Security review for Nigerian companies: what it actually covers

Akande Simpa Lead Security Engineer & Cofounder, Simpa Labs CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)

Why Nigerian companies need security reviews now

Three regulatory pressures are driving security review demand across Nigeria's technology sector in 2026:

• CBN Risk-Based Cybersecurity Framework: The Central Bank of Nigeria requires all licensed financial institutions to conduct regular security assessments, including penetration testing, as part of the Cybersecurity Self-Assessment Tool (CSAT) compliance. Non-compliance affects licensing.
• NDPA enforcement: The Nigeria Data Protection Act requires organisations processing personal data to implement "appropriate technical and organisational measures." A recent security review report is the most direct evidence of compliance. The NDPC has issued fines exceeding ₦10 million for NDPA violations.
• Enterprise procurement requirements: Tier-1 banks, telecommunications companies, and multinational corporations increasingly require security review documentation from vendors before signing contracts. No review, no deal.

Beyond compliance, the business case is straightforward. NIBSS reports ₦53.4 billion in confirmed electronic payment fraud losses in Nigeria. The total cost of a data breach for a mid-sized Nigerian fintech - including regulatory fines, legal fees, incident response, and customer churn - routinely exceeds ₦100 million. A comprehensive security review costs a fraction of that.

The six types of security review

A comprehensive security review is not a single activity. It is a combination of distinct assessment types, each examining your systems from a different angle. Not every engagement includes all six - the scope depends on your systems, regulatory requirements, and risk profile.

1. Architecture review

An architecture review examines how your system is designed at a structural level. We analyse system design diagrams, data flow maps, authentication mechanisms, network topology, and infrastructure decisions to identify security weaknesses that exist in the design itself - before any code is executed.

Learn more about how Simpa Labs structures architecture reviews.

2. Code review

A security-focused code review combines automated static analysis with manual source code inspection. The automated tools catch known vulnerability patterns (SQL injection, XSS, insecure deserialization). The manual review catches what scanners cannot: business logic flaws, authorization bypass opportunities, race conditions, and cryptographic misuse.

• Static analysis: Automated scanning of the codebase using tools like Semgrep, SonarQube, and language-specific security linters. Identifies known vulnerability patterns, hardcoded secrets, and insecure API usage.
• Manual inspection: Engineer-led review of authentication flows, payment processing logic, data access patterns, and API authorization checks. This is where business logic vulnerabilities are found - the kind that automated tools miss entirely.
• Dependency audit: Review of all third-party libraries, SDKs, and packages for known vulnerabilities (CVEs), maintainability risks, and licensing issues. Nigerian fintech apps frequently use third-party SDKs that introduce unexpected attack surface.

Timeline: 5-10 days depending on codebase size. Requires read access to your source code repository.

3. Infrastructure assessment

An infrastructure assessment evaluates your servers, cloud configuration, network architecture, and operational security posture. This is where we find the exposed databases, misconfigured security groups, unpatched servers, and weak access controls that attackers exploit to gain initial access.

• External scanning: Port scanning and service enumeration from the internet perspective. What does an attacker see when they scan your IP ranges?
• Cloud configuration audit: Review of AWS/GCP/Azure security settings - IAM policies, security groups, S3 bucket permissions, encryption settings, logging configuration. See our cloud security checklist for what we check.
• Server hardening: OS-level security configuration, patch status, service inventory, user account management, and SSH/RDP access controls.
• Network segmentation: Can a compromised web server reach your database directly? Can a staging environment access production data? Network segmentation failures are the difference between a contained incident and a total breach.

Timeline: 3-7 days depending on infrastructure complexity. Requires network diagrams, cloud account access (read-only), and a list of all public-facing IP addresses and domains.

4. Compliance gap analysis

A compliance gap analysis maps your current security posture against the specific regulatory frameworks that apply to your business. For Nigerian companies, the relevant frameworks typically include:

Timeline: 5-10 days. Requires access to existing security policies, procedures, and evidence of implemented controls.

5. Penetration testing

Penetration testing is the active exploitation phase. After reviewing your architecture, code, and infrastructure, we attempt to exploit the discovered vulnerabilities to demonstrate real-world impact. This is what separates a theoretical risk assessment from a practical security validation.

