Framework Security

Framework Security is a senior-led cybersecurity advisory firm that helps organizations reduce risk, meet compliance obligations, and respond effectively to security incidents. The team brings over 65 years of combined cybersecurity experience across real enterprise environments and regulated industries.

Framework focuses on making cybersecurity simple, effective, and cost-efficient. The firm cuts through tool sprawl and complexity to provide clear, straightforward advice tailored to each client's environment, risk profile, and business goals.

Core practice areas

Framework Security's work is organized into three primary practice areas:

• Risk and Compliance – Security and compliance strategy, cyber risk and gap assessments, control design, and audit readiness across multiple frameworks.
• Penetration Testing and Offensive Security – Manual, risk-focused testing of applications, APIs, networks, cloud environments, and people and facilities.
• Managed Security and Virtual CISO – Ongoing leadership and operational support to monitor, improve, and govern security programs.

In addition, Framework has a dedicated AI Governance and AI Security practice that helps organizations adopt AI safely and in line with emerging regulations and standards.

How Framework Security works

Framework is built around an embedded security model rather than one-time reports:

• Weekly working sessions with your internal teams.
• Shared ticketing so findings become actionable work items.
• Engineers paired directly with your engineers.
• Ongoing support instead of point-in-time assessments that go stale.

This model is designed to close risk in weeks instead of quarters, make engineering teams faster instead of just busier, and ensure security spend translates into measurable progress.

Key differentiators

• Senior practitioners – Engagements are led by experienced security practitioners, not junior checklist testers.
• Regulated-industry depth – Extensive experience supporting SOC 2, ISO, CMMC, financial services, healthcare, and other regulated environments.
• Independent and vendor-agnostic – Framework does not resell security products or take commissions on tools; recommendations focus on what fits your environment, stage, and budget.
• Responsive on critical timelines – Structured to move quickly when there are audit deadlines, buyer due diligence timelines, or incident response needs.
• Clear communication – Complex technical issues are explained in plain language for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Typical clients

Framework Security typically works with:

• SaaS and technology companies.
• Financial services and fintech organizations, including firms regulated by the SEC and FINRA.
• Healthcare and other regulated industries with sensitive data.
• Mid-market and growing enterprises that need enterprise-grade security expertise without building a large in-house security team.

Engagements range from a single assessment or penetration test to fully embedded virtual CISO and managed security relationships.

• Define how AI is used across the organization, including acceptable use, ownership, and oversight.
• Build governance frameworks that address legal, regulatory, ethical, and operational risk.
• Create AI use policies and procedures that are practical for business teams to follow.

Alignment to leading AI standards and regulations

Framework aligns AI governance programs with:

• ISO/IEC 42001 – AI Management System.
• NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
• Emerging regulations such as the EU AI Act, NYDFS Part 500 expectations related to AI, and relevant U.S. federal and state guidance.

Programs are designed so one governance strategy and one evidence set can satisfy multiple frameworks and jurisdictions.

AI risk and gap assessments

• Inventory AI systems, models, and use cases across the business.
• Evaluate risks such as model bias, data leakage, prompt injection, and uncontrolled third-party AI usage.
• Develop a prioritized roadmap to close gaps and strengthen oversight.

Policy, procedure, and risk register development

• Draft AI and security policies that define responsibilities, review processes, and escalation paths.
• Build and maintain an AI risk register that tracks risks, owners, and mitigation status.
• Establish lifecycle governance from development and deployment through monitoring and retirement.

AI and LLM security testing

• Test LLMs, AI agents, and AI pipelines using real adversarial techniques.
• Validate resilience against issues such as prompt injection, data exfiltration, and abuse of model outputs.
• Use MITRE ATLAS and related frameworks to structure AI-focused security testing.

AI management system certification support (ISO 42001)

• Guide organizations through building an AI Management System aligned to ISO 42001.
• Help prepare documentation and evidence needed for certification.

Benefits for regulated and high-trust industries

These services are especially relevant for:

• Financial services and fintech organizations subject to SEC, FINRA, and other financial regulators.
• Technology and SaaS providers embedding AI into products and operations.
• Healthcare and other sectors where AI affects safety, privacy, and trust.

