Reviewed by Dr. Dmytro Nasyrov, Founder and CTO • Last updated April 24, 2026
Cybersecurity Services
Pharos Production provides Cybersecurity Services that protect your applications, infrastructure and data from evolving threats.
- 50+ audits completed
- 90+ engineers
- 90+ Clutch reviews
Reviewed by Dmytro Nasyrov
Founder and CTO
23+ years in custom software development. Led 70+ projects across FinTech, healthcare, Web3 and enterprise. ISO 27001 certified team.
What is cybersecurity engineering?
Authoritative citations 12 sources
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DORA State of DevOps Report
The Google DORA State of DevOps annual report defines the four key software delivery metrics (deployment frequency, lead time for changes, mean time to restore, change failure rate) that we instrument on every production engagement to benchmark delivery performance.
dora.dev
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Stack Overflow Developer Survey
The Stack Overflow Developer Survey documents language, framework, database and tooling adoption across tens of thousands of engineers annually, and we use the trend lines to validate stack choices against hiring pool depth for each client.
survey.stackoverflow.co
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ThoughtWorks Technology Radar
The ThoughtWorks Technology Radar tracks tools, platforms, techniques and languages across adopt, trial, assess and hold rings twice yearly, and is a cross-check we use to validate architectural recommendations against industry consensus.
thoughtworks.com
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Google SRE Book
The Google SRE book codifies service-level objectives, error budgets, incident response and postmortem culture that our production readiness gates adopt directly when handing over a platform to a client operations team.
sre.google
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Martin Fowler bliki
Martin Fowler's bliki is the most cited reference for enterprise architecture patterns including microservices, strangler fig, CQRS, event sourcing and refactoring, which shapes how we describe and implement architecture decisions in ADRs on every client engagement.
martinfowler.com
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Gartner Custom Application Services Magic Quadrant
Gartner publishes multiple Magic Quadrant reports covering custom application services, digital engineering and outsourced development that identify market leaders, completeness of vision and niche specialists across the global software services industry.
gartner.com
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ISO 27001 Information Security Standard
ISO 27001:2022 defines the internationally recognized information security management system requirements that Pharos Production operates under, shaping the control framework we inherit and extend for client software engagements.
iso.org
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OWASP Top 10
The OWASP Top 10 ranks the highest-impact web application security risks and is the single most cited threat reference for application security programs, which every Pharos build is reviewed against before production release.
owasp.org
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NIST Secure Software Development Framework
NIST SSDF SP 800-218 defines secure development practices including threat modelling, SBOM generation, vulnerability disclosure and supply chain controls, which we treat as the baseline Software Development Lifecycle checklist on every client engagement.
csrc.nist.gov
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CNCF Cloud Native Landscape
The CNCF Cloud Native Landscape maps the full cloud-native ecosystem across orchestration, runtime, observability, security and database categories, useful reference material we consult when validating platform choices for client Kubernetes and service mesh engagements.
landscape.cncf.io
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Accelerate by Forsgren, Humble, Kim
Accelerate distills the multi-year DORA research program into the book-length case for DevOps practices correlated with high-performance software delivery, and is the single most cited academic reference for the delivery metrics we ship inside every client engagement.
itrevolution.com
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IEEE SWEBOK
The IEEE Software Engineering Body of Knowledge codifies the professional knowledge areas covering requirements, design, construction, testing, maintenance, configuration management and engineering economics that underpin every professional software services engagement.
computer.org
- Compliance-theater engagements where the client wants a report but not remediation
- 24/7 managed SOC operations (we are not a managed security service provider)
- Incident response for active breaches without partner IR firms in the loop
- Security audits of systems the client cannot access or instrument
Cybersecurity engineering at Pharos Production at a glance
- Engagements: 50+ formal security engagements since 2018 (web/API pen tests, cloud reviews, source audits, smart contract audits, SDLC hardening)
- Stack: Burp Suite Pro, OWASP ZAP, Semgrep, CodeQL, Snyk, Trivy, Prowler, ScoutSuite, Pacu, Metasploit, custom tooling
- Specializations: Web/API app security, cloud security (AWS/GCP/Azure), container + Kubernetes, smart contract audits, SDLC integration
- Pricing: Web/API pen test from $12,000-$40,000; cloud review $15,000-$50,000; source code audit $30,000-$120,000+
- Timeline: Web pen test 2-4 weeks; cloud review 1-2 weeks; full audit 4-8 weeks with remediation cycle
- Report deliverable: Executive summary + technical writeup per finding + reproduction steps + remediation guidance + retest pass after fixes
- Compliance: ISO 27001 certified team, SOC 2 / HIPAA / PCI DSS readiness assessments, evidence preparation for accredited auditors
- Honest scope: We recommend threat modeling over pen tests for greenfield and decline compliance theater
Independent pen test vs internal AppSec team: which is better?
