Penva Security

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Snapshot

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Educational software provider

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• Black-Box Penetration test

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Online Search

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged Penva to conduct a black-box web application penetration test of the Snapshot Educational Solutions platform — a cloud-based school management and learning tool used by teachers, students, and parents across Australian schools.

The scope covered our production web application including authentication flows, API endpoints, client-side code, session management, input validation, and access control mechanisms. Testing was conducted remotely over a five-day period following OWASP Testing Guide methodology with CVSS 3.1 severity scoring.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The engagement delivered clear, quantifiable results within a compressed timeframe. Three vulnerabilities were identified and assessed — one medium and two low severity — with zero critical or high severity findings, validating the overall security posture of the platform.

Two of the three vulnerabilities were fully remediated within the five-day testing window, representing a 67% remediation rate during the engagement itself. Both fixes were validated by the tester and confirmed resolved in the final report.

The completed penetration test report was a contractual requirement for Snapshot's Safer Technologies for Schools (ST4S) assessment — a mandatory compliance process required by the NSW and Victorian Departments of Education prior to signing government school software panel contracts. Delivery of the report on time directly unblocked contract execution with two state education department

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The engagement was exceptionally well managed given the tight timeframe and compliance-driven deadline. The tester demonstrated strong responsiveness throughout — when vulnerabilities were identified, Snapshot's development team was notified promptly, allowing two of the three issues to be remediated and validated within the five-day testing window itself.

Communication was clear and professional throughout the engagement. Findings were explained in plain language alongside the technical detail, making it straightforward to prioritise and action remediation work without delay.

The final report was delivered on schedule, which was critical given it was a hard dependency for a government compliance process with a fixed submission deadline. The tester understood the commercial stakes and worked collaboratively to ensure we met our deadline without compromising the thoroughness of the assessment.

We would not hesitate to engage them again — both for our scheduled annual penetration testing obligations and for any future assessments required as we expand our product offering.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What stood out most was the tester's ability to operate effectively within the constraints of a compliance-driven engagement rather than a standard commercial pen test. This wasn't just a technical exercise — the findings needed to meet the specific evidence requirements of the Safer Technologies for Schools (ST4S) government assessment framework, and the tester understood that context without needing to be guided through it.

The collaborative approach to remediation was particularly impressive. Rather than delivering a report at the end and walking away, the tester actively communicated findings during the engagement, giving our development team the opportunity to remediate two vulnerabilities in real time and have those fixes validated before the report was finalised. That kind of responsiveness is rare.

From a technical standpoint, the breadth of coverage was thorough — authentication testing, client-side code review, session management, input validation, API endpoints, and access control were all assessed across a Flutter web application built on a serverless Firebase architecture. Testing a non-standard stack like this competently requires genuine expertise, and the quality of the findings reflected that.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

None of note. The engagement delivered exactly what was scoped, on time, and with a level of collaboration that exceeded expectations. If pressed, the only observation would be that the testing was conducted against a staging environment rather than production, which is standard practice but worth noting for completeness. This had no material impact on the quality or relevance of the findings.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Partner & Chief Product Officer of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Venture building services for startups, scaleups and corporates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• Penetration Test of web application
• Penetration Test of mobile application
• Executive level report on identified vulnerabilities and current status.

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Referral

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Work included critical vulnerabilities testing of the biggest risks to the web and mobile applications (e.g. database injections, server-side attacks, critical logic flaws)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Google Sheet deliverable to present identified web application vulnerabilities and support collaboration with Future Golf development team to address identified vulnerabilities
• Google Sheet deliverable to present identified mobile application vulnerabilities and support collaboration with Future Golf development team to address identified vulnerabilities
• Detailed professional report outlining overall findings, risk assessments, and status of remediation steps

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Penva Security managed the project very professionally. Their proactivity and communication was excellent. They were flexible and willing to adapt if needed for the good of the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The testers from Penva Security are as strong in communication and collaboration as they are in technical expertise. This is rare to find.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

Penva Security could not have done anything better or differently. The key limitation in our project was the speed of developers to resolve issues, however Penva was proactive in following up and pushing for timely resolutions. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Northbase

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Web build websites and web applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• To provide thorough penetration testing for a varity of public and private applications for our clients

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Online Search

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Great Communication

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We had 4 customer applications, some with public facing entry points, some just as internal applications, that required extensive penetration testing. We were looking for someone to simulate real world hacking attempts, whilst also providing guidance and knowledge for our development team. Our key deliverables were:

• comprehensive penetration testing of public and private endpoints
• knowlege transfer to our development team
• development guidance and retesting through to completion

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Success for us was actually finding vulnerabilities in our applications. we are under no illusion that app development is perfect out of the box. So we actually wanted issues to be found.

From here, Penva was fantastic in providing detailed feedback as to the issues, and working with the development team to rectify and patch.

The key success metric was patching all found vulnerabilities.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Penva was ahead of the game. Really proactive, and delivered on time and on budget for the required tasks.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Penva Security was extremely easy to talk to about a topic that was outside our skill set. We wanted someone that would work with us, and understand where we had come from in the area of security as well. We wanted a team mate, and thats what we got.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

Not really no, the team at Penva were professional and detailed at all times. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CTO of an energy & natural resources company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Energy accounts and asset management platform

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• Third party web app penetration testing; blackbox penetration test and meet compliance and security requirements.

