Wednesday 10th February 2021

BLOG: What Is STAR-FS?

star-fs threat intelligence

STAR-FS is the new standard for threat-led penetration tests within the financial services organisation. Very few organisations are accredited to provide STAR-FS and Orpheus is one of these select companies.

A threat-led penetration test creates realistic and current threat scenarios for penetration test teams to test against. This approach replicates likely tactics from relevant threat actors and tests the scenario in which you are most likely to be attacked. Once a threat intelligence organisation has developed the scenarios, these are passed to penetration testers to enact.

The largest banks in the UK have been required to undertake a CBEST for some time. A CBEST is also a threat-led penetration test but this is directly requested by the regulators. The CBEST requires significant involvement from the regulators, with their sign-off required at various stages of the process. While the largest organisations have been required to undertake a CBEST for some time, STAR-FS is a scaled-down version which does not require as much involvement from the regulator in the process. As this requires less regulator involvement from the CBEST, a STAR-FS is faster and cheaper to undertake while still providing similar results.

With the recent introduction of CQUEST it is expected that more organisations will be looking to the STAR-FS scheme. A STAR-FS test will provide an indication of the cyber resilience of the organisation and provide useful insights for organisations looking to improve their cybersecurity. Undertaking this without a direct request may also help the organisation be seen favourably by the regulator, in addition to providing useful insights into their cybersecurity posture.

A threat-led penetration test will give you insight into the areas where your business is most vulnerable. Remediation can be provided to the most critical areas, making the best use of your resources. Conducting a penetration test using the regulatory framework demonstrates compliance and will reduce the likelihood of further regulatory intervention.

If you would like to discuss your needs for STAR-FS or CBEST, please get in touch.

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