AI governance and AI security engagements can be delivered as standalone projects or combined with broader virtual CISO and compliance services.

Framework Security provides ongoing security leadership and operations support for organizations that need expert guidance without building a large internal security team.

Virtual CISO (vCISO)

• Provides strategic security leadership on a flexible, part-time basis.
• Bridges the gap between board-level priorities and technical execution.
• Helps define security roadmaps, budgets, and metrics that align with business goals.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

• Around-the-clock monitoring of environments for suspicious activity.
• Expert threat hunters investigate alerts and coordinate response.
• Designed to give organizations SOC-like capabilities without building their own 24x7 team.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

• Continuous monitoring of endpoints for malware, exploit attempts, and suspicious behavior.
• Rapid containment and response to endpoint-level incidents.

SIEM services and deployment

• Design, deployment, and tuning of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions.
• Turn raw log data into actionable security intelligence.
• Ongoing support to refine detections and reduce alert noise.

Identity and access management

• Define and enforce who has access to what across systems and applications.
• Reduce risk from compromised credentials and excessive privileges.
• Implement best practices for authentication, authorization, and account lifecycle management.

Ransomware defense

• Assess ransomware exposure and current controls.
• Implement layered protections across backup, identity, email, and endpoint.
• Test resilience so recovery paths are clear before an incident.

Incident response training and forensics

• Develop and refine incident response playbooks.
• Provide hands-on training so teams can practice responding to realistic scenarios.
• Support forensic investigation when incidents occur.

Disaster recovery planning and resilience

• Build disaster recovery plans that prioritize critical systems and business functions.
• Define recovery time and recovery point objectives that match business needs.
• Create clear runbooks so recovery steps are understood before they are needed.

Microsoft 365 hardening

• Review and harden Microsoft 365 configurations.
• Reduce exposure from default settings and common misconfigurations.
• Protect email, identity, and data without disrupting day-to-day work.

Security awareness training

• Educate staff on phishing, social engineering, and everyday security hygiene.
• Turn employees into an active line of defense instead of a frequent attack path.

Threat intelligence

• Provide timely, relevant insight into threats targeting your industry, tech stack, and region.
• Use threat intelligence to inform defenses, detections, and incident response.

Managed security and vCISO services are typically delivered as ongoing engagements with regular working sessions, reporting, and roadmap updates.

Framework Security offers a range of penetration testing and offensive security services designed to uncover real-world weaknesses before attackers do.

Web application security testing

• Manual testing of web applications for vulnerabilities that automated scanners often miss.
• Focus on authentication, authorization, session management, input validation, and business logic flaws.

API security testing

• Security testing of APIs that power integrations, mobile apps, and backend services.
• Identification of common API issues such as broken authentication, excessive data exposure, and improper access controls.

Mobile application security testing

• Security assessments of iOS and Android applications.
• Evaluation of insecure data storage, broken authentication, API misuse, and reverse engineering exposure.

Network penetration testing

• Internal and external network penetration tests to identify exploitable weaknesses.
• Assessment of exposed services, segmentation, lateral movement paths, and common misconfigurations.

Cloud and infrastructure security

• Security reviews and testing of cloud environments in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
• Focus on configuration, identity, and access controls that can expose cloud workloads.

Social engineering and phishing campaigns

• Realistic phishing, vishing, smishing, and other social engineering campaigns.
• Measurement of user susceptibility and identification of areas where awareness training needs to improve.

Physical security testing

• Testing of physical controls such as badge systems, facility access, and server room protections.
• Simulation of attacker techniques like tailgating and on-site device access.

Red teaming and adversary simulations

• Full-scope adversary simulations that combine technical, human, and physical attack paths.
• Designed to test detection, response, and resilience against real-world threat actor behavior.

Vulnerability assessment and management

• Ongoing or periodic vulnerability assessments across infrastructure and applications.
• Prioritized remediation guidance and support closing identified gaps.

Minerva Insights – automated pentest reporting

• Use of Framework's Minerva Insights platform to automate penetration test reporting.
• Consolidates findings from tools and manual testing into consistent, actionable reports.
• Speeds delivery of results so internal teams can begin remediation quickly.

