A "cybersecurity audit" in India can mean a ₹5,000 automated scan or a ₹15 lakh manual penetration testing engagement. Both are sold using the same language. Here's what you're actually buying at each price point and how to match the engagement type to what your business actually needs.
Tier 1 — Automated Vulnerability Scan (₹5K–₹25K)
An automated scanner (Nessus, OpenVAS, Qualys) runs against your public-facing systems and produces a report of known vulnerabilities. The scan takes hours to days and requires no manual expertise to run. The report lists CVEs with severity scores.
What it does not do: identify business logic flaws, test authentication bypass scenarios, check for misconfigured access controls, or verify whether found vulnerabilities are actually exploitable in your specific environment. A ₹10,000 scan report is useful as a starting point. It is not a security audit.
Tier 2 — Website Security Assessment (₹15K–₹60K)
A manual review of your web application against OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities — SQL injection, XSS, authentication flaws, security misconfiguration, insecure direct object references, and others. Conducted by a human tester, not just a scanner. Produces a detailed report with confirmed findings, severity ratings, and remediation steps.
Appropriate for: any business with a customer-facing web application, e-commerce sites, SaaS products, any application that handles financial data or personal data. At iSocialize, a comprehensive website security assessment costs ₹15,000–₹40,000 depending on application complexity and is delivered in 5–7 days.
Tier 3 — Full VAPT (₹1L–₹6L)
Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing combines automated and manual techniques across a wider scope — web applications, APIs, network infrastructure, and sometimes social engineering. A qualified tester actively attempts to exploit found vulnerabilities to verify impact, not just report their existence. The output is an executive report suitable for presenting to a board, bank, or enterprise customer.
Required for: companies seeking SOC 2, ISO 27001, or RBI regulatory compliance. Often requested by large enterprise clients as part of their vendor security review. Timeline: 2–4 weeks for a thorough engagement.
Tier 4 — Enterprise Security Program (₹5L–₹15L+)
Covers VAPT plus compliance framework mapping, policy development, incident response planning, and board-level reporting. The output is not just a list of vulnerabilities but a complete security posture assessment with a prioritised remediation roadmap and documented compliance position. Appropriate for companies handling large volumes of sensitive data, regulated industries, or companies preparing for SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 certification.
What to Ask Before Engaging Any Security Firm
Is this manual testing or automated scanning? Will I get a report with confirmed exploitable vulnerabilities or just a list of potential findings? Are your testers certified (CEH, OSCP, CISSP)? Will you help me understand and fix the findings, or just hand me a report? Can I see a sample report?
A firm that can't answer these questions clearly is selling you a scan at a consultancy price. Try our free 60-second website security check to see your immediate exposure, then book a call to discuss a proper assessment.