted in a specific audit depends on that regulation's requirements for the testing firm and the report. We review those requirements with you during scoping.

Penetration Testing & Forensics FAQ

How is a managed service different from one-off support?

One-off support is called when a problem occurs. In a managed service, your infrastructure is monitored continuously, routine work is planned, and response times are defined by contract.

Do you work only with specific vendors?

No. Our services are vendor-neutral, and we can manage common enterprise products in your existing environment. Scope is agreed product by product at the start.

Do we keep administrative control of our devices?

Yes. Permissions, change approval processes and access logging are defined together in the contract, and critical changes are not made without your approval.

Do you provide on-site support?

On-site support for issues that cannot be resolved remotely can be included in the contract. Coverage areas and times are specified there.

Do you support products bought from another supplier?

Yes. We can support products regardless of where they were purchased. The product's vendor support and license status are checked when defining scope.

What is the difference between response time and resolution time?

Response time is how long it takes for a specialist to start working on your ticket. Resolution time is the target time to fix the issue or apply a workaround.

What happens when vendor support is needed?

We open and track the vendor case on your behalf and keep you informed throughout. This requires the product's vendor support contract to be active.

We bought the product elsewhere. Can you deploy it?

Yes. We can deploy and integrate products regardless of where you bought them. Scope and required access are agreed in advance.

Will deployment cause downtime?

To reduce the risk of outages, deployments take place in approved maintenance windows with a rollback plan. Cutover steps for inline products are planned separately.

How long does deployment take?

Duration varies with the scope of each project; we confirm the timeline in the proposal after scoping.

Do you provide support after deployment?

Yes. For ongoing needs you can use our SLA-backed Maintenance & Support or Managed Security Devices services.

Do we need to buy new monitoring software for NOC services?

If you already have a monitoring system, we can use it. If not, we will help you choose a suitable, vendor-neutral monitoring stack.

Does the NOC also fix problems?

The NOC assesses alerts and provides first response within the contracted scope. Issues outside that scope or requiring vendor support are handed over through defined escalation steps.

Can a NOC replace a SOC?

No. A NOC monitors availability and performance, while a SOC monitors security events. Security monitoring requires a separate SOC service.

Can you monitor our branch offices?

Yes. Branch links and devices at remote sites can be included in the central monitoring setup.

Which vendors can you manage?

Our service is vendor-neutral, and we can manage common enterprise firewall, WAF and EDR solutions. Products in scope are agreed before the contract.

How is access to our devices controlled?

Access uses named accounts, multi-factor authentication and logged sessions. Access methods and permission levels are defined in the contract.

What happens when an urgent rule change is needed?

A separate, expedited approval process is defined for emergencies. The change is still logged and reviewed afterwards.

Do you review the current configuration before taking over?

Yes. During onboarding we review the existing configuration and rule base, report any risks found and agree on an improvement plan with you.

Is vulnerability management the same as penetration testing?

No. Vulnerability management relies on broad, periodic and largely automated scanning, while a penetration test is an in-depth exercise in which experts manually attempt to exploit weaknesses. Most organizations use both.

Which service should we start with?

If you do not yet have a regular scanning process, we recommend starting with Vulnerability Management. For organizations with mature scanning, CTEM and breach and attack simulation are the next step.

Can we keep using our own scanner?

Yes. We can feed your existing scanner's output into our validation and prioritization process. If you do not have one, we will help you choose a suitable approach.

Is CTEM a product?

No. CTEM is a program and a way of working, not a tool. Scanners, attack simulation and inventory tools are components used within the program.

What are the five stages of CTEM?

According to Gartner, the stages are Scoping, Discovery, Prioritization, Validation and Mobilization. The cycle repeats on a regular cadence.

Do we need mature vulnerability management before adopting CTEM?

A regular scanning and asset inventory process makes CTEM much easier. If that foundation is missing, we recommend establishing vulnerability management first and then moving to CTEM.

How long does a CTEM cycle take?

Cycle length depends on the size of the scope; many organizations work in monthly or quarterly cycles. We agree on the right cadence during the initial scoping work.

Will attack simulation harm our systems?

No, the goal is to measure without causing harm. Scenarios emulate attack behavior without real malware and run only on systems approved in advance.

How often should BAS be run?

Because controls change constantly, regular repetition matters. Depending on scope, weekly or monthly cycles, or runs after major changes, are common.

Do we need to buy a BAS platform?

Not necessarily. If you already have a platform, we can run scenarios with it; if not, we will help you choose a suitable, vendor-neutral approach.

Does BAS replace penetration testing?

No. BAS measures how your controls respond to known techniques, while a penetration test looks for and attempts to exploit weaknesses in your systems. They answer different questions.