Security testing designed for local government
Penetration testing for councils and public bodies, covering the systems that deliver services to your community.
Trusted by companies of all shapes and sizes
What is local government testing?
Councils and local public bodies run a wide range of systems, from citizen-facing portals and payment services to internal networks, legacy applications and shared services. Local government testing assesses these against the threats public sector organisations face, with scope shaped around the services you deliver.
Our testers combine infrastructure, application and configuration testing in a single scoped engagement, and report issues in the Rootshell Platform with clear severity ratings and remediation advice. The evidence can support the assurance requirements that apply to public sector organisations.
The benefits of local government testing for your business
Protect the services your community depends on.
Identify potential vulnerabilities
Find weaknesses across citizen services, internal networks and the applications that support them.
Proactive defence
Test systems before attackers do, including legacy platforms that are hard to replace.
Prepare for the unexpected
Understand how an incident could affect service delivery, and plan your response.
Better visibility and control
Track findings and fixes across teams and suppliers in one place.
Stay compliant
Provide evidence for public sector assurance and audit requirements.
Stay ahead of threats with our local government testing
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On-demand local government results at the click of a button
The Rootshell Platform is a neutral, centralised hub for managing vulnerabilities and protecting against threats, providing you with a single source of cyber security truth.
Recognised industry leader in penetration testing as a service (PTaaS)
Comprehensive local government testing tailored to your needs
Elevate your security with a customisable, all-in-one solution tailored to your unique objectives, risk appetite, and budget.
Build your package:
- Penetration Tests
- Managed Vulnerability Scanning (MVS)
- Attack Surface Management (ASM)
- Red Team Assessments
- We help you choose the services that best fit your needs
- Solutions tailored to meet your team’s objectives, risk appetite, and budget
Plus receive your results an data through The Rootshell Platform
Ready to get started?
Discover your needs
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Seamless onboarding
Reasons to work with us
For local government testing, Rootshell combines accredited testers with the Rootshell Platform, so every finding is easy to track and fix.
All your results in one place
Findings, retests and fixes sit in the Rootshell Platform alongside your other testing and scanner results, so progress is easy to track.
Accredited, experienced testers
Delivered by experienced testers. Rootshell is CREST registered, Cyber Scheme accredited, ISO 27001 certified, an IASME Cyber Essentials Plus certification body, and NCSC CHECK scheme accredited.
Recognised standards
Findings can support evidence for requirements such as the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework and Cyber Essentials.
Clear reports, clear next steps
Clear, prioritised findings with practical fix advice, and retesting to confirm that fixes have worked.
How we deliver it
Scope, access and timing are agreed with you before testing starts, and delivery can be remote or on site where the test allows.
Talk to our team about local government testing
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Don’t just take our word for it, hear what our customers think
Continuous testing compared with annual one-off test
| Continuous testing | Annual one-off test | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Regular tests through the year | A snapshot at one point in time |
| Changes between tests | Picked up as they happen | Missed until next year |
| Results | Tracked in one platform with fix progress | A report at a point in time |
| Best for | Councils with changing services and suppliers | A baseline or specific requirement |
Common questions about local government testing
What does local government testing cover?
We test the systems councils rely on, including public-facing services, internal networks and cloud, scoped to your services and risk.
Can testing be planned around service delivery?
Yes. We agree timing and rules with you in advance.
How is it different from an annual test?
A yearly test shows one moment. Continuous Testing covers changes through the year, with results and progress tracked in the Rootshell Platform.
Can you support reporting to senior leaders?
Yes. Results are tracked by severity, exploitability and fix progress, which helps with clear reporting.
Last reviewed: 5 November 2026. Written and reviewed by the Rootshell R&D team. Rootshell was founded six years ago and is founder-led, drawing on more than 30 years of industry experience from previous successful businesses. We deliver thousands of testing days every year. CREST registered, Cyber Scheme accredited, ISO 27001 certified, an IASME Cyber Essentials Plus certification body, and NCSC CHECK scheme accredited.
Related testing services
Most clients combine more than one test. These pair well with local government testing.
