Active

Penetration Testing

The organization shall conduct penetration testing of systems, applications, and infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities and assess security posture. Testing shall include use of approved testing methodologies, involvement of qualified testers, and documentation of findings, conducted at regular intervals with findings addressed.

Requirement ID
THR-004-R002
Parent Control
THR-004
Domain Code
THR

Requirement Details & Guidance

THR-004-R002 · THR-004
Why This Requirement Exists

Timely delivery ensures intelligence reaches the teams that can act on it before the threat becomes material.

Implementation Guidance

Define dissemination channels, audience, classification, urgency, and handling requirements. Tailor intelligence products to SOC, vulnerability, incident response, executives, and other stakeholders.

Practical Application & Audit Readiness

THR-004-R002 · Field Guidance

Business Examples

    Common Audit Findings

      Common Mistakes

        Best Practices & Ownership

        THR-004 · Recommended Approach

        Recommended Practices

          Typical Owner

          Cross-Mapped Regulatory Frameworks

          Harmonized Control Mappings
          FRAMEWORK CODE FRAMEWORK NAME & DETAILS FAMILY / CATEGORY VERSION ACTION
          CIS-V8 CIS Controls CIS Controls are a prioritized set of cybersecurit... Clause: Control 18 – Penetration Testing: 18.1 – Establish and Maintain a Penetration Testing Program
          CIS
          Best Practice
          		 vv8 View →
          COBIT2019 COBIT COBIT is an enterprise governance and management f... Clause: 4.4 – Deliver, Service and Support (DSS) > DSS05 – Managed Security Services > DSS05.02 – Manage network and connectivity security. 4.4 – Deliver, Service and Support (DSS) > DSS05 – Managed Security Services > DSS05.07 – Manage vulnerabilities and monitor the infrastructure for
          COBIT
          Governance Framework
          		 v2019 View →
          DORA Digital Operational Resilience Act The EU Digital Operational Resilience Act establis... Clause: Article 24(2) – Appropriate digital operational resilience tests Article 26 – Advanced testing of ICT tools, systems and processes based on threat-led penetration testing
          EU
          Regulation
          		 vCurrent View →
          GDPR General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) The General Data Protection Regulation is a bindin... Clause: Article 32(1) – Security of processing; Article 32(1)(d) – Testing, assessing and evaluating security measures
          EU
          Regulation
          		 vCurrent View →
          HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA is a U.S. federal law supported by implement... Clause: § 164.312(h) Standard: Vulnerability management; § 164.312(h)(2)(iii) Penetration testing
          US
          Law
          		 vCurrent View →
          IRDAI IRDAI Information & Cyber Security Guidelines IRDAI information and cyber-security requirements... Clause: §2.5-3.2.6 – System security testing
          India
          Guideline
          		 vLatest View →
          NIS2 NIS2 Directive The NIS2 Directive establishes EU-wide cybersecuri... Clause: Article 21(2)(f) – Policies and procedures to assess the effectiveness of cybersecurity risk-management measures
          EU
          Directive
          		 vCurrent View →
          NIST-CSF NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) The NIST Cybersecurity Framework provides high-lev... Clause: ID.RA – Risk Assessment | ID.RA-02 – Cyber threat intelligence is received from information sharing forums and sources ID.RA – Risk Assessment | ID.RA-03 – Internal and external threats to the organization are identified and recorded
          NIST
          Framework
          		 v2 View →
          NIST80053 NIST SP 800-53 NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 presents control families, i... Clause: 3.4 – ASSESSMENT, AUTHORIZATION, AND MONITORING; CA-8 – PENETRATION TESTING
          NIST
          Control Catalog
          		 vRev. 5 View →
          PCI-DSS PCI DSS PCI DSS is an industry security standard maintaine... Clause: 11.4.1 – A penetration testing methodology is defined,; 11.4.4 – Exploitable vulnerabilities and security
          PCI
          Standard
          		 v4 View →
          RBI-CSF RBI Cyber Security Framework / Master Directions RBI cyber-security requirements and directions set... Clause: 18) Vulnerability assessment and Penetration Test and Red Team Exercises – 18.5 Red-team exercises to assess vulnerabilities, business risk and defensive efficacy; 18) Vulnerability assessment and Penetration Test and Red Team Exercises – 18.6 Participation in cyber drills under CERT-In/IDRBT etc.
          India
          Regulation
          		 vLatest View →
          SEBI-CSCRF SEBI Cyber Security & Cyber Resilience Framework SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framewor... Clause: 2.2 ID.RA: Risk Assessment; 4.2 DE.DP: Detection Process
          India
          Regulation
          		 vLatest View →
          SOC2 SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria SOC 2 is an independent examination and reporting... Clause: CC7.1 – System Operations – To meet its objectives, the entity uses detection and monitoring procedures to identify (1) changes to configurations that result in the introduction of new vulnerabilities, and (2) susceptibilities to newly discovered vulnerabilities. CC4.1 – Monitoring of Controls – COSO Principle 16: The entity selects, develops, and performs ongoing and/or separate evaluations to ascertain whether the components of internal control are present and functioning.
          AICPA
          Audit Framework
          		 vLatest View →

          Parent Domain Context

          Governance Domain Baseline
          Domain Name:
          Threat Intelligence & Threat Management (THR)
          Purpose:
          To proactively identify, assess, and manage threats to the organization.
          Scope:
          Enterprise
          View

          Parent Control Context

          Control Baseline
          Control Name:
          Adversary Simulation & Security Validation (THR-004)
          Summary:
          Establishes adversary simulation including penetration testing, red teaming, purple teaming, adversary emulation, control validation, reporting, remediation tracking, review, and continuous improvement.
          Business Description:
          Establish and maintain security validation activities including penetration testing, red teaming, purple teaming, adversary emulation, and security control validation exercises.
          View