What does CCV pentesting involve?
Pentesting enables organisations to find and address vulnerabilities in their digital computer systems. Pentesting - also known as ‘penetration testing’ - paves the way for clients to introduce targeted measures to improve the security of software and IT infrastructure in their organisations. If you are a specialist organisation that provides pentesting services, the CCV-pentesting quality mark puts you in a position to demonstrate the quality of the service you provide. A CCV certification shows the priority that your company gives to security and also that you have the knowledge necessary to provide high-level pentesting services. This blog is all about this quality mark.
Everything you need to know about the CCV-pentesting quality mark
The Centre for Crime Prevention and Safety (Centrum voor Criminaliteitspreventie en Veiligheid; CCV) developed the CCV quality mark in April 2021. It is designed to give clients peace of mind about the quality provided by pentesting providers. Amongst other things, a CCV quality mark shows how a company uses ethical hackers (pentesters) and how these hackers handle data security. 
The benefits of CCV pentesting
The aim of pentesting certification is to reduce failure and risk costs for clients. The CCV quality mark is awarded by an independent certification body like DEKRA and shows clients that the company’s pentesting services meet the strict requirements applicable. If an organisation has this certification, clients know that it is a professional organisation with a good knowledge of cybersecurity.
Qualification standards for pentesting
Certain quality requirements apply when auditing an organisation for the CCV quality mark. For example, the pentesting service provider must demonstrate that it acts with integrity and is reliable. Also, the pentesting results must be presented in a way that enable clients to draw the same conclusions. So, the CCV-pentesting quality mark safeguards the quality of both the technical aspects of pentesting and the service itself. The CCV quality mark allows you as a provider to show that your pentesting service meets these strict quality requirements. In this way, clients minimise the consequences that substandard pentesting have (reputation damage, for example).