Independent pen tests give you a fresh adversarial perspective and a defensible report for customers, regulators and insurers. Internal AppSec teams give you continuous coverage and tribal knowledge integrated into the development cycle. According to a 2024 NIST advisory, the strongest security postures use both: continuous internal coverage plus periodic independent audits at major releases and compliance milestones.
| Factor | Independent pen test | Internal AppSec only |
|---|---|---|
| Adversarial view | Fresh eyes; no assumptions baked in by the build team | Familiarity blind spots; harder to challenge own design |
| Defensible report | Third-party report for customers, regulators and cyber insurance | Internal memo; less weight with external stakeholders |
| Coverage cadence | Periodic deep dives at major releases or compliance milestones | Continuous; integrated into PR review and CI |
| Tooling | Mature commercial tools amortized across many engagements | Cost of building and maintaining your own tooling stack |
| Specialization | Smart contract / cloud / mobile / appsec specialists per engagement | Generalist coverage; deep specialization is expensive |
| Remediation | Findings + concrete remediation guidance + retest pass | Owned by build team; varies by engineer experience |
| Cost (year 1) | $30,000-$120,000 depending on scope and audit type | $200K-$500K loaded for 2-3 senior AppSec hires |
| Best fit | Pre-launch, post-major-release, compliance audits, customer due diligence | Continuous protection across day-to-day shipping |
Our security engagement protocol
Cybersecurity engagements follow Pharos Verified Delivery with audit-specific gates: discovery scopes asset inventory, threat model and regulatory requirements; build executes the structured testing or review protocol; production readiness delivers remediation guidance ranked by severity with retest pass; post-engagement supports retest after client fixes and a 30-day question window.
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Phase 01 / 04 Paid Discovery
2-4 weeks- Technical validation
- Architecture proposal
- Scope refined estimate
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Phase 02 / 04 Iterative Build
2-week sprints- Working demos every sprint
- CTO review at milestones
- ADRs documented
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Phase 03 / 04 Production Readiness
- Monitoring and alerting
- Security audit Pen test
- Runbooks and rollback
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Phase 04 / 04 Support
Ongoing- Security patches
- Performance tuning
- 4h SLA response
Pharos Verified Delivery applied to 70+ production applications since 2013
Security engagements we can talk about
Three recent audits and reviews where the specific finding surfaced a pattern worth sharing. Client details anonymized; severity ratings follow CVSS 3.1.
FinTech web app handled $40M monthly transaction volume. Internal security review found nothing. External pen test had not been performed.
Pharos pen test found 1 critical and 7 high-severity vulnerabilities including authentication bypass and IDOR. All fixed within 3 weeks. Subsequent quarterly tests find only minor issues.
The critical was a JWT verification bug that let an attacker escalate to admin with a crafted token; IDORs let authenticated users read adjacent account balances. Fixes shipped with a permanent authorization middleware pattern the client now reuses across all services.
AWS environment grown organically over 4 years. 180+ IAM policies, 47 public S3 buckets, no baseline for least privilege. CSPM tool flagged 2,100 findings with no prioritization.
Security hardening project: 38 public buckets made private or encrypted, IAM policies consolidated to 42 role-based templates, CSPM findings reduced 81%, prioritized remediation backlog for the rest. Automated drift detection via Prowler in CI.
We triaged the 2,100 findings by exploitability + data sensitivity, not just severity score. 340 findings were critical on paper but unreachable behind defense-in-depth; 180 were lower severity but directly exposed PHI. We fixed those first, then built CI drift detection to prevent regression.
Security testing was manual and ad-hoc. Vulnerabilities reached production. Each release required 2 weeks of manual security review and blocked engineering.
Automated CI pipeline with SAST (Semgrep), dependency scanning (Dependabot, Trivy), secrets detection (gitleaks), container scanning and SBOM generation. Release security review reduced to 4 hours. Zero critical vulnerabilities in production for 14 months.
Semgrep rules scoped to the client codebase, Dependabot with auto-PR remediation for safe upgrades, gitleaks on every push, weekly Trivy scan of container images. Findings route directly to the engineer who owns the code, not a shared security inbox.
Client names anonymized under NDA. Full case studies at /cases/.
When a full security audit is not the answer
We decline roughly 30% of RFPs we receive. Forcing a bad fit costs both sides 3-6 months and damages outcomes. Here is how we think about scope:
- Internal-only tools with no external attack surface and no sensitive data
- Greenfield projects without an MVP to actually test
- Compliance "checkboxes" without budget to fix what the audit finds
- Audits requested for marketing without intent to remediate
- 24/7 managed SOC needs (we are not a managed security provider)
Not every project needs a full pen test. Sometimes a threat model session catches issues before code is written. Sometimes a SAST baseline plus dependency scanning is the right level of investment. We start every security engagement by asking what you are actually trying to protect and recommend the appropriate depth - not the most expensive option. We have closed engagements with "a 2-hour threat model will save you $40K on a pen test" as the deliverable.
