Babar Khan Akhunzada is Founder of SecurityWall. He leads security strategy, offensive operations. Babar has been featured in 25-Under-25 and has been to BlackHat, OWASP, BSides premiere conferences as a speaker.
SOC 2
If you've just been told a customer needs you to complete a SOC 2 audit, or you're preparing for one for the first time, a gap analysis is where you should start before you hire an auditor, before you buy compliance software, and before you spend
SOC 2
A SOC 2 penetration test typically costs between $8,000 and $25,000 for a standard SaaS scope web application, API layer, and cloud infrastructure. What puts you at the low or high end of that range depends on four variables: scope size, testing depth, report format, and whether retesting
TX-RAMP
TX-RAMP (Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program) is Texas's state-level cloud security certification framework. If you're a cloud service provider selling software or services to Texas state agencies, TX-RAMP authorization is not optional it's a legal requirement under Texas Government Code §2054.0593. Think
Assumed Breach Testing
What Is Assumed Breach Testing? Assumed breach testing is a type of penetration test that starts from the premise that an attacker has already gained access to your environment. Instead of testing whether someone can break in, it tests what they can do once they're inside — how far
HIPAA
Does HIPAA Require Annual Penetration Testing? Yes — effectively. HIPAA's Security Rule (45 CFR §164.308(a)(8)) requires covered entities and business associates to perform "periodic" technical evaluations of security controls protecting ePHI. The regulation doesn't use the word "annual," but annual
PTaaS
PTaaS (Penetration Testing as a Service) is a subscription-based security model that replaces one-off penetration tests with continuous, platform-driven testing. Security teams get real-time vulnerability findings, on-demand human testers, and built-in remediation workflows instead of waiting months for a static PDF. If you're evaluating PTaaS platforms, this guide
SOC 2
Does SOC 2 Require Penetration Testing? SOC 2 does not explicitly mandate penetration testing in its written criteria — but in 2026, auditors overwhelmingly expect it. Under CC4.1 of the AICPA Trust Services Criteria, organizations must demonstrate ongoing risk identification and that security controls are present and functioning. A scoped,
Does Nessus include remediation steps in its reports? Yes, but only in the loosest sense. Nessus plugin output contains a Solution field with one or two generic lines of guidance. What it does not include is anything your team can actually act on without significant additional work: no environment-specific steps,
GDPR
Last updated: March 4, 2026 — This page is updated monthly. Bookmark it and return. Live Tracker — Last updated: March 4, 2026 TikTok €530M Meta €479M €7.1B total since 2018 GDPR enforcement is no longer a background risk managed by legal teams. With €1.2 billion in fines issued in
NESA
Dubai’s regulatory environment is not just federal it is operationally local. While the National Electronic Security Authority (NESA) is a UAE-level authority, how NESA compliance applies in Dubai is shaped by Dubai-specific regulators, sector oversight bodies, and audit expectations. This distinction matters. Organizations searching for NESA Dubai, NESA compliance
Nessus is an excellent vulnerability scanning engine. It is fast, comprehensive, and widely trusted for identifying security issues across networks and cloud environments. However, Nessus reports are not designed to be shared directly with clients. Security consultants, penetration testers, and internal security teams quickly discover that raw Nessus reports create
Tool
Nessus is one of the most widely used vulnerability scanners for identifying security issues across networks, cloud environments, and applications. While running a scan is straightforward, understanding the Nessus report is where most teams struggle. Nessus reports are verbose by design. A single scan can generate thousands of findings, many