Penetration Testing for UK Public Sector & Government Suppliers
CREST-accredited penetration testing for central government suppliers, local authorities, arm’s-length bodies and blue-light services. Crown Commercial Service supplier on G-Cloud. Citizen portals, casework systems, cross-government APIs and the networks behind them. UK-based testers.
- Unlimited retesting
- Unlimited pre-retesting
- No hidden fees
“I would highly recommend EJN Labs to any organisation seeking reliable, detailed, and well-managed penetration testing services, particularly for government or enterprise-level projects.”
“There wasn’t another company we could find that could deliver what we needed in the timeframe we needed. The client loved it, and we got instant ROI from the engagement.”
procurement route: public bodies can buy our CREST testing through G-Cloud, without running a separate tender.
What UK Public Sector Buyers & NCSC Guidance Expect
NCSC guidance. The NCSC’s penetration testing guidance explains how to scope, buy and act on a test, and treats it as a way to verify your vulnerability management rather than replace it. Our methodology follows it. NCSC penetration testing guidance.
Cyber Essentials in procurement. Many public sector buyers ask suppliers for Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus. Cyber Essentials Plus is a hands-on assessor audit, not a penetration test, so buyers often ask for both. As an IASME certification body we deliver the certificate and the test from one team.
GovAssure and the CAF. Central government departments are assessed under GovAssure against the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework. The CAF is outcome-based: it asks for objective evidence that you manage vulnerabilities effectively, and a penetration test is one form of that evidence. NCSC CAF.
Who we test for. Central government suppliers, local authorities, arm’s-length bodies, blue-light services and the software companies that build citizen-facing services for them. Buying through G-Cloud lets you start without a separate procurement exercise.
SCOPE
What We Test for UK Public Sector & Government Suppliers
Citizen Service Portals
Citizen-facing services, GOV.UK Design System front ends, planning, licensing and benefits portals. Citizen identity, household links, case confidentiality, delegated authority, IDOR and business-logic flaws.
Casework & Case Management
Staff casework systems for benefits, social care, complaints and investigations. Case assignment, sensitive notes, attachment access, bulk exports and third-party access.
Cross-Government APIs
APIs that connect your service to other departments, identity providers such as GOV.UK One Login, and supplier systems. REST and GraphQL with public-sector data-flow scrutiny.
Internal Network & AD
Internal segregation, Active Directory attacks, remote access pathways and privileged access across corporate and operational networks.
AWS / Azure / GCP
Cloud configuration review with UK-region scrutiny. IAM, encryption, audit logging and data-residency controls.
Phishing Assessments
Targeted phishing simulation against public sector staff, using government-aware lures such as GOV.UK impersonation and supplier-payment fraud.
OUR PROCESS
From Scope to Attestation in 4-6 Weeks
Scoping Call
30-minute technical scoping call. Define attack surface, methodology, rules of engagement, service continuity constraints and timeline. Fixed-price quote within 24 hours.
Active Testing
3-15 days of hands-on testing by CREST-certified pen testers. Daily status updates and live findings delivered to your client portal.
Reporting
Executive summary plus full technical report with CVSS scores, reproduction steps, screenshots, and specific remediation. 60-minute walkthrough call.
Free Retest
After remediation, we retest at no extra charge. Letter of attestation provided for audit, assurance review or supplier due diligence.
CREDENTIALS
Verified Accreditations Auditors Accept
Every credential below is independently verifiable. UK procurement teams, FCA supervisors, ISO 27001 / SOC 2 auditors, and cyber insurance underwriters all recognise these standards.
GET YOUR QUOTE
Get a CREST public sector pen test quote in 24 hours
A fixed-price quote back in one business day, from a named CREST assessor. No sales pipeline, no chasing.
- CREST and IASME accredited. Testing your auditors and clients already recognise.
- Fast-track testing within 24 hours where required. Free retest of every fix included.
- Live findings via your client portal, not a four-week PDF.
- Fixed price from £3,500 for a single-role, single-app scope, agreed up front. Most engagements run £5,000 and up. No day-rate surprises.
Dan WilcocksonFounder, CelloriUnder NDA Further named references available on a scoping call.
- We reply within one business day with a fixed-price quote from a named CREST assessor.
- You approve the scope and we book a start date, usually within 24 hours.
- Live findings land in your client portal as we test, with a free retest of every fix.
Get your fixed pen test quote in 24 hours
Quote request received
We will reply within one business day with your fixed-price quote from a named CREST assessor.
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or book a 20-min scoping call first
We reply within one business day. Your data stays with us. No newsletter signup.