Pharos security portfolio
Pharos security delivery portfolio observations, 2019-2026
Ranges we consistently see across 20+ security engagements.
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Mature teams cover 80-92% of MITRE ATT&CK technique IDs observed in their threat model with EDR or log-based detection[1].
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Critical CVE patch SLA hit rate ranges 78-94% on teams with automated patching; drops to 42-65% on manual processes.
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1.5-4 hours mean time to recovery for P1 security incidents on teams with documented runbooks and weekly tabletop exercises.
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SBOM generation rate went from 18% of engagements in 2023 to 73% in 2025. Expect 95%+ in 2026 once EU and SEC attestation requirements bite.
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6-12 weeks for baseline security hardening and SOC 2 readiness scaffolding; 12-24 weeks for zero trust architecture rollout on existing stacks[7].
Cybersecurity outlook 2026-2027
Three shifts are reshaping application security and enterprise defense.
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Zero trust architecture shifts from large-enterprise category to default expectation for mid-market SaaS. Identity-first access control replaces network-perimeter assumptions even on internal services[9].
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SBOM, SLSA attestation and dependency signing move from advisory (SEC and EU NIS2) to buyer-required by 2027. Teams without build-chain provenance lose enterprise contracts[7].
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LLM-assisted triage and enrichment compress mean time to investigation by 40-60%, shifting SOC staffing toward investigation engineering versus alert handling[6].
Our four-dimension security evaluation template
Every security engagement we ship runs against the same four-dimension readiness evaluation before handover.
Production post-mortem
When the log aggregator had no PII redaction
A FinTech client routed full HTTP request bodies to a centralized logging stack in July 2025 without PII scrubbing. Credit card numbers and partial SSNs surfaced in observability logs accessible to 40+ engineers. GDPR notification deadline triggered before we caught it internally; root cause: no scrubbing at log-shipper layer.
PII redaction now enforced at log-shipper layer for every engagement. PII fingerprint scan added to pre-production checklist. Observability data classification reviewed quarterly against data-sensitivity policy.
Published record
Published Pharos research
Technical articles, comparison guides and methodology deep-dives we write from our own delivery experience.
Platforms We Work With
Trusted by Coinbase, Consensys, Core Scientific, MicroStrategy, Gate.io and 10+ more Web3 and enterprise platforms
16+ partnersOur 16 technology partners include:
- Consensys
- Gate Io
- Coinbase
- Ludo
- Core Scientific
- Debut Infotech
- Axoni
- Alchemy
- Starkware
- Mara Holdings
- Microstrategy
- Nubank
- Okx
- Uniswap
- Riot
- Leeway Hertz
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Consensys
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Gate Io
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Coinbase
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Ludo
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Core Scientific
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Debut Infotech
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Axoni
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Alchemy
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Starkware
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Mara Holdings
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Microstrategy
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Nubank
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Okx
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Uniswap
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Riot
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Leeway Hertz
About Founder and CTO
I design and build reliable software solutions — from lightweight apps to high-load distributed systems and blockchain platforms.
PhD in Artificial Intelligence, MSc in Computer Science (with honors), MSc in Electronics & Precision Mechanics.
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12 years in architecture of great software solutions tailored to customer needs for startups and enterprises
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23 years of practical enterprise customized software production experience
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Lecturer at the National Kyiv Polytechnic University
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Doctor of Philosophy in Artificial Intelligence
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Master’s degree in Computer Science, completed with excellence
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Master’s degree in Electronics and precision mechanics engineering
Choose your cooperation model
Feature-scoped regulated module with audit trails, logging and readiness for SOC 2 or PCI.
Production platform with KYC, AML, PCI-DSS compliance, secure payments and observability.
Multi-region, multi-tenant platform with full compliance, fraud detection and 24/7 incident response.
Prices vary based on project scope, complexity, timeline and requirements. Contact us for a personalized estimate.
Or select the appropriate interaction model
Request staff augmentation
Need extra hands on your software project? Our developers can jump in at any stage – from architecture to auditing – and integrate seamlessly with your team to fill any technical gaps.
Hire dedicated experts
Whether you’re building from scratch or scaling fast, our engineers are ready to step in. You stay in control, and we handle the code.
Outsource your project
From first line to final audit, we handle the entire development process. We will deliver secure, production-ready software, while you can focus on your business.
Technologies, tools and frameworks we use
Our engineers work with 187+ technologies across blockchain, backend, frontend, mobile and DevOps - chosen for production reliability and performance.
