One-Off vs. Managed Pentesting: What Financial Institutions Must Know

Banks and large enterprises are not defined by a single website or mobile app. A modern financial institution might operate hundreds of interconnected services – from customer-facing portals to backend APIs, building management systems, and even IoT-based CCTV solutions. Each of these systems is a potential attack vector, and each has its own compliance and testing rhythm.

The question is: How do you keep up with the pentesting demands of 800+ services? And is a one-off pentest enough to manage such complexity?

The Limitations of One-Off Pentesting

A traditional pentest is typically a point-in-time exercise. A security provider is contracted to test a single application or system, deliver a report, and move on. While technically sound, this approach has major drawbacks when scaled to enterprise needs:

• It lacks context. A one-off pentest focuses on a single target but doesn’t consider your entire attack surface.

• Coordination overhead. Every time you need a test, you must reach out to different providers, asset owners, coordinate schedules, and align with release cycles.

• Compliance gaps. Frameworks like ISO27001, NIS2, NIST SP 800 -53, NIST SP 800 – 171, DORA and TIBER-EU require periodic testing of critical assets. With dozens or hundreds of services, manually tracking this schedule becomes nearly impossible.

• No integration with remediation. Once a pentest report is delivered, who ensures fixes are verified and tracked? Development teams, compliance, and external vendors often end up siloed.

Why Penetration Testing as a Service is Different

A Managed Pentesting Service (MPS) or Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) goes far beyond the traditional “scan and report” model. It is an ongoing, end-to-end offensive security program, tailored to your enterprise ecosystem and compliance requirements.

Key Advantages:

1. Asset Prioritization

Not all services are created equal.
A banking core transaction system or mobile app requires annual (or even quarterly) testing, while a non-critical internal app to show today's lunch menu may only need assessment every two to three years. Criticality-based scheduling ensures you focus on what matters most.

2. Centralized Coordination

With a managed service, you no longer have to chase 800 different service owners.
The managed service coordinates:

• Testing windows with development teams.

• Integration with release cycles (major updates, new features).

• Vendor management for third-party platforms.

3. Continuous Testing & Retesting

When vulnerabilities are found, retesting ensures they’re fixed effectively – a feature rarely included in one-off engagements. Continuous testing loops align with agile DevSecOps pipelines.

4. Compliance Alignment

Frameworks like ISO 27001, PCI DSS, DORA, and TIBER-EU require structured, documented security testing. An MPS provides:

• Automated reporting tied to compliance metrics.

• SLA-driven test frequency based on asset criticality.

• Evidence collection for audits – ready out-of-the-box.

5. Integration with GRC and Risk

Instead of delivering a standalone PDF, a managed service:

• Maps findings to risk registers and GRC frameworks.

• Provides executive summaries for board-level reporting.

• Tracks progress across teams (development, compliance, risk).

A Real-World Example: A Bank with 800 Services

Imagine a European bank with:

• 50+ customer-facing applications (web portals, banking apps).

• 200+ internal business systems.

• 100+ building and IoT systems (CCTV, access control, HVAC).

• Hundreds of APIs, integrations, and microservices.

Do all these assets need annual testing?
Not necessarily – but each must be classified, tested on a regular cadence, and tracked for compliance.

With a one-off approach, the bank would have to manage:

• Hundreds of vendor contracts.

• Scheduling headaches with each team.

• Manual result tracking and report distribution.

With a Managed Pentesting Service, the bank gets:

• A single security partner (Exploit Labs) managing all tests.

• Dynamic prioritization – critical apps tested annually, others on a multi-year rotation.

• Centralized dashboards for reporting and compliance alignment.

When Does a Test Make Sense?

Timing is as important as frequency.
A pentest should not only be scheduled based on the calendar but also on significant changes in the environment, such as:

• Major version releases of apps or APIs.

• Infrastructure migrations (e.g., cloud adoption).

• New regulatory audits or compliance deadlines.

With an MPS, these triggers are monitored automatically, ensuring no critical change goes untested.

How Exploit Labs Delivers Managed Offensive Security

Exploit Labs’ Offensive Security MSS combines elite red teaming expertise with structured pentesting operations.

Our MPS framework includes:

• Adversary Emulation: Real-world TTPs based on the latest threat intelligence.

• Risk-Based Scheduling: We test where attackers are most likely to strike first.

• Purple Team Integration: Findings are fed directly into your Blue Team for immediate response improvement.

• Compliance Mapping: Every test aligns with your GRC, risk, and regulatory obligations.

• Global Coverage: Whether you’re in the EU (DORA/TIBER), GCC, or beyond, our teams operate in regulated environments worldwide.

One-Off vs. Managed Pentesting – Quick Comparison