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Online Search

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

To perform a blackbox penetration test and meet compliance and security requirements

Penva Security conducted a blackbox penetration test of web application, focusing on identifying security vulnerabilities without prior access. Penva Security provided a detailed report with technical findings, risk ratings, and remediation guidance. Penva Security also supported the team during the fix verification process to ensure all issues were addressed effectively

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Black box penetration test results report. This was delivered promptly, and some vulnerabilities were uncovered.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Very reponsive on email. Worked quickly and delivered a concise report with solid findings. Appreciate the efficiency and speed.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Very communicative, worked promptly, and devoted all their attention to our project during our engagement. This is a refreshing experience.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

Penva Security went beyond just delivering a report. They provided hands-on support during remediation and maintained a high level of professionalism throughout. They are our first choice for a white-box penetration test in a few months; I expect an ongoing relationship

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the General Manager of Sreams

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We build data analytics software designed to help schools track and improve student performance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• We engaged Penva Security to conduct a thorough penetration test on our Student Performance Analytics Platform, which is used by school staff. The goal was to ensure the platform met security standards required for an upcoming audit.

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Online Search

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope included a complete gray-box penetration test of our application, which has a wide range of features and user roles. Penva Security provided a detailed assessment, identifying vulnerabilities and helping us prepare for a successful audit. A comprehensive report with clear remediation steps was part of the final deliverables.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Success was measured by how well the platform met audit requirements, how quickly and clearly vulnerabilities were identified, and how effectively we could fix them.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Penva Security was very responsive and punctual. They met all deadlines, provided regular updates, and were quick to answer our questions or concerns. Their approach to project management felt very collaborative and dependable.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What stood out the most was their consistent communication and willingness to explain each issue clearly. They worked closely with our developers and were transparent about every test case they executed. Their practical guidance made the remediation process much more manageable.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

We were very satisfied with their work. Penva Security not only delivered a detailed report but also went the extra mile to guide us through fixing the issues. We’d be happy to work with them again in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Founder of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Management software for restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• Pentest

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Online Search

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

They helped us to perform a pentest and through this proccess we discovered several vulnerabilities and were able to fix them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Number of vulnerabilities identified 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Work was delivered on time and in a clear and structured fashion. 

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their competence and experience were impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of an auto repair and maintenance company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Expert Auto Repair and Maintenance Services 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• To secure our web application that enables our customers to book appointment with us

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Online Search

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged Penva Security to conduct Penetrating testing for our web application. Key Deliverables were to provide pentest report and help us secure our application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The outcome we got was the pentest report and their collaboration with our IT team to help resolve open security issues on our web application.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management was top notch, as they kept us updated on their progress and completed the work in a week.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Timely Updates, Communication and the Manual Pentest Approach 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

Penva Security has met our expectations and done an absolute job in securing our web application.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of SUSNEO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sustainability Platform

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• PEN Test
• Cyber Essentials

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Upwork

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged the company to conduct a penetration test, vulnerability and security review, and to provide tailored services and consultation relating to Cyber Essentials certification, as well as support with completing software vendor due diligence forms.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We successfully made meaningful progress toward our Cyber Essentials certification, receiving the right support and implementing the necessary measures to ensure compliance as a software vendor. In addition, we completed a penetration test that confirmed we maintain the highest level of security available, while also identifying and addressing potential weaknesses in advance.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They were highly responsive, consistently thinking outside the box to provide solutions, and proactive in identifying potential issues we might not have foreseen.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What set them apart was their ability to deliver on time and on budget, while also foreseeing challenges and proposing solutions based on insights we might not have identified ourselves.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

none!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Talent Manager of an it services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a network of companies operating to provide Tech talent, Digital marketing, and Sales for hire for companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• Penetration Testing for the Client's Mobile Application

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Referral

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• Referred to me
• Other

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

A black-box penetration test of a client application. Key deliverables included a detailed report outlining vulnerabilities, along with remediation guidance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Penva Security identified critical security issues and provided a clear, understandable report that helped the team take immediate action.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They delivered the project on time and maintained effective communication throughout the engagement.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They specialized exclusively in penetration testing, had relevant certifications, and maintained transparency throughout the process.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

Penva Security did an excellent job, and we look forward to working with them again for future security assessments.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a digital marketing company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide digital marketing solutions including branding and website development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Penva Security to accomplish?

• Penetration Testing for Fruits Delivery App Hosted on AWS

SOLUTION

How did you find Penva Security?

Referral

Why did you select Penva Security over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Penva Security were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

One of our clients requested a penetration test for their fruit application, which was hosted on AWS. Penva Security conducted the penetration testing, assisted the development team in fixing issues during the testing period, and provided a detailed PDF report upon completion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Eliminated all high-risk vulnerabilities, ensuring full compliance with AWS security benchmarks.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Penva Security managed the project efficiently, delivered all items on time, and responded promptly and effectively to our needs throughout the engagement.

What was your primary form of communication with Penva Security?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Penva Security’s proactive communication, technical expertise, and commitment to resolving issues in real time were the most impressive aspects of their service.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Penva Security could have done differently?

There's nothing Penva Security should improve.