Nutanix Security Review
A Nutanix cluster’s exposure sits in the roles and policies your team assigned across Prism Central and Prism Element. We test what was actually configured, not what the console shows by default. CREST-certified testers, fixed price from £3,470 for a 3-day single-cluster scope, quoted within 24 hours.
- Unlimited retesting
- Unlimited pre-retesting
- No hidden fees
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Prism Central’s Identity and Access Management grants a new user or group zero permissions until an administrator creates an explicit Authorization Policy binding them to a role and a scope.
A Nutanix cluster is only as locked down as the roles, policies and directory mappings your team configured on top of it
Prism Central provides a workspace to monitor and manage multiple clusters from a single centralised environment, running as either a single VM or a three-VM scale-out instance, while each cluster remains separately reachable through its own Prism Element web console. Its Identity and Access Management is enabled by default and uses attribute-based access control, but after authentication is configured, no permissions are granted to a user or group until an authorization policy is explicitly created for them.
Prism Central ships a large set of built-in roles, from Cluster Admin and Cluster Viewer to Backup Admin and Flow Admin, plus the ability to create and duplicate custom roles. On Prism Element, directory authentication works differently: if no role mapping is defined for an authorised directory, every user in that directory receives full administrator permissions by default, and only once a role map exists are unmapped users denied access.
We test the cluster your team actually configured: the roles, authorization policies and directory role mappings assigned, the service accounts and API keys issued, the Flow Network Security policies deployed, and the encryption and network segmentation settings applied. We never test the AHV hypervisor or Prism software itself, only the configuration your organisation is responsible for.
SCOPE
What we review in a Nutanix cluster
Prism Central and Prism Element Administrative Layers
Prism Central centrally manages multiple registered clusters from one workspace, while each cluster is also independently reachable through its own Prism Element web console. We test which layer actually holds administrative control and whether access to one grants unintended reach into the other.
Identity and Access Management and Authorization Policies
Prism Central’s IAM is enabled by default and grants no permissions to a new user or group until an administrator creates an explicit Authorization Policy binding them to a role and scope. We test which accounts are still waiting on a policy, and which were granted more than intended.
Built-in and Custom Roles
Prism Central ships a large set of built-in roles, including Cluster Admin, Cluster Viewer, Backup Admin, Category Admin and Flow Admin, alongside the option to create, duplicate or modify custom roles. We test which built-in and custom roles are actually bound to which accounts.
Directory Authentication and SAML Single Sign-On
Prism Central authenticates against local accounts, Active Directory, OpenLDAP and SAML 2.0 identity providers including ADFS, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, PingOne, Shibboleth and Keycloak, with Entra ID supported for SAML only, not LDAP. We test which authentication methods are actually enabled and whether every route in is equally well governed.
Prism Element Directory Role Mapping
On Prism Element, if no role mapping is defined for an authorised directory, every user in that directory receives full administrator permissions by default, and only once a role map exists are unmapped users denied access. We test whether your directory role mappings still leave this default exposed.
Service Accounts and Shared Secret Keys
A Nutanix service account authenticates using a shared secret key generated and managed through IAM, and can be assigned role-based access control to limit it to specific resources and operations. We test which service accounts still hold broader access than the automation they support requires.
v3 REST API Exposure
The Nutanix v3 API can be inspected and called directly through the REST API Explorer built into the Prism Central web console, itself restricted to admin users. We test who can reach the API Explorer and what the credentials behind it can actually do.
Flow Network Security Microsegmentation Policies
Flow Network Security applies policy-driven microsegmentation to restrict east-west traffic between VMs and enforce application isolation, managed through dedicated Flow Admin, Flow Viewer and Flow Policy Author roles. We test whether the deployed policies actually restrict lateral movement between the workloads you intended to isolate.
Data-at-Rest Encryption Configuration
Nutanix secures data at rest using either self-encrypting drives with an external key manager or software-only AES-256 encryption backed by a native or external key manager, and software-only encryption cannot be disabled again once enabled at cluster or container level. We test which encryption method and key management path is actually in place.
Protection Domains, DR Segmentation and Backup Admin Access
Disaster recovery replication across asynchronous, nearSync and metro availability schedules requires network segmentation configured at both the primary and recovery site, and the Backup Admin role used for Mine integrations is limited mostly to view-only access. We test whether that segmentation and the Backup Admin role’s boundaries hold up in practice.
OUR PROCESS
Nutanix Security Review: From Scope to Attestation
Scope and Access
We agree which clusters, the Prism Central instance and the roles in scope, plus a login for each authentication method you use.
Roles and Policy Mapping
We map every built-in role, custom role, authorization policy and directory role mapping against what it actually grants.
Manual Testing
A CREST-certified tester manually tests IAM policies, service account scope, Flow microsegmentation rules and encryption configuration.
Attestation and Retest
You get a technical report with CVSS scores, a walkthrough call, a free retest, and an attestation letter.
CREDENTIALS
Verified Accreditations Auditors Accept
Every credential below is independently verifiable. UK procurement teams, FCA supervisors, ISO 27001 / SOC 2 auditors, and cyber insurance underwriters all recognise these standards.
GET YOUR QUOTE
Get a CREST Nutanix pen test quote in 24 hours
A fixed-price quote back in one business day, from a named CREST assessor. No sales pipeline, no chasing.
- CREST and IASME accredited. Testing your auditors and clients already recognise.
- Fast-track testing within 24 hours where required. Free retest of every fix included.
- Live findings via your client portal, not a four-week PDF.
- Fixed price from £3,500 for a single-role, single-app scope, agreed up front. Most engagements run £5,000 and up. No day-rate surprises.
