Independent penetration testing & cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Advice That Makes Business Sense.
I provide independent security assessments and advice that take account of your business priorities, budget and real-world constraints.
No fear-based selling. No unnecessary complexity. Just practical advice and honest answers.
ronin / independent security testinguk-based
What I Can Help With
Every organisation is different, but here are some examples of the work I undertake and what you might expect to pay.
- Testing
Penetration Testing
Manually led testing of web applications, APIs, networks and infrastructure. I look for weaknesses that matter, investigate how they might be exploited and explain what they mean for your organisation. You'll receive clear findings, supporting evidence and practical recommendations based on real-world context.
£4,000 – £10,000+
- Review
Independent Security Reviews
Sometimes you don't need another penetration test — you need someone experienced to look at what you've already got. I can review existing security reports, assess vulnerabilities, evaluate proposed changes or provide an independent second opinion on advice you've received.
£1,500 – £5,000
- Strategy
Cybersecurity Risk & Strategy
Helping business owners, founders and leadership teams make sensible decisions about cybersecurity — reviewing your overall posture, prioritising improvements, evaluating security spend or understanding the risks around a new project.
£2,500 – £7,500
- Advisory
Specialist Technical Advice
Not every problem fits neatly into a service category. If you've got a difficult technical decision, an unusual security concern or simply want an experienced independent perspective, I'm happy to discuss it. Engagements can range from a focused consultation to several days of investigation or advisory work.
£1,000 – £1,500 / day
Prices are indicative, in GBP, and exclude VAT. VAT is charged where applicable, and fixed fees are agreed once we've established the scope.
Not sure what you need? Tell me a little about your organisation and what you're concerned about — I'll let you know whether I think I can help.
ContactHow I Work
You deal directly with me.
Ronin-Pentest is a personal consultancy, not a large firm with layers of account managers and junior consultants. I use modern tools, automation and the support of a small technical team to work efficiently, but I'm personally responsible for the work and the advice I provide.
I believe findings should be supported by evidence, recommendations should be proportionate to the actual risk, and security decisions should take account of commercial reality.
- A vulnerability isn't automatically a catastrophe.
- A clean scan doesn't prove that a system is secure, and spending more money doesn't necessarily make you safer.
- If something is serious, I'll explain why. If I think you're worrying unnecessarily, I'll tell you that too.
- And if I don't know something, I'll say so.
- I'd rather give you an honest answer than a reassuring one that isn't supported by the evidence.
A Bit More About Me
I didn't start my working life in cybersecurity. Far from it. In my late teens and twenties, I worked across several businesses, sectors and countries. Some things went well. Others went spectacularly badly.
Failure is a really good teacher, especially when you're the person paying for the lesson. Those experiences taught me to question assumptions, recognise uncertainty and think about the real consequences of decisions.
I've brought that approach into my cybersecurity career, where my background has been primarily in offensive security: finding weaknesses, understanding how they can be exploited and helping organisations decide what to do about them.
These days, I'm also interested in the economics of cybersecurity, the opportunities and limitations of AI, and how we can make effective security more widely available.
Jane Foundation & VectorGuard
Alongside Ronin, I'm developing the Jane Foundation and VectorGuard, its first cybersecurity project.
Jane Foundation
A foundation working to make effective security more widely available — particularly to the smaller organisations, charities and nonprofits that can't afford the services they need, yet often affect far more people than just themselves when something goes wrong.
jane-foundation.orgVectorGuard
Jane Foundation's first project. VectorGuard aims to use automation and AI-assisted analysis to provide defensive cybersecurity assessments free to the organisations that use them.
vectorguard.ai
You might even find that my advice is, “Start with a free VectorGuard assessment, and then we'll see whether there's anything that warrants spending money on.”
Ronin-Pentest is my separate commercial consultancy, providing bespoke testing and advice to paying clients. It operates independently of the Jane Foundation and VectorGuard.
What Clients Value
How clients describe working with Ronin — clear findings, honest advice and testing they can act on.
