Squiz Matrix Penetration Testing
Squiz Matrix permissions cascade from a parent asset to every child, and Administrators bypass them entirely. We test what a cascaded grant actually exposes, and who holds that level of access. CREST-certified testers, fixed price from £3,380 for a 3-day single-site scope, quoted within 24 hours.
- Unlimited retesting
- Unlimited pre-retesting
- No hidden fees
“I would highly recommend EJN Labs to any organisation seeking reliable, detailed, and well-managed penetration testing services, particularly for government or enterprise-level projects.”
“There wasn’t another company we could find that could deliver what we needed in the timeframe we needed. The client loved it, and we got instant ROI from the engagement.”
Every asset in Squiz Matrix carries its own Read, Write and Admin permissions, and those permissions cascade from a parent asset down to its children unless someone overrides them lower down.
Three permission levels cascade down every asset in your site
Squiz Matrix treats everything, pages, files, folders, users and roles, as an asset, and a System administrator grants Read, Write or Admin permission to the public, a user, a user group or a role on each one. We test what happens when a permission is set on a folder and cascades down to content nobody meant to expose.
System administrators and the Root user have access to every asset regardless of the permissions set on it, so an account with that access level is a single point of failure for the whole site. We test how many accounts hold System administrator or Root access and how those accounts are protected.
Roles work differently from user groups: a role’s membership is not fixed, and can be assigned separately on each asset, which makes it easy for a role to end up with different access on different parts of the site than anyone intended. We test whether role assignments actually match the access each asset needs.
SCOPE
What we pen test on a Squiz Matrix site
Asset permission cascade
We test whether a Read, Write or Admin grant set high in the asset tree cascades down to content that should stay restricted, the same review we run for other tree-structured CMS platforms.
System administrator and Root access
We test how many accounts hold System administrator or Root access, since both bypass every permission set on every asset in the system.
Role assignment per asset
We test whether a role’s membership on one asset grants access its members were never meant to have on another, since role membership is assigned per asset rather than fixed.
User group and role boundaries
We test whether user groups and roles are actually configured with different, intended scopes rather than quietly mirroring each other.
Backend user authentication
We test how backend user accounts authenticate to the admin mode interface, and whether that login is protected to the same standard as a public-facing account.
Public permission grants
We test which assets have been granted public read access, and whether any of them expose content that should sit behind a login.
Git and Marketo integration access
Where Squiz Matrix integrates with an external Git repository or with Marketo, we test what that integration can read or change on either side.
Server Side JavaScript review
Where content components use Server Side JavaScript, we test that custom logic with the same depth as hand-written application code.
Connected system data exposure
We test the data that flows between Squiz Matrix and connected marketing or repository integrations for the same access-control gaps we test in the CMS itself.
Cascading status change jobs
We test whether a job that cascades a status change through many child assets can be triggered or steered by an account that should not have that reach.
OUR PROCESS
Squiz Matrix Penetration Testing: From Scope to Attestation
Site and asset intake
You give us a test account for each user account type in scope plus a list of roles, user groups and integrations.
Permission and role mapping
We map how permissions cascade through the asset tree and what each role and user group is meant to reach.
Active testing
We attempt to reach assets, roles and integrations outside each account’s intended boundary.
Report and free retest
You get findings mapped to the specific asset, permission or integration involved, then a free retest once fixes are in.
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 Squiz Matrix 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
Quote request received
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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 Squiz Matrix Penetration Testing 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 Squiz Matrix 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 Squiz Matrix Penetration Testing
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
What access do you need to test our Squiz Matrix site?
A backend user account for each account type in scope, such as Content editor or Content Management user. We do not need System administrator or Root access unless the review specifically covers administration.
Will testing touch live, published content?
We work against a staging site or test assets wherever one exists, and confirm with you before any check that could affect live, published content.
How long does a Squiz Matrix review take?
The 3-day single-site scope above covers one Squiz Matrix instance and its asset tree. A large number of integrations or a deep, heavily nested site can need more time, confirmed during scoping.
Is Squiz Matrix self-hosted or cloud, and does that change scope?
Squiz Matrix deployments vary by contract, on Squiz’s own DXP cloud or self-hosted. We confirm which applies during scoping and test your assets, permissions and integrations either way.
What is out of scope?
The underlying hosting platform is only in scope if you are responsible for it and ask us to include it. Otherwise we focus on your asset permissions, roles and integrations.
Does Squiz have a customer penetration testing policy?
Vendor and hosting terms vary by deployment, so we confirm the current testing policy for your instance during scoping and work within it.
Do you need details of our asset tree and roles?
Not essential to start, but a summary of your user account types, roles and user groups speeds up the permission review.
Are your testers CREST certified?
Yes. Every Squiz Matrix review is carried out by CREST-certified, UK-based testers.
20+ CREST-accredited testing services in one place
Web, mobile, API, cloud, AI, infrastructure, red team. Pick the test that fits your environment.
Get a fixed price for your Squiz Matrix site
Squiz Matrix permissions cascade from a parent asset to every child, and Administrators bypass them entirely. We test what a cascaded grant actually exposes, and who holds that level of access. CREST-certified testers, fixed price from £3,380 for a 3-day single-site scope, quoted within 24 hours.