Penetration testing engagements can be scoped as one-time assessments or as part of an embedded, ongoing security program.

• Email: contact@frameworksecurity.com
• Phone: +1.800.947.2937
• Website: https://frameworksecurity.com (including contact and "Get Started" forms)

The firm lists availability for urgent needs and incident response; specific service levels and response times depend on the engagement and should be confirmed directly with Framework.

Industries and organizations served

Framework Security focuses on organizations that need strong security and compliance postures, including:

• Financial services and fintech organizations, including firms regulated by the SEC and FINRA and managing significant assets.
• SaaS and technology companies, particularly those selling into enterprise and regulated markets.
• Healthcare and other regulated industries that handle sensitive data and must comply with strict privacy and security requirements.
• Mid-market and growing enterprises that need enterprise-grade security leadership without hiring a full in-house security team.

How engagements typically work

While every engagement is tailored, many follow a similar pattern:

1. Initial scoping and consultation

• A working session with leadership and engineering to map your environment, understand risk priorities, and clarify audit or regulatory timelines.
• This is focused on defining the work, not on a sales presentation.

2. Gap assessment and roadmap

• For many services, Framework performs a focused assessment (risk, compliance, penetration testing, or AI governance) and delivers a prioritized remediation or implementation roadmap.

3. Embedded execution and support

• Weekly working sessions, shared ticketing, and paired engineers turn findings into fixes.
• Ongoing virtual CISO and managed security support keeps progress moving and prepares you for audits, customer reviews, and board reporting.

Timelines and getting started

From the website:

• Framework aims to return a scoped path forward within roughly 24 hours after you describe your needs.
• Most engagements are structured to kick off within about two weeks of signing an agreement, depending on complexity and scheduling.

Exact timelines, pricing, and service levels are determined case by case and should always be confirmed directly with Framework Security.

• Evaluate people, processes, and technology against leading security frameworks.
• Identify gaps that create real business risk rather than just theoretical issues.
• Deliver a prioritized remediation roadmap to close gaps efficiently.

SOC 2 audit readiness and compliance

• Prepare organizations for SOC 2 audits, with a focus on the controls, documentation, and evidence auditors expect.
• Map existing controls to SOC 2 requirements and recommend practical improvements.
• Build repeatable processes so SOC 2 becomes an ongoing capability instead of a one-time project.

NIST CSF, 800-171, and 800-53 alignment

• Determine which NIST standards apply to your environment (CSF, 800-171, 800-53).
• Assess current-state controls and policies against the relevant NIST requirements.
• Develop a clear, staged roadmap to reach and maintain compliance.

CMMC Level 2 compliance

• Help defense contractors implement all 110 NIST SP 800-171 controls required for CMMC Level 2.
• Close technical and procedural gaps in advance of third-party C3PAO assessments.
• Support preparation so organizations can continue to win and retain defense contracts.

CIS 18 Critical Security Controls assessments

• Assess your environment against the CIS 18 Critical Security Controls and their 153 safeguards.
• Provide a prioritized, action-oriented plan to improve security posture.

PCI DSS preparation

• Scope the cardholder data environment and identify how payment data flows.
• Evaluate existing controls against PCI DSS v4.0.1, including new mandatory requirements.
• Prepare evidence and remediation guidance so you can enter assessments with confidence.

Privacy compliance and data protection

• Support compliance with major privacy regimes such as HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, and PIPEDA.
• Map data practices to legal and regulatory requirements.
• Help design data protection programs that hold up under scrutiny from regulators, customers, and partners.

Automated evidence gathering and continuous compliance

• Implement automated workflows to pull logs, configurations, and control data on an ongoing basis.
• Reduce manual evidence-collection effort for audits.
• Keep compliance posture current rather than only updating before an assessment.

TX-RAMP certification support

• Guide cloud providers through the Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP).
• Map NIST 800-53 controls, system security plans, and continuous monitoring requirements to DIR expectations.

AI-related compliance alignment

For organizations adopting AI, Framework aligns security and governance programs with:

• ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management System).
• NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
• Sector and jurisdiction-specific expectations relevant to AI use.

These services are typically delivered as part of a broader compliance and governance engagement, often in conjunction with virtual CISO support.

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