Home
Solutions
Third-party risk assessments

Solutions · Risk · Third-party risk

Third-party risk assessments that test the vendor, not just the questionnaire

A questionnaire tells you what a vendor says. ioSENTRIX reviews the vendor's evidence, tests their exposed surface and the integration they have into your systems, and includes a retest of agreed fixes, so your third-party risk program decides on proof.

Scope a vendor assessment See what each question needs as evidence

Who it's forSecurity, risk and procurement teams reviewing vendors and partners

What we assessVendor reports, exposed attack surface, integrations, APIs and data flows

Aligned withInteragency TPRM guidance, NIST SP 800-161 Rev. 1, ISO/IEC 27001 A.5.19–5.22

Independently rated

★★★★★ 4.9 / 5 on G2 (12 reviews) · 5.0 / 5 on Clutch

Reviewed by Omair Manzoor, Founder & CEO, ioSENTRIX · Updated November 2026Key terms: Third-party risk management, Supply chain attack, Attack surface

Trusted by security teams at

01The assessment

What does a third-party risk assessment involve?

Finding out, with evidence, whether a vendor could expose your data or systems. A third-party risk assessment reviews what the vendor claims, such as questionnaires and SOC 2 or ISO reports, then tests what matters for your relationship: the vendor's exposed attack surface, the integration or API it has into your environment, and where your data flows. Findings are tracked until the vendor fixes them and a retest confirms it.

QuestionnaireWhat the vendor says

Useful for scope, but self-reported and often out of date.

Report reviewWhat an auditor saw

SOC 2 or ISO evidence, read for scope gaps, exceptions and carve-outs.

Technical testWhat is true today

Attack-surface, integration and API testing of the parts that touch your data.

What is third-party risk management?

Third-party risk management (TPRM) is the program for identifying, assessing and monitoring the risks that vendors, suppliers and partners bring, over the life of each relationship: planning, due diligence, contracting, ongoing monitoring and termination. Read what is third-party risk management.

What is a vendor risk assessment?

A vendor risk assessment is one review inside that program: how a specific vendor protects the data and access you give it. Read how to perform a vendor security assessment.

02See it in action

From question to answered

How one question from your risk committee is tested directly, the finding fixed with the vendor, retested and recorded in the vendor file.

Illustrative

01What this test answers

AccessCan it reach data?

APIIntegration

SurfaceExposed hosts

Data flowWhere data goes

ReportsSOC 2 / ISO scope

RetestFix confirmed

02The question, tested

Question: can vendor X reach our customer data?High

Finding: the vendor's integration token reads every customer record, not only the agreed fields · OWASP API Security Top 10 (2023) API3

Question raised

TestTesters call your API with the vendor's integration token, with your authorization
ProveToken reads all customer records, not only the agreed fields
FixScoped, short-lived token agreed with the vendor and your team
RetestSame request now limited to the agreed fields
RecordResult logged in the vendor file for your risk committee

03Vendor file

Scope, dates and method
Finding with proof and impact
Fix owner: vendor or you
Retest result
Risk rating for your register

Evidence statusVendor file open

A test, not a form

We start from the question your risk team needs answered and test it directly, so the answer does not depend on what the vendor says.

Evidence your committee can read

Each result carries proof, business impact and an owner, written so risk and procurement teams can act without a tester in the room.

Done when it is answered

A retest of the agreed fixes is included, and the result is recorded in the vendor file.

Illustrative example. The vendor, integration, token and statuses are a composite for explanation only and do not describe any client or vendor. Testing of vendor-owned systems needs the vendor's written authorization.

Text version of the exhibit

Question: your risk committee asks whether vendor X can reach your customer data. The test covers access, the integration API, the vendor's exposed surface, data flows and its SOC 2 or ISO report scope.
Test: with your authorization, testers call your API using the token issued to the vendor's integration.
Finding: the token reads every customer record, not only the agreed fields (broken object property level authorization, OWASP API Security Top 10 2023, API3). The finding is rated High.
Fix: a scoped, short-lived token is agreed with the vendor and your team.
Retest: the same request now returns only the agreed fields, and the fix is confirmed.
Answered: the vendor file (scope, finding with proof, fix owner, retest result and risk rating) is handed to your risk committee.

03Question to evidence

What does your risk team ask, and what evidence answers it?

