Red Team in Action: How a Capital Management Firm Strengthened Its Cyber Defenses with AKATI Sekurity

The Wake-Up Call

Hong Kong, a global financial hub, has found itself in the crosshairs of cybercriminals. A recent Telstra cybersecurity report ranked it among the highest-risk regions for cyberattacks in Asia, second only to India. In an industry where a single breach could mean millions in losses and irreparable reputational damage, financial firms can’t afford to wait for a crisis before taking action.

One renowned capital management firm, overseeing billions in assets, recognized the rising threat. With client confidentiality, regulatory compliance, and business continuity on the line, they made a decisive move—they hired AKATI Sekurity’s Red Team to stress-test their defenses before attackers could.

The Challenge: Hidden Risks in an Evolving Threat Landscape

Financial institutions are prime targets for sophisticated cybercriminals, including nation-state actors, organized cybercrime groups, and insider threats. This firm needed to know:

🛑 Could attackers gain unauthorized access to sensitive financial data?
🛑 Were existing security measures strong enough to repel modern cyber threats?
🛑 Were there blind spots in the firm’s infrastructure that hackers could exploit?

AKATI Sekurity’s Red Team was brought in to simulate real-world cyberattacks and uncover weaknesses that could compromise client data, operational integrity, and regulatory standing.

Inside the Red Team Exercise: Breaking In to Build Stronger Defenses

Red Teaming isn’t just about scanning for vulnerabilities—it’s about thinking like an attacker. The goal was to bypass existing defenses, expose security gaps, and help the firm fix its weak spots before real attackers could exploit them.

[1] Simulated Exploits & Encryption Overhaul

Discovery – During the exercise, AKATI Sekurity’s Red Team successfully bypassed security controls and accessed sensitive client data stored in plaintext—meaning if an attacker got in, the data would be there for the taking.

Fix – The team recommended and implemented advanced encryption protocols to ensure that all financial records, client credentials, and transaction logs were encrypted, protecting them from unauthorized access.

[2] Penetration Testing & Network Reinforcement

Discovery – Using custom exploit techniques and penetration testing tools, the Red Team simulated how external and internal attackers could infiltrate the network. They identified flaws in firewall rules, weak access controls, and inadequate intrusion detection systems.

Fix – AKATI Sekurity guided the firm in deploying stronger intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), tightening firewall rules, and implementing role-based access control (RBAC) to ensure that only authorized personnel could access sensitive systems.

[3] Fixing Misconfigurations & Optimizing Security Controls

Discovery – Certain systems were running on outdated configurations, leaving gaps in security that could allow attackers to move laterally within the network.

Fix – The Red Team worked closely with the firm’s IT and security teams to reconfigure critical systems, close unnecessary access points, and ensure security settings aligned with industry best practices—all without excessive implementation costs.

The Outcome: A Stronger, More Secure Capital Management Firm

After AKATI Sekurity’s Red Teaming engagement, the firm achieved:

✔ A hardened security posture, with key vulnerabilities identified and patched before attackers could exploit them.
✔ Enhanced client data protection, ensuring that sensitive financial information was encrypted and access was tightly controlled.
✔ Stronger network defenses, reducing the likelihood of breaches, ransomware attacks, and unauthorized data access.
✔ A proactive cybersecurity culture, shifting the firm’s approach from reactive to strategic, ensuring long-term resilience against cyber threats.

This wasn’t just about fixing vulnerabilities—it was about building a security-first mindset that would protect the firm’s assets, reputation, and client trust for years to come.