>samit_hota

Advisory Services

Security guidance from someone who's actually broken in.

I help founders, security leaders, and engineering teams find their real exposure — then fix it — through hands-on offensive testing and strategic advisory, not another checklist.

Services

Where I can help

Offensive Security Assessments

Red team simulations, penetration testing, and adversarial emulation that mirror how real attackers actually operate — not a checkbox scan.

Cloud & Infrastructure Hardening

Architecture reviews and hardening programs across AWS, GCP, and Azure — closing the gaps between "compliant" and "actually secure."

Strategic Security Advisory

Fractional CISO-style guidance for founders and leadership teams — threat modeling, board reporting, and building security into the roadmap.

Incident Readiness & Response

Tabletop exercises, IR playbooks, and hands-on support when things go wrong — built before the breach, not after.

How it works

A process built for signal, not noise

01

Scope & Threat Model

We define what matters most to your business and map the realistic attack surface around it.

02

Assess & Exploit

Hands-on testing that goes past automated scanning — chaining real vulnerabilities the way an attacker would.

03

Report & Prioritize

A report engineers will actually use — clear severity, exploitability, and business impact, not a wall of CVEs.

04

Remediate & Retest

Direct support fixing what matters, followed by validation testing to confirm the risk is actually closed.

Engagement models

Ways to work together

Every engagement is scoped individually. These are starting points, not fixed packages.

Project-Based Assessment

Scoped by engagement

A focused, time-boxed offensive assessment against a defined target — application, cloud environment, or network perimeter — with a full report and remediation walkthrough.

  • Kickoff scoping & threat modeling call
  • Hands-on offensive testing
  • Executive + technical report
  • Remediation debrief with your engineers
Discuss this option
MOST COMMON

Advisory Retainer

Monthly retainer

Ongoing, embedded security guidance for teams that need a trusted second opinion on architecture, incidents, vendor risk, and roadmap decisions.

  • Dedicated monthly advisory hours
  • Architecture & design reviews
  • Slack/email access for fast risk calls
  • Quarterly board-ready risk reporting
Discuss this option

Fractional Security Lead

Custom scope

For teams that need senior security leadership without a full-time hire — building the program, hiring the team, and owning the roadmap.

  • Security strategy & roadmap ownership
  • Team & vendor management
  • Compliance program oversight
  • Direct reporting to founders/board
Discuss this option

FAQ

Common questions

Who do you typically work with?+

Primarily seed-to-growth-stage startups, fintechs, and security-conscious engineering teams — as well as security leaders who want an outside expert opinion before a board meeting, audit, or major launch.

How is this different from a compliance audit?+

Compliance audits check boxes against a framework. This is adversarial — I try to actually break in, the way a real attacker would, and tell you what matters most to fix first.

Do you sign NDAs and work under a scoped rules of engagement?+

Always. Every engagement starts with a signed NDA and a written rules-of-engagement document defining scope, timing, and authorization before any testing begins.

What is the typical turnaround time?+

Most project-based assessments run 1–3 weeks depending on scope, with the final report and debrief delivered within a week of testing completion.

Get in touch

Let's scope your engagement

Tell me a bit about your team and what's keeping you up at night. I respond to every serious inquiry within two business days.