Our penetration testing methodology follows a structured approach:

• Reconnaissance: Mapping the complete attack surface - all entry points, API endpoints, authentication mechanisms, and third-party integrations.
• Vulnerability identification: Systematic testing for OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, authorization flaws, authentication weaknesses, injection vulnerabilities, and business logic flaws specific to your payment flows.
• Exploitation: Controlled exploitation of confirmed vulnerabilities to demonstrate impact. Can we access another user's data? Can we modify transaction amounts? Can we bypass payment verification? Each exploit is documented with reproduction steps.
• Reporting: Detailed findings with severity ratings (Critical, High, Medium, Low), technical reproduction steps, business impact assessment, and specific remediation guidance.

Timeline: 5-15 days depending on scope. Web application, mobile app, API, and infrastructure pentests can be combined into a single engagement.

6. Social engineering assessment

Social engineering tests your human layer - the employees, support staff, and contractors who have access to your systems. We simulate realistic attack scenarios to determine whether your team can identify and resist social engineering attempts.

• Phishing simulation: Targeted email campaigns designed to test whether employees click malicious links, enter credentials on fake login pages, or download and open malicious attachments. Results are measured by click rate, credential submission rate, and reporting rate.
• Vishing (voice phishing): Phone calls to support staff and employees impersonating customers, executives, or IT staff to extract sensitive information, credentials, or access.
• Physical security (where applicable): Testing physical access controls at office locations - can someone tailgate through secure doors, access server rooms, or plug in a rogue device?

Timeline: 5-10 days. Requires coordination with your HR and management team (they are typically aware the test is happening; employees are not).

What deliverables you receive

A security review is only as valuable as its deliverables. You are paying for actionable intelligence, not a stack of PDFs. Here is what a comprehensive review from Simpa Labs includes:

How to prepare your team

The quality and speed of a security review depends partly on how well your team prepares. Here is what to have ready:

• Documentation: Architecture diagrams, API documentation, data flow maps, network diagrams. They do not need to be perfect - even whiteboard sketches help. If they do not exist, the review team will build them during the architecture review phase (which adds time).
• Access provisioning: Source code repository access (read-only), cloud console access (read-only), staging or test environment credentials, VPN access if required. Provision these before the engagement starts - access delays are the number one cause of timeline overruns.
• Engineering availability: Designate one or two engineers who understand the system well and can answer questions during the review. Plan for 2-4 hours of their time per week of the engagement for questions, clarifications, and walkthrough sessions.
• Scope agreement: A clear list of what is in scope (specific applications, APIs, infrastructure) and what is out of scope (third-party systems, production databases with real customer data). Use our scoping guide for CTOs to define this.
• Test environment: For penetration testing, provide a staging environment that mirrors production as closely as possible. Testing on production is possible with careful coordination but adds risk. A staging environment allows the testing team to work without constraints.

Comparison of review depth levels

Not every company needs the same depth of review. Here is how we typically structure engagements based on company stage and requirements:

How Simpa Labs structures its reviews

Every engagement follows the same process:

• Scoping call: 30-minute conversation to understand your systems, objectives, and regulatory requirements. We ask specific questions about your technology stack, deployment infrastructure, and the business context driving the review.
• Proposal and scope document: Detailed scope definition listing every system, application, and review type included. Clear timeline, pricing, and deliverables. No ambiguity about what you are paying for.
• Kickoff and access provisioning: Introduction call with your engineering team. Access provisioned. Rules of engagement confirmed.
• Assessment execution: The review team works through the agreed scope. Weekly status updates so you are never in the dark about progress.
• Draft report and debrief: Draft findings delivered for your team's review. A debrief call walks through every finding, answers questions, and discusses remediation approaches.
• Final report: Incorporating any feedback from the debrief. Ready for board, regulatory, or investor distribution.
• Remediation verification: Optional retest after your team addresses findings. Confirms fixes are implemented correctly and the vulnerabilities are resolved.

Related reading

Blog: How Our Pentest Works · How to Scope a Pentest (CTO Guide) · What Happens After a Pentest · Pentest Pricing Nigeria 2026

Guides: How to Book a Pentest · Pentest Report Explained · Vulnerability Assessment vs Pentest

Services: Penetration Testing · Secure Architecture Review · Vulnerability Assessment