AI and Machine Learning
LLM Providers 8
AI Frameworks 15
Vector Databases 7
MLOps and Infrastructure 11
AI Agent Tools 4
Blockchains
Private and Public Blockchains 33
Cloud Blockchain Solutions 4
DevOps
DevOps Tools 15
Clouds
Clouds 6
Databases
Databases 15
Brokers
Event and Message Brokers 7
Tests
Test Automation Tools 6
UI/UX
UI/UX Design Tools 12
Partnerships & Awards
Recognized on Clutch, GoodFirms and The Manifest for software engineering excellence
An approach to the development cycle
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Team Assembly
Our company starts and assembles an entire project specialists with the perfect blend of skills and experience to start the work.
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MVP
We’ll design, build, and launch your MVP, ensuring it meets the core requirements of your software solution.
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Production
We’ll create a complete software solution that is custom-made to meet your exact specifications.
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Ongoing
Continuous Support
Our company will be right there with you, keeping your software solution running smoothly, fixing issues, and rolling out updates.
FAQ
Quick answers to common questions about custom software development, pricing, process and technology.
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Pharos web/API pen tests start at $12,000 for a narrow scope (single application, up to 20 endpoints), $25,000-$40,000 for typical SaaS platforms, and $40,000-$120,000+ for complex multi-tenant platforms or those with regulatory requirements. External pen tests from Trail of Bits, NCC Group or Bishop Fox typically run $60,000-$250,000.
Pharos pre-audit reviews catch 70-80% of issues at 1/3 the cost of external boutique audits.
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Web/API pen test: 2-4 weeks. Cloud configuration review: 1-2 weeks.
Mobile pen test: 2-3 weeks. Full source code audit with threat model: 4-8 weeks including a remediation review pass. Smart contract audit: 1-3 weeks. Timelines depend on codebase size, complexity and how quickly the client team can answer environment questions during scoping.
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No - Pharos is not a certification body. Accredited auditors (CPAs for SOC 2, registered firms for ISO 27001, QSAs for PCI DSS) issue the attestation.
We perform readiness assessments, design control implementations, build evidence collection automation (Drata, Vanta, Secureframe), and walk clients through the audit so they pass on first try. Pharos is itself ISO 27001 certified, so we know the inside of the process.
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Executive summary with risk-rated findings, full technical writeup per finding (impact, attack scenario, reproduction steps, remediation guidance, references), compensating controls where applicable, retest pass after remediation, defensible methodology section for auditors and regulators. Reports are written so engineers can fix issues immediately and executives and customers can understand the risk posture.
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We do incident triage, root cause analysis and remediation on smart contract exploits, web application breaches and cloud account compromises. We are NOT a 24×7 IR retainer or forensics firm; we do not handle law enforcement coordination, court-admissible chain-of-custody evidence or formal forensics.
For those, we partner with specialized IR firms and hand off when scope demands it.
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Cloud reviews cover IAM (least privilege, cross-account trust, role boundaries), network (VPC design, security groups, egress filtering), storage (S3/GCS/Azure Blob encryption and access), compute (EC2/GKE/AKS hardening), logging and detection (CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Security Hub, Wiz, Prowler), and secrets management (Secrets Manager, Vault). We ship both the finding report and infrastructure-as-code fixes where possible.
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Limited. We do scenario-based adversarial testing (spear phishing, credential harvesting, lateral movement) for specific threat models where the client wants a realistic attack simulation.
Full multi-week red team engagements are not our primary offering - specialized red team firms like Bishop Fox and NCC Group are better at that scale. We do offer purple team exercises where we work alongside the client defense team to validate detection capabilities.
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We decline compliance-theater engagements where the client wants a report but not remediation, scopes inappropriate for the asset value (a $40K pen test on a pre-launch MVP), 24×7 IR retainers (we are not staffed for that), engagements requiring regulator-issued certification (we are not a certification body), and anything where the client will not grant enough access to produce meaningful findings.
The Pharos takeaway on cybersecurity
Cybersecurity rewards teams that treat identity, detection and supply chain as first-class engineering concerns rather than compliance checkboxes[8]. Zero trust, SBOM attestation and AI-augmented triage are the three areas that separate teams ready for the 2026 threat landscape from teams still defending yesterday.
Book a 30-minute security readiness call
Your business results matter
Achieve them with minimized risk through our bespoke innovation capabilities
What happens next?
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Contact us
Contact us today to discuss your project. We’re ready to review your request promptly and guide you on the best next steps for collaboration
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NDA
We’re committed to keeping your information confidential, so we’ll sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement
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Plan the Goals
After we chat about your goals and needs, we’ll craft a comprehensive proposal detailing the project scope, team, timeline and budget
3-5 days -
Finalize the Details
Let’s connect on Google Meet to go through the proposal and confirm all the details together!
1-2 days -
Sign the Contract
As soon as the contract is signed, our dedicated team will jump into action on your project!
Same day
Our offices
Headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. Engineering office in Kyiv, Ukraine.