UK cybersecurity specialist WorkNest Secure has achieved Accredited Organisation status under The Cyber Scheme, providing further independent recognition of the technical expertise and professional standards maintained across its services.

The accreditation recognises organisations that demonstrate professional competence, quality and alignment with established cybersecurity industry standards. It also places particular emphasis on the qualifications and capabilities of the professionals delivering those services.

For WorkNest Secure, the latest recognition builds on its existing technical accreditations and reflects its continued investment in developing and maintaining a highly skilled cybersecurity workforce.

Independent Recognition of Cybersecurity Expertise

The Cyber Scheme is a Licensed Body of the UK Cyber Security Council and works to assess and recognise cybersecurity professionals against established industry standards.

Its Accredited Company Programme is designed to give businesses greater confidence when selecting cybersecurity service providers by linking organisational accreditation to independently verified workforce capabilities.

Unlike certifications focused primarily on processes or technical controls, the programme places significant importance on the people delivering cybersecurity services and their professional competence.

WorkNest Secure already has a number of penetration testing consultants who hold individual accreditations through The Cyber Scheme, making company-wide recognition a natural progression.

Jordan Constantine, Head of Offensive Security at WorkNest Secure, said the accreditation provides customers with independent evidence of the team’s capabilities.

“Becoming accredited under The Cyber Scheme felt like a natural step for WorkNest Secure. It’s one thing to say our team meets a high standard; it’s another to have that verified independently, and many of our penetration testing consultants are accredited under their scheme.”

He added: “Their assessments are respected across government and industry, and that gives our clients real confidence in the people testing their systems. It’s proof, not just a claim.”

Building Trust in Cybersecurity Services

The accreditation comes as organisations increasingly rely on external cybersecurity specialists to help identify vulnerabilities, assess risks and strengthen their defences.

With businesses placing considerable trust in third-party providers, independently verified qualifications and professional standards can provide an important measure of assurance.

Kirsty Fowler, Managing Director of WorkNest Secure, believes the expertise of cybersecurity professionals remains central to delivering effective security services.

“Cybersecurity is a people business. Technology is incredibly important, but customers also need to know that the people testing their systems, advising their teams and helping them respond to risk have the right expertise behind them.”

She added that the accreditation also reflects the company’s commitment to supporting professional development.

“Achieving the Cyber Scheme accreditation gives our customers another level of independent assurance and reflects the investment we continue to make in our people.”

Supporting Continued Growth

WorkNest Secure was formed following the integration of Pentest People and Bulletproof under the WorkNest Group, bringing together expertise across penetration testing, red teaming, attack simulation, information security, data protection and compliance.

The company also provides GuardNest, its proprietary vulnerability management platform, which combines vulnerability visibility, threat intelligence and compliance capabilities.

WorkNest Secure holds CREST and CHECK accreditations for penetration testing and recently achieved CREST STAR-FS accreditation for intelligence-led red teaming within financial services.

The latest accreditation adds to these credentials as the company continues to develop its technical capabilities and strengthen its position in the UK cybersecurity services market.

WorkNest Secure forms part of WorkNest Group, which employs more than 800 people and supports over 50,000 customers across ten countries.

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WorkNest Secure has achieved CREST Simulated Targeted Attack & Response for Financial Services (STAR-FS) accreditation, recognising its ability to deliver intelligence-led red teaming assessments for organisations operating in high-risk and regulated environments.

The accreditation confirms that WorkNest Secure meets CREST’s standards for conducting threat-led penetration testing, using realistic attack scenarios to assess how effectively organisations can prevent, detect and respond to sophisticated cyber threats.

Developed in collaboration with the Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), STAR-FS is designed to help financial institutions assess the resilience of their critical business services against realistic cyberattacks.

Moving Beyond Traditional Penetration Testing

While conventional penetration testing focuses on identifying technical vulnerabilities, red teaming takes a broader approach by simulating how a determined attacker might target an organisation’s people, processes and technology.

STAR-FS assessments use commercial threat intelligence to develop scenarios based on the tactics, techniques and procedures used by real-world threat actors. These scenarios are then used to test an organisation’s security controls, detection capabilities and incident response processes.

The aim is to identify not only where weaknesses exist, but how effectively an organisation would respond if an attacker attempted to exploit them.

Kirsty Fowler, Managing Director of WorkNest Secure, said organisations are increasingly looking for more comprehensive ways to assess their cyber resilience.

