A Simplified Approach to Threat-Led Penetration Testing and Risk Management

Actionable TLPT steps for DORA are a must for all financial businesses. DORA is the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act. And it demands a robust approach to cybersecurity.

Threat-Led Penetration Testing (TLPT) is the cornerstone of becoming DORA compliant.

But how can you make sure your business is prepared for TLPT and DORA?

With this guide, we created!

By following these steps, you will: 

• Meet regulatory requirements, 
• Beef up your security posture proactively, and 
• Protect your business from evolving cyber threats.

So, let’s get to it!

Your Actionable TLPT Steps for DORA Readiness

Step 1: Review Your Current Cybersecurity Posture

Before you start TLPT, look at what you already have in place to stay safe digitally.

This action includes:

• Identifying important assets. What data, systems, and applications are most valuable to your business? These are the crown jewels you need to protect.
• Inspecting your security tools. What security measures are already in place? Are they what you need, up-to-date and effective? Better yet, do an in-depth security audit to get a clear picture.
• Learning from the past. Have you had any security problems before? How did they happen, and what did you learn from them?

This check creates a baseline for understanding your current digital situation. Additionally, it helps you decide where to start improving it.

Step 2: Align Security with Your Business

Cybersecurity does not operate in isolation.

This means your IT team must clearly understand your business goals and strategy. The better they understand the business needs, the better they can support and fortify your digital defences.

So, how can you connect IT and your business goals?

• Know your risk. How much risk can your business handle?
• Invest wisely. Make sure your security spending matches your business goals.
• Always communicate. Make sure all your employees understand the whys and hows of cybersecurity.
• Define roles and responsibilities. Everyone must understand their role in achieving and maintaining compliance.
• Get the right resources. Invest in the necessary tools, training, and personnel to support your security efforts.

This way, everyone works together to keep your business safe.

Step 3: Do Cybersecurity Training

It might sound like a cliché, but your employees are the first line of defence.

And the best way to keep this defence line strong is to educate them on the ins and outs of cybersecurity. 

But this is not a one-off tick. Cybercrime is constantly changing. So, security awareness training must happen annually.

This training should teach employees about:

• Phishing and social engineering – how to recognise and avoid these common attack methods.
• Password security – best practices for creating and managing strong passwords.
• Data protection – how to handle sensitive data securely.
• Incident reporting – what to do if they suspect a security incident.

Regular security awareness training helps your employees become active participants in cybersecurity efforts.

Step 4: Have an Incident Response Plan

Even if you do everything right, things can still go wrong.

If a breach happens, a well-thought-out action plan makes a big difference. Everyone involved will know what to do and how to handle it, getting things back to ‘normal’ in the least amount of time.

Also, it’ll show your DORA compliance.

Your incident response plan should cover:

• Roles and responsibilities. Who is responsible for what in the event of an incident?
• Incident response procedures. Outline clear steps for identifying, containing, and recovering from security incidents.
• Communication protocols. How will information be shared internally and externally?
• Recovery procedures. How will you restore systems and data after an incident?

But remember, having a plan is only half the solution. Your team should also be familiar with it.

It’s also necessary to test your response plan regularly to make sure it stays effective and up-to-date.

Step 5: Learn About Cyber Threats

Threat intelligence is the basis of effective TLPT and DORA readiness for financial businesses.

When you understand the specific threats you might face, you can customise your penetration testing to those risks.

So, what do you need to know?  

• Potential attackers. Who might target your business?
• Attacker motivations. Why would they attack your business, and what could they gain from it?
• Attack methods. What tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) could they use?
• Industry-specific threats. What are the common threats faced in your industry?

As they say, knowledge is power. In this case, it’ll help you be proactive in your cybersecurity efforts.

Step 6: Choose the Right TLPT Partner

DORA and TLPT can be tricky; expertise your internal team might not have.

But you can’t just hire anyone to essentially break into your business and find all your sensitive data.

Book a meeting with experts like 7ASecurity.

Ask to see their credentials and read customer reviews. This way, you can get a clear picture of what they can do and if they are reliable.

How can 7ASecurity help?

• DORA compliance TLPT testing service. We use threat intelligence to simulate real-world attacks and find dangers in your systems.
• Incident response plan. Our team will help you create and test incident response plans to make sure you’re prepared should something happen.
• DORA compliance. We’ll guide you through the complexities of DORA and make sure you meet the requirements.
• Security audits. Our specialists will audit your cybersecurity systems to confirm they meet industry regulations.

With us, you’ll get qualified and experienced guidance and support. So, you can rest assured that you are DORA-ready.

Step 7: Prioritise Corrections

TLPT is not just about finding vulnerabilities but fixing them.

Once you know what your weaknesses are, you can start mending them.

The best way to prioritise your remediation plan is to: 

• Review your penetration report, and
• List issues based on how badly they can impact your business.

Act Today

DORA compliance is not optional for financial organisations. It’s a critical step towards building a secure and resilient business.

These steps can help your company on the right track to prepare for TLPT and DORA compliance.

But, if you want more comprehensive information…

Contact us today for a free chat!

We can help you understand DORA and keep your business safe.