Each common vendor-review question, the test that answers it and the evidence you keep in the vendor file.

Area	What your team asks	What ioSENTRIX tests	Evidence you keep
ReportsSOC 2 / ISO	Does the vendor's SOC 2 report or ISO certificate cover the service we buy?	Review of scope, period, exceptions, carve-outs and complementary user entity controls	Report review notes and gaps
SurfaceAttack surface	What does the vendor expose to the internet?	Attack-surface discovery, and testing of exposed services with the vendor's authorization	Exposed-service list and validated findings
AccessIntegration	Can the vendor's access reach more of our systems or data than it needs?	Testing of the integration, API tokens, scopes and SSO links between you and the vendor	Access findings with proof
Data flowData handling	Where does our data go, and who else touches it?	Data-flow review across the vendor, its subprocessors and your integration	Data-flow map and risks
ProductApplication	Is the vendor's product itself secure?	Penetration testing of the vendor's application or platform, when the vendor agrees	Pentest report or summary
RetestRemediation	Did the vendor fix what was found?	Tracking of agreed fixes, then a retest	Retest results tied to each finding

The 2023 Interagency Guidance on Third-Party Relationships (OCC Bulletin 2023-17) says due diligence can include assessing a third party's security programs, including the results of vulnerability and penetration tests. NIST SP 800-161 Rev. 1 covers cybersecurity supply chain risk management, and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A 5.19–5.22 cover supplier relationships. Testing of vendor-owned systems needs the vendor's written authorization.

04Timing

Where does testing fit in a vendor review?

From intake to reassessment, this is where evidence is gathered and tested.

Intake
The business requests a vendor; we capture the service, data and access involved.
Scope
Tiering
Rank the vendor by the data and access it gets, so testing effort follows risk.
Risk tier
Evidence review
Questionnaire, SOC 2 or ISO reports and the vendor's own test summaries.
Report review
Technical test
Attack-surface, integration and API testing for higher-risk vendors.
Testing
Remediation
Agreed fixes, owners and dates, then a retest of the fixes.
Retest included
Reassessment
Repeat on a cycle set by the tier, and after major changes or incidents.
Ongoing monitoring

Before you signDue diligence

Test before data or access is granted, while fixes and contract terms can still be negotiated.

After you signOngoing monitoring

Reassess on a cycle set by the vendor's tier, and after significant changes, incidents or renewals.

05Assessment pack

What's in a third-party risk assessment pack?

Everything your risk committee, procurement team and auditors ask for, in one vendor file.

Executive summary
Risk rating, key findings and a recommendation for your risk committee or procurement team.
Scope and method
Vendor, service, data and access in scope, dates, authorizations and the standards followed.
NIST SP 800-115OWASP API Top 10 2023
Report review notes
What the vendor's SOC 2 or ISO evidence covers, and where it falls short for your use.
Findings with proof
Each finding with evidence, severity, business impact and the steps to reproduce it.
Remediation and retest
Agreed fixes and owners, and the retest results, so findings are tracked to closure.
Framework mapping
Each result mapped to the guidance your program follows.
Interagency TPRMNIST SP 800-161 Rev. 1ISO/IEC 27001 A.5.19–5.22

06Independently verified

★★★★★

“The team at ioSENTRIX is professional and highly skilled at their craft.”

Awwab A.SVP, Chief Information Security Officer · Verified G2 review ↗

★★★★★

“We were impressed with ioSENTRIX's ability to independently validate the security of our customer-facing product.”

Zeehasham R.Data Scientist, Security Operations · Insurance · Verified Clutch review ↗

4.9 / 5 on G212 reviews · High Performer, Fall 2026↗

5.0 / 5 on ClutchPremier Verified↗

Penetration Testing Solution of the Year2026 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards↗

CREST-accredited firmPenetration testing↗

ISO/IEC 27001 certifiedOur own information security management system↗

SOC 2 Type 2 attestedOur own controls, independently examined↗

07How we help

Services that support a third-party risk program

From a single vendor review to an ongoing program.