We use Ronin every year to ensure our servers are not vulnerable to attack. Their service is second to none. They run tests, try to break in the way a hacker would, and then provide us with a report about what we need to address in order of priority. For peace of mind for us and our customers, we wouldn't go anywhere else.
Ben is a very personable face of the company - we know that dealing with Cyber stuff usually means being talked to by insanely clever people who make us feel a bit thick. Ben does nothing of the sort. He explains everything in simple ways that we understand.
5 stars don't really seem enough!
CmdShiftR Ltd I was contracted to carry out some policy writing for Ronin PenTest. Working with them was a pleasure. The customers needs were paramount. We evaluated the requirements, carried out a Gap Analysis, and developed several policies in a short time. Ben was focused, professional, and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend their services and wouldn't hesitate to enter into contracted work with Ronin again.
Stuart W Happy to recommend Ben and the team at Ronin-Pentest - they provided great information and advice in plain English after 'friendly-hacking' a clients website, which enabled us to make their online presence more safe and secure.
Chris Nyland
- Independent consultancy
- Offensive-security background
- Evidence-led findings
- Direct access
- No fear-based selling
- Confidential by default
Questions, Answered Plainly
A few things that come up often. If yours isn't here, just ask.
What does a penetration test actually involve?
A manually led assessment where I try to break into your systems the way a real attacker would, rather than running a scanner and handing over the output. I test web applications, APIs, networks and infrastructure, investigate how any weaknesses could actually be exploited, and explain what they mean for your organisation.
Will testing disrupt our live systems?
Testing is planned around your business so it doesn't get in the way. Where it's sensible, I test against a staging copy of your systems; where live testing is necessary, we agree testing windows up front and I can pause at any point if something needs attention.
What do I get at the end?
Clear findings, the supporting evidence behind them, and practical recommendations written for both technical and non-technical readers. The aim is a report you can act on — not a 200-page PDF.
How long does an engagement take?
It depends on scope. A focused web application test can take a few days, while testing across multiple applications, APIs and infrastructure takes longer. You'll have a clear timeline before we start.
How much does it cost?
Fees depend on scope and are agreed before any work begins — as a guide, penetration testing typically runs from £4,000, independent security reviews from £1,500, and risk and strategy work from £2,500. Prices are indicative and exclude VAT.
Is Ronin-Pentest independent?
Yes. Ronin-Pentest is an independent consultancy. I have no reseller arrangements, referral fees or vendor ties, so the advice you get is based on evidence and what's right for your organisation — not on selling you a product.
How do you handle confidentiality?
Findings, evidence and anything you share are treated as confidential, and I'm happy to work under an NDA. Please don't send passwords, credentials or other sensitive material in an initial email or WhatsApp message — we'll set up a secure way to share that if and when it's needed.
Do you only work with large organisations?
No. Ronin-Pentest works with organisations of all sizes that need independent security testing or advice. Much of the work suits smaller teams that need senior expertise without the overhead of a large firm, but the approach scales to larger engagements too.
What is the Jane Foundation and VectorGuard?
The Jane Foundation is a separate project working to make effective security more widely available, and VectorGuard is its first initiative — free, automated defensive assessments for organisations that couldn't otherwise afford them. Ronin is my commercial consultancy and operates independently of both.
How do we get started?
Just get in touch by email or WhatsApp with a little about your organisation and what you're concerned about. I'll let you know whether I think I can help — and if there's a simpler or cheaper way to get the answer you need, I'll tell you that too.
Let's Talk
If you've got a security problem, need an independent assessment or simply want a second opinion, I'm here to help. You don't need to know exactly which service you're looking for.
Based in
United Kingdom
Working with organisations across the UK, remotely.
Tell me a little about your organisation and what you're concerned about. I'll let you know whether I think I can help.
And if I think there's a simpler or cheaper way to get the answer you need, I'll tell you.
Before you sendPlease don't include passwords, credentials or other sensitive information in an initial message. If we need to share anything sensitive, we'll agree a secure way to do it.