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

Do you present the findings as well?

Yes. On request, we present the findings verbally to your legal team or management.

Does the report contain definitive legal conclusions?

No. The report sets out technical findings; legal characterisation and judgment are for the relevant authority.

Is a digital forensics report the same as a court-appointed expert report?

No. A court-appointed expert (bilirkişi) report is prepared by an expert the court appoints. Nokta Guard is not a court-appointed expert; our report is a technical examination report prepared for the party that commissions it.

My computer does not boot. Can it still be examined?

In most cases, yes. If the drive is intact it can be removed and imaged. If the drive is physically damaged, a data recovery assessment comes first.

Will the examination damage my computer?

No. Because a write blocker is used, the contents of the drive are not changed; all analysis is done on the image.

Can an encrypted drive be examined?

It depends on the encryption and the information available. After a preliminary review we tell you whether it is technically feasible.

Can I have an employee's work computer examined?

Examining company-owned devices is possible, but employee privacy and Turkish data protection law (KVKK, Law No. 6698) must be respected. We recommend planning the process with your legal team.

I don't know the passcode. Can the phone still be examined?

It depends on the make, model and OS version. Access may be technically possible on some devices; we give you a realistic assessment after a preliminary review.

Can deleted WhatsApp messages be recovered?

It depends on the case. The time since deletion, whether the device has been used since, and how the app stores data are decisive; backups can also be assessed.

Can I have someone else's phone examined?

No. We only examine devices at the request of a person with legal authority over the device or under an order from a competent authority. We verify authority when we take on the request.

Can I use my phone during the examination?

No. To protect the integrity of the evidence, the device stays with us until extraction is complete, after which it is returned against a signed record.

Can I have evidence or a report submitted by the other party reviewed?

Yes. We can technically assess existing digital evidence and digital forensics reports in terms of method and findings and, on request, prepare an expert opinion.

Can you prove that evidence was altered?

Integrity verification and timestamp analysis allow signs of alteration to be technically assessed. The result depends on the records available.

What if the chain of custody was not documented?

A missing chain of custody does not by itself invalidate evidence, but it can make its reliability technically questionable. Our report sets this out objectively. The legal assessment of the evidence rests with the relevant authority.

Can you prove a document was altered after the fact?

By examining metadata, internal structure and timestamps, traces of alteration can be technically assessed. The outcome depends on the records present in the file.

Can you identify the device a photo was taken with?

If metadata is present, device information can be obtained. If it has been stripped, an indirect assessment may be possible from the file structure.

Can a document submitted as a screenshot be examined?

Only to a limited extent. A screenshot does not carry the original document's metadata; a technical assessment requires the original file.

I only have a screenshot. Is that enough?

A screenshot alone is not enough for technical verification. Ideally we need the original email file or access to the mailbox.

Can you prove that an email is fake?

By examining headers, the delivery path and server logs, we can technically assess whether a message came from the claimed source. The legal assessment of the result rests with the relevant authority.

Can deleted emails be found?

We search server backups, local mail files and residual data such as file slack on devices. The outcome depends on your retention policy.

We received a fake invoice email. What should we do?

Do not delete or forward the suspicious email; leave it in the mailbox as it is. Once you contact us, we assess its origin through header analysis.

Can data be retrieved from a formatted USB drive?

Data can sometimes be recovered after formatting. What matters most is whether new data has been written to the drive since.

Can a physically broken drive be examined?

If the memory chip is intact, advanced techniques may be considered to obtain the data. A preliminary review is needed first.

Can you tell when files were copied to the drive?

By combining file system timestamps with the system records of the relevant computer, a timeline can often be built. How precise it is depends on the records available.

Can you make a blurred licence plate readable?

If the information is not in the source recording, it cannot be created. Details that are present but hard to make out can be made more visible through enhancement.

Can you detect whether a recording has been edited?

By examining recording integrity, frame transitions and file structure, signs of cuts and splices can be technically assessed.

Do you detect AI-generated content?

We can analyse a recording for technical inconsistencies. Because the field is evolving quickly, results are presented as a probability assessment, never as a definitive conclusion.

How should I hand over CCTV footage?

Do not film the screen with a phone or send the footage through a messaging app. Ideally, export it using the recorder's own export function or hand the recorder over to us.

Can you tell whether a drive has a hidden partition?

Yes, this is part of the examination. We inspect the partition table and raw data area for hidden partitions and encrypted areas.

Can you find out which computer the drive was connected to?

Traces on the drive alone may not be enough. When the system records of the relevant computers are examined as well, this can be established in many cases.