Case study · Financial service provider

A web application secured for launch, with business logic tied to real impact

Manual and automated testing with open-source and in-house techniques
Business logic assessment that correlated vulnerabilities with real-world business impact
Critical vulnerabilities and legacy-code risks addressed; product launched on schedule

Read the case study

Services for third-party riskPenetration testingVendor applications and integrations, with the vendor's authorization.Web application and API penetration testingIntegration APIs, tokens and scopes, typically 1–2 weeks.Continuous threat exposure management (CTEM)Exposure validated by people, between point-in-time reviews.Compliance as a service (CaaS)Readiness assessments, documentation and audit preparation.vCISO servicesA security leader to own the vendor risk program.Cybersecurity due diligence for M&ATesting a target company before you sign.

08Insights

Read before you assess your next vendor

October 23, 2026

What Security Questions Should You Ask an AI Vendor?

There is no shortage of AI vendor question lists. What is scarce is a view of which answers break when somebody tests them. Six claims that survive a questionnaire and not an engagement, the test that settles each, and what to ask instead.

January 7, 2026

Third-Party Integrations: Key Application Security Risks & Continuous Protection with ioSENTRIX

Explore why third-party integrations are the overlooked weak link in application security. See how ioSENTRIX delivers continuous testing and AI-driven risk mitigation.

December 22, 2025

Securing the AI Supply Chain: Data, APIs, and Dependencies

Learn best practices to secure the AI supply chain, including data, APIs, and dependencies. Protect enterprise AI, reduce risks, and ensure compliance.

January 22, 2025

AI Supply Chain Security: Protecting Data End-to-End

Discover how ioSENTRIX ensures AI supply chain security by safeguarding data pipelines from collection to inference against critical vulnerabilities.

09FAQ

Third-party risk assessment questions

Short answers to what risk, security and procurement teams ask us most.

Ask us something else

What is a third-party risk assessment?

A third-party risk assessment finds out, with evidence, whether a vendor, supplier or partner could expose your data or systems. It reviews what the vendor claims, such as questionnaires and SOC 2 or ISO reports, then tests what matters for your relationship: the vendor's exposed attack surface, the integration or API it has into your environment, and where your data flows.

What is the difference between third-party risk management and a vendor risk assessment?

Third-party risk management is the whole program across the life of each relationship: planning, due diligence, contracting, ongoing monitoring and termination. A vendor risk assessment is one review inside that program, focused on how a specific vendor protects the data and access you give it.

Is a SOC 2 report enough to approve a vendor?

Often not on its own. A SOC 2 report covers a defined system and period, may carve out subservice organizations and lists complementary user entity controls that you must operate. Check that its scope covers the service you buy, then test the integration and data flows that are specific to your relationship.

Do banking regulators expect vendors to be tested?

The 2023 Interagency Guidance on Third-Party Relationships says due diligence can include assessing a third party's data, infrastructure and application security programs, including the results of vulnerability and penetration tests, scaled to the risk of the relationship. In September 2026 the agencies proposed new guidance that would rescind and replace it, with comments due November 16, 2026.

Can you test a vendor's systems?

Only with the vendor's written authorization. Without it, we review the vendor's evidence, look at what the vendor publicly exposes using non-intrusive techniques, and test your side of the integration, such as the tokens and access you give the vendor.

Which frameworks does the assessment follow?

We align with the Interagency Guidance on Third-Party Relationships, NIST SP 800-161 Rev. 1 for cybersecurity supply chain risk management and the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A supplier controls 5.19–5.22, and we test using OWASP and NIST SP 800-115 practice.

How often should vendors be reassessed?

On a cycle set by each vendor's risk tier, and after significant changes, incidents or contract renewals. The vendors with the most sensitive data and access warrant the most frequent and most technical reviews.

Ready when you are

Get vendor answers your risk committee can rely on

Tell us how you tier vendors and which ones touch sensitive data or systems. We will help you scope the right assessment.

Written scope and timeline before testing starts
Retest of fixes included
Findings your risk committee can read

Scope your vendor risk assessment

Takes about a minute.

Third-party risk assessments that test the vendor, not just the questionnaire

What does a third-party risk assessment involve?

What is third-party risk management?

What is a vendor risk assessment?

From question to answered

A test, not a form

Evidence your committee can read

Done when it is answered

What does your risk team ask, and what evidence answers it?

Where does testing fit in a vendor review?

Intake

Tiering

Evidence review

Technical test

Remediation

Reassessment

What's in a third-party risk assessment pack?

Executive summary

Scope and method

Report review notes

Findings with proof

Remediation and retest

Framework mapping