Cybersecurity Case Studies

Real-world examples of how eShield Consulting helps organisations strengthen their cybersecurity posture, achieve compliance, and respond to security incidents. All case studies are anonymised to protect client confidentiality.

ISO 27001 Certification — DIFC Financial Services Company

Client Profile

Industry: Financial Services (DIFC-regulated)
Size: 80+ employees
Location: Dubai, UAE
Challenge: Achieve ISO 27001 certification to satisfy enterprise client requirements and DFSA cybersecurity expectations

Challenge

The client had no formal Information Security Management System (ISMS). Security policies were informal, risk assessment was ad-hoc, and access controls relied on trust rather than documented procedures. DIFC-regulated clients increasingly required ISO 27001 evidence during due diligence.

What eShield Delivered

Gap assessment against ISO 27001:2022 requirements
Risk assessment and risk treatment plan covering 93 Annex A controls
Complete ISMS documentation (40+ policies and procedures)
Statement of Applicability
Staff security awareness training
Internal audit
Management review preparation
Certification body liaison and audit preparation

Results

Certification achieved: First-time pass with zero major non-conformities
Timeline: 4 months from gap assessment to certification
Business impact: Won 3 new enterprise clients within 6 months of certification
Ongoing: eShield continues to support annual surveillance audits

Related service: ISO 27001 Certification & Consulting

Penetration Testing — UAE E-Commerce Platform

Client Profile

Industry: E-Commerce / Retail
Platform: Custom web application + mobile apps + payment gateway integration
Location: Dubai, UAE
Challenge: PCI DSS compliance requirement and customer data protection

Challenge

The client processed 50,000+ card transactions monthly through a custom-built platform. A previous vendor had conducted automated scanning only, missing business logic vulnerabilities. The client needed comprehensive penetration testing to satisfy PCI DSS Requirement 11.3 and protect 200,000+ customer records.

What eShield Delivered

Web application penetration testing (OWASP Top 10 + OWASP ASVS Level 2)
API penetration testing (50+ endpoints)
Mobile application testing (iOS + Android)
Payment gateway integration security testing
Network penetration testing (external + internal)

Findings

3 Critical: Authentication bypass, insecure direct object reference (IDOR), SQL injection in search function
7 High: Including cross-site scripting (XSS), broken access control on admin panel, insecure API token handling
15 Medium: Including missing security headers, verbose error messages, weak password policy
22 Low/Informational

Results

All critical and high findings remediated within 30 days
Free retest confirmed all critical/high findings resolved
PCI DSS Requirement 11.3 satisfied for annual compliance
Zero data breaches in the 12 months following remediation

Managed SOC Deployment — Healthcare Group

Client Profile

Industry: Healthcare
Size: 500+ employees across 5 facilities
Location: Dubai, UAE
Challenge: No 24/7 security monitoring despite handling sensitive patient data

Challenge

The healthcare group experienced a ransomware attempt that was detected only after it had encrypted a non-critical file server. While impact was limited, management recognised the need for continuous security monitoring. Building an in-house SOC was estimated at AED 2M+ annually — prohibitively expensive.

What eShield Delivered

24/7 managed SOC with dedicated healthcare-aware analysts
SIEM deployment and tuning (log ingestion from 500+ endpoints, firewalls, servers)
EDR deployment across all clinical and administrative workstations
Custom detection rules for healthcare-specific threats (medical device anomalies, PHI access patterns)
Monthly executive reporting aligned to board requirements
Incident response retainer with 2-hour SLA

Results

60+ security incidents detected and resolved in first 6 months
3 attempted ransomware attacks blocked before encryption
Mean time to detect (MTTD): Reduced from days to minutes
Cost savings: AED 1.6M+ annually vs in-house SOC alternative
Compliance: Continuous monitoring evidence for DHA requirements

Related services: Managed SOC Services | Incident Response | Healthcare Cybersecurity

Incident Response — Ransomware Attack on Professional Services Firm

Client Profile

Industry: Professional Services (Legal/Consulting)
Size: 150 employees
Location: Dubai, UAE
Situation: Active ransomware attack discovered on a Monday morning

Incident

Staff arrived Monday to find ransomware notes on file servers. Approximately 60% of shared drives were encrypted. Email was operational but client files, case documents, and financial records were inaccessible. The attackers demanded payment within 72 hours.

eShield’s Response

Hour 1-2: Containment — isolated affected segments, preserved forensic evidence, established secure communications
Hour 2-6: Forensic analysis — identified ransomware variant, attack vector (phishing email → compromised credentials → lateral movement), and encryption scope
Hour 6-24: Recovery planning — assessed backup integrity, identified clean recovery points, prioritised critical systems
Day 2-5: System restoration from clean backups — file servers, applications, user workstations rebuilt
Day 5-10: Hardening — MFA deployment, network segmentation, endpoint detection, backup strategy overhaul
Day 10-30: Post-incident review, updated incident response plan, security awareness training for all staff

Results

No ransom paid
95% of data recovered from backups (5% recovered from shadow copies)
Full operations restored within 5 business days
Root cause eliminated (compromised VPN credentials, now MFA-protected)
Ongoing: eShield manages 24/7 monitoring via managed SOC retainer

Related services: Incident Response | Ransomware Recovery | Managed SOC

Need a Similar Outcome?

Every organisation faces different cybersecurity challenges. Contact eShield to discuss your specific requirements and learn how we can help.

Email: [email protected] | Phone: +971 58 577 8145