“There is growing demand for security testing that goes beyond identifying technical vulnerabilities. Red teaming provides organisations with a much clearer understanding of how well their people, processes and technology work together when faced with a determined attacker.”

She added: “Achieving CREST STAR-FS accreditation is an important milestone for WorkNest Secure. It recognises the expertise of our red team and ability to deliver intelligence-led assessments that meet one of the highest standards in the industry.”

Strengthening Offensive Security Expertise

The accreditation follows the launch of WorkNest Secure, which brought together the cybersecurity expertise of Pentest People and Bulletproof under a single brand.

It also reflects the company’s continued investment in offensive security services, particularly as organisations face increasing pressure to demonstrate that their security controls and response capabilities can withstand realistic attacks.

Dominic Mortimer, Head of Red Team at WorkNest Secure, said effective red teaming should challenge assumptions about how well an organisation is protected.

“Red teaming is about understanding what would happen if a skilled attacker genuinely targeted your organisation. It’s designed to replicate realistic attack scenarios, challenge assumptions and provide organisations with valuable insight into how effectively their security controls, detection capabilities and response processes perform under pressure.”

Mortimer added that achieving STAR-FS accreditation demonstrates the company’s commitment to maintaining high technical standards while continuing to develop its offensive security capabilities.

The accreditation expands WorkNest Secure’s existing portfolio of CREST-accredited services and supports its focus on helping organisations adopt a more proactive, intelligence-led approach to managing cyber risk.

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WorkNest Secure has expanded its GuardNest platform with continuous vulnerability scanning, giving organisations ongoing visibility into security weaknesses rather than relying solely on periodic penetration tests.

The new capability is designed to help businesses monitor vulnerabilities across internet-facing systems, web applications, and internal environments, providing continuous oversight of their attack surface as threats and infrastructure evolve.

The launch comes as organisations face increasing pressure from customers, insurers, and regulators to demonstrate continuous vulnerability management and stronger cyber resilience.

Moving beyond annual penetration testing

While penetration testing remains a critical part of any cybersecurity strategy, WorkNest Secure says annual or point-in-time assessments no longer provide a complete picture of an organisation’s security posture.

The enhanced GuardNest platform combines automated vulnerability scanning with expert analysis and remediation support, allowing organisations to identify vulnerabilities as they emerge and prioritise the issues that present the greatest business risk.

Organisations can schedule scans, monitor vulnerabilities in real time, and manage remediation activities through a single dashboard.

The platform now supports external vulnerability scanning, internal vulnerability scanning, web application scanning, and agent-based internal scanning, allowing customers to tailor the service to their environment and compliance requirements.

Simplifying vulnerability management

Alongside continuous scanning, GuardNest introduces new remediation workflows designed to help security and IT teams manage vulnerabilities more effectively.

Organisations can assign remediation tasks, define service level targets based on vulnerability severity, and track progress through to resolution. Automated escalation and SLA tracking are intended to ensure vulnerabilities are actively managed rather than simply recorded in reports.

The platform also includes live dashboards, historical trend reporting, and automated reporting that can support compliance initiatives, cyber insurance renewals, customer due diligence, and certifications including ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus, and PCI DSS.

Helping organizations focus on what matters

Kirsty Fowler, Managing Director of WorkNest Secure, said organisations need greater visibility into their cyber risks as environments continue to change.

“Cyber threats do not operate to an annual schedule, yet many organisations are still relying on point-in-time assessments to understand their security posture,” Fowler said.

“New vulnerabilities emerge every day and infrastructure changes constantly, so businesses need visibility of their risks as they exist today, not six months ago.”

She added that the new functionality is intended to reduce the complexity of vulnerability management by combining automation with expert support.

“By combining automated scanning with expert support and practical remediation guidance, we help organisations cut through the noise, understand what matters most, and know exactly where action is needed,” Fowler said.

Responding to changing security needs

The launch reflects a broader shift in how organisations approach cybersecurity investment, with many moving away from one-off security projects in favour of continuous monitoring and ongoing risk management.

WorkNest Secure said the new functionality is available immediately either as a standalone vulnerability management service or as part of existing GuardNest packages.

The latest release builds on the redesign of the GuardNest platform in 2025, which introduced a more collaborative and user-friendly approach to vulnerability management, penetration testing, and remediation.

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