◈ OUR METHODOLOGY ◈

HOW WE
OPERATE

No black boxes. No jargon. Just a clear, documented engagement from your first message to your final certification — with your security, ethics, and business continuity protected at every step.

Ethics-First Approach Signed Authorisation Full NDA Included Free Retest Included
THE ENGAGEMENT LIFECYCLE

Five Phases.
Zero Guesswork.

Every engagement follows the same disciplined sequence. You always know exactly where we are and what happens next.

01
DISCOVERY & SCOPING

We Listen First

Before a single packet is sent, we understand your environment, your concerns, and your compliance obligations. We define exact scope — what's in, what's out, and why.

Kick-off Call Asset Inventory Rules of Engagement
# Phase 1 — Outputs
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Signed Statement of Work
Full NDA & Liability Cover
Written Authorisation Letter
Defined Scope Document
# Phase 2 — Methodology
─────────────────
OSINT & Passive Recon
Network & Port Discovery
Service Fingerprinting
Attack Surface Mapping
02
RECONNAISSANCE

We Map the Terrain

Passive and active intelligence gathering to understand your full attack surface — subdomains, exposed services, leaked credentials, technology stack, and open ports — before any exploitation begins.

OSINT Shodan / Censys DNS Enumeration Cert Transparency
03
EXPLOITATION

We Try to Break In

Manual, expert-led exploitation of discovered vulnerabilities — the same techniques real attackers use. Every finding is documented with proof-of-concept evidence, impact rating, and business context.

Manual Testing Social Engineering CVE Exploitation
# Techniques (if in scope)
─────────────────
Web App — OWASP Top 10
Network Penetration
Phishing Simulation
Privilege Escalation
Lateral Movement
# Report Contents
─────────────────
Executive Summary
Risk-Rated Findings
Proof-of-Concept Evidence
Step-by-step Remediation
Compliance Mapping
04
REPORTING

We Tell You Everything

A dual-audience report: a plain-language executive summary for leadership, and a full technical breakdown for your IT team. Every finding includes impact, evidence, and a concrete remediation path.

PDF Report CVSS Scoring Remediation Guide
05
RETEST & CERTIFICATION

We Verify the Fix

After you remediate, we retest every finding at no extra charge. Once confirmed closed, you receive a Certification Report — suitable for clients, auditors, and insurers. The loop is fully closed.

Free Retest 30-day Support Cert Report
✓ ENGAGEMENT COMPLETE
────────────────────────
Vulnerabilities remediated.
Retest passed.
Certificate issued.
Status: CERTIFIED CLEAN ✓
THE GREYHAT4HIRE STANDARD

Ethics Not Optional.
Built In.

We operate in a space where trust is everything. These aren't marketing promises — they're the non-negotiables that govern every single engagement.

Written Authorisation Always

We never touch a single system without signed, written permission from the verified owner. No exceptions. This protects you and us legally.

Your Data Stays Yours

Any data accessed during testing is handled under strict NDA. We document what we touched, and everything is securely deleted post-engagement.

Critical Findings Disclosed Immediately

If we discover a critical vulnerability mid-engagement, we notify you immediately — we don't wait for the final report while your systems are exposed.

We Never Go Out of Scope

If we encounter something interesting outside the agreed scope, we flag it and ask — we never chase it without explicit approval. Scope creep is a legal and ethical boundary.

Business Continuity Protected

We test in ways that don't bring your systems down. Destructive tests (DoS, data wiping) only happen in isolated environments and only when explicitly contracted.

POPIA & GDPR Compliant

Our methodology aligns with South African POPIA and international GDPR requirements. Findings include compliance mapping where relevant.

◈ INTERACTIVE TOOL ◈

Engagement
Scope Builder

Answer 5 quick questions. Get a tailored engagement scope recommendation you can copy straight into your enquiry — no jargon, no guessing.

STEP 01 / 05
What best describes your organisation?
This helps us size and scope the engagement appropriately.
STEP 02 / 05
What are you most concerned about?
Select your primary driver for this engagement.
STEP 03 / 05
What systems do you want tested?
Select all that apply — click multiple if needed, then click any to proceed.
STEP 04 / 05
Do you have any compliance requirements?
This affects report format and evidence standards.
STEP 05 / 05
When are you looking to engage?
Helps us allocate the right capacity and set realistic expectations.
◈ YOUR TAILORED SCOPE RECOMMENDATION

      
THE GREYHAT4HIRE GUARANTEE

If we can't find anything,
we tell you that too.

We don't manufacture findings to justify our fee. A clean bill of health is still an outcome — and your report will document exactly what we tested and why we're confident in the result. That's a document you can show clients and auditors.

FREE SECURITY ARSENAL

31 Free Templates, Policies & Frameworks

IRPs, pentest checklists, POPIA compliance tools, NDAs, SOWs, and more — battle-tested by real security teams. No login required.

OPEN ARSENAL