COMPLIANCE READY
Reports Aligned to Every Framework
Findings map to specific control references in each framework, so your audit team submits the report directly without translation work.
NCSC Guidance
Scoped and delivered in line with NCSC penetration testing guidance.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Certified directly by us as an IASME certification body, alongside your test.
NCSC CAF / GovAssure
Objective vulnerability management evidence for CAF-aligned assurance reviews.
UK GDPR
Article 32(1)(d) evidence that you regularly test the effectiveness of your security measures.
ISO 27001
Annex A 8.8 technical vulnerability management, once you declare that control applicable.
NHS DTAC / DSPT
Where public sector suppliers also serve NHS organisations.
PRICING
Indicative Engagement Pricing
Fixed-price quotes confirmed during scoping. Free retest, executive summary, walkthrough call, and letter of attestation included.
Depends on service + scope
External / web / API / mobile single-target engagement. CREST-certified delivery. Around 3 to 5 working days from kickoff to report.
Get a fixed quoteDepends on service + scope
Multi-target combined engagement (web + API + external + AD), or single complex target. Typically 7-10 days.
Get a fixed quoteDepends on service + scope
Full-stack engagement (multiple cloud accounts, hybrid AD, complex web + API + mobile). Typically 12-15+ days.
Get a fixed quoteWHY EJN LABS
What You Get From Public Sector Penetration Testing
Six concrete differentiators competitors don’t all match.
CREST-Certified Testers, Verifiable
Every test by a CREST-certified pen tester (CRT, CCT APP, CCT INF where applicable). Verify our company status at crest-approved.org.
24-Hour Startup, Where Required
From signed scope to active testing in a single business day for incident response, audit deadlines, or regulator-driven timelines.
Live Findings, Not 4-Week PDFs
Critical issues reported during testing through your client portal. Your team remediates while testing continues.
Audit-Ready Reports
Executive summary plus full technical report with CVSS scores and explicit framework mappings (ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, FCA SYSC).
Free Retests, Standard
Verify remediation of every finding before close-out. Letter of attestation for audit submission included. Most competitors charge £1,500-£3,000 per retest.
UK-Based CREST Testers
Every engagement performed by vetted, UK-based CREST-certified testers, matched to your needs, security clearance, and compliance scope.
FAQ
Frequently Asked
Can we buy through G-Cloud?
Yes. EJN Labs is a Crown Commercial Service supplier on the G-Cloud framework, so public bodies can buy our testing through G-Cloud without running a separate procurement.
Have you tested government portals?
Yes. See our SquareOne case study, covering two government web portals tested by our CREST team.
Which public sector organisations do you test for?
Central government suppliers, local authorities, arm’s-length bodies, blue-light services, and the software companies that build citizen services and casework systems for them.
How do you handle citizen data during testing?
We test in non-production environments with synthetic citizen data wherever possible. Production testing needs explicit Information Governance approval and a restricted scope agreed in writing.
Can you test our GOV.UK Design System service?
Yes. We test GOV.UK Frontend services with awareness of their common patterns: form handlers, address-lookup integrations, GOV.UK One Login authentication, and where accessibility and security requirements meet.
How does your testing fit GovAssure and the CAF?
GovAssure assesses government critical systems against the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework. Our reports provide the technical vulnerability evidence a CAF-aligned review draws on; the review itself is run by the department and its assurance provider.
Do defence suppliers need a penetration test?
Def Stan 05-138 (the MOD Cyber Security Model) includes a control for penetration testing of externally facing systems at least every 12 months, from Cyber Risk Profile Level 1. We deliver CREST testing of those systems for suppliers; your contracting authority confirms your risk profile.
What’s in the report?
Executive summary (board-ready), technical report with CVSS 3.1 scores, reproduction steps, screenshots, specific remediation guidance, and a 60-minute walkthrough call. Letter of attestation issued after free retest.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes. We sign client-supplied NDAs as standard. Engagement data is protected under our ISO 27001 (BSI-audited) information security management system.
How quickly can you start?
From signed scope to active testing in 24 hours where required. Standard pipeline is 3-5 business days from initial scoping call to test start.
Are your testers UK-based and what certifications do they hold?
Every engagement is performed by vetted UK-based CREST-certified testers matched to your engagement based on security clearance, compliance scope, and sector specialism. Testers hold CREST certifications relevant to their discipline (CRT, CCT APP, CCT INF, CCSAM).
20+ CREST-accredited testing services in one place
Web, mobile, API, cloud, AI, infrastructure, red team. Pick the test that fits your environment.
Get my Public Sector pen test scope
A CREST-certified pen tester will contact you within one business day with a fixed price aligned to your public sector procurement and assurance needs.