Dan WilcocksonFounder, CelloriUnder NDA Further named references available on a scoping call.
- We reply within one business day with a fixed-price quote from a named CREST assessor.
- You approve the scope and we book a start date, usually within 24 hours.
- Live findings land in your client portal as we test, with a free retest of every fix.
Get your fixed pen test quote in 24 hours
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COMPLIANCE READY
Reports Mapped to Every Framework
Findings are written so your team can reference the report against each framework without translation work.
ISO 27001:2022
Annex A.8.8 management of technical vulnerabilities plus A.5.15-5.18 and A.8.2-8.5 access control validation.
SOC 2 Type I & II
CC6 logical access, CC7 system operations, CC8 change management evidence.
PCI DSS
Requirement 11.4 application penetration testing across cardholder data environments, including ecommerce penetration testing for online retail platforms.
FCA SYSC
SYSC 4.1.1R, 6.1.1R, 13 mapped to each finding for FCA-regulated firms.
UK GDPR
Article 32 effectiveness testing, customer-data security controls, ICO-acceptable evidence.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Direct certification through our IASME body status, single-vendor delivery.
PRICING
Transparent Nutanix Security Review Pricing
Pricing depends on the number of roles, integrations and environments in scope. See our pricing page for how we quote.
3 to 4 testing days
Single user role, basic CRUD application, marketing website with auth. Around 5 working days from kickoff to report.
Get a fixed quote4 to 6 testing days
Multi-role SaaS, business application with payment integration. Around 8 to 12 working days from kickoff to report.
Get a fixed quote6 to 8 testing days
Multi-tenant platform, complex authorisation matrix, integration-heavy applications. Around 15 to 20 working days from kickoff to report.
Get a fixed quoteSECTORS
Sectors We Test Nutanix For
Sector-specific scoping for regulated UK organisations.
Fintech & FCA-Regulated
FCA SYSC, Open Banking FAPI 1.0, PSD2 SCA, payment-flow scrutiny, KYC/AML testing.
Fintech sector pageSaaS Companies
SOC 2 Type I & II evidence, multi-tenant boundaries, role escalation, customer-tenant isolation.
SaaS sector pageLaw Firms
SRA Cyber Standard, privileged data, conveyancing fraud defence, partner-tier procurement.
Law firm sector pageHealthcare
NHS DTAC, DSP Toolkit v6, UK GDPR Article 32, EHR systems, telehealth platforms.
Healthcare sector pageInsurance
FCA / PRA Operational Resilience, cyber underwriting, claims data, broker portals.
Insurance sector pagePublic Sector
CCS / G-Cloud framework, NCSC-aligned, citizen-facing services, PSN-compliance scrutiny.
Public sector pageWHY EJN LABS
What You Get From Nutanix Security Review
Six concrete differentiators competitors don’t all match.
CREST-Certified Testers, Verifiable
Every test by a CREST-certified pen tester (CRT, CCT APP, CCT INF where applicable). Verify our company status at crest-approved.org.
24-Hour Startup, Where Required
From signed scope to active testing in a single business day for incident response, audit deadlines, or regulator-driven timelines.
Live Findings, Not 4-Week PDFs
Critical issues reported during testing through your client portal. Your team remediates while testing continues.
Audit-Ready Reports
Executive summary plus full technical report with CVSS scores and explicit framework mappings (ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, FCA SYSC).
Free Retests, Standard
Verify remediation of every finding before close-out. Letter of attestation for audit submission included. Most competitors charge £1,500-£3,000 per retest.
UK-Based CREST Testers
Every engagement performed by vetted, UK-based CREST-certified testers, matched to your needs, security clearance, and compliance scope.
FAQ
Frequently Asked
How long does a Nutanix security review take?
A single cluster with a typical number of nodes and VMs sits in our 3-day single-cluster scope, with a report usually landing around 6 to 8 working days after kickoff.
What access do you need to test our Nutanix cluster?
We need a login to Prism Central and Prism Element for each role and directory mapping in use, read access to the IAM roles and authorization policies configured, and network reach to the relevant management subnets.
Does testing touch live VM data on our cluster?
We test access controls and configuration, such as roles, authorization policies, service accounts and encryption settings, not the contents of your guest VMs. If preferred, we can scope testing to a non-production cluster or a maintenance window.
Does this cover Nutanix Cloud Clusters as well as on-premises AHV?
Yes, we scope to your deployment, whether that is AHV on your own hardware or Nutanix Cloud Clusters running on a public cloud provider. The provider’s own underlying infrastructure sits outside scope and is covered by its own terms.
What’s out of scope in a Nutanix security review?
We do not test the AHV hypervisor or Prism software itself, the physical hardware, or Nutanix’s own cloud infrastructure. We focus on the roles, policies, authentication, network segmentation and encryption your organisation configured.
Does Nutanix have a customer penetration-testing policy we need to follow?
Nutanix’s core AOS, AHV and Prism software runs on infrastructure you own or lease, so there is no shared vendor platform with a published customer testing authorisation process in the way a SaaS provider has. We confirm your current support and licensing terms during scoping.
Do you need domain administrator access to test IAM and role mappings?
No. We scope specific accounts matching the roles already in use, such as Cluster Admin or User Admin equivalents, rather than requesting blanket domain administrator access.
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Get a fixed price for your Nutanix cluster
A Nutanix cluster’s exposure sits in the roles and policies your team assigned across Prism Central and Prism Element. We test what was actually configured, not what the console shows by default. CREST-certified testers, fixed price from £3,470 for a 3-day single-cluster scope, quoted within 24 hours.
