DORA Compliance: Digital Resilience for Financial Institutions

With the Digital Operational Resilience Act, digital resilience has become a mandatory requirement for financial institutions. Since January 17, 2025, banks, insurance companies, investment firms, and other financial actors – as well as their critical ICT service providers – are obligated to protect their systems against disruptions, cyberattacks, and operational risks.

DORA compliance has thus become a key objective for all relevant market participants. It establishes a unified legal framework at the EU level to minimize digital risks and ensure long-term financial stability – especially important in a connected market where technical disruptions can have cross-border impacts.

Key Requirements for DORA Compliance

  • Risk management for digital systems with strict security standards
  • Regular testing of operational resilience to identify vulnerabilities early
  • Clear reporting obligations for ICT-related incidents
  • Stringent risk management in collaboration with critical IT service providers

Many financial institutions already align with national regulations, such as the German BAIT (Supervisory Requirements for IT in Financial Institutions). DORA compliance now elevates these requirements to the European level, ensuring consistent implementation across all affected organizations.

Security Testing According to DORA: Putting Digital Resilience into Practice

Chapters 4, Articles 25 and 26 of the regulation place a strong focus on regular testing of ICT systems. The aim of each DORA-compliant security test is to systematically assess and improve digital resilience. This includes both ongoing assessments of IT systems and specialized testing procedures for particularly critical institutions.

Financial organizations must continuously test their IT systems for vulnerabilities and performance. This includes vulnerability assessments, penetration tests, stress tests, and end-to-end testing. Additionally, gap analyses, source code reviews, and physical security checks are part of a comprehensive testing strategy.

For systemically important institutions with high ICT risk, DORA mandates so-called Threat-Led Penetration Testing (TLPT) – realistic simulations of cyberattacks designed to test critical systems under extreme conditions, ensuring resilience even under targeted threats. Supervisory authorities explicitly identify which companies are required to undergo these advanced tests.

The required testing methods are already well established in practice. From vulnerability assessments to performance testing and end-to-end testing – these procedures have long been part of standard quality assurance toolkits.

imbus: Your Partner for DORA Compliance and Security Testing

The required testing methods are well established in practice. imbus has been successfully applying these methods for years – with a clear focus on security, efficiency, and traceability. We offer financial institutions a solid approach to achieve and maintain DORA compliance in a structured way.

Our Approach to DORA-Compliant Security Testing

  • Planning, execution, evaluation: We take care of the detailed planning, professional execution, and thorough evaluation of your DORA security tests. From aligning test objectives and coordinating with your teams to secure execution in live environments – imbus handles every step.
  • All test methods from a single source: Penetration testing, TLPT, vulnerability analysis, code reviews, or end-to-end testing – our team covers all relevant methods.
  • Structured processes and documented results: We work with clearly defined processes that have proven themselves in practice. Each test step is transparently documented. All results are recorded in writing, including detailed findings, risk assessments, and recommendations. Our reports are structured based on best practices from years of project experience and aligned with DORA requirements.
  • Practical measures to reduce risk: Our evaluations help you prioritize actions and systematically increase your digital resilience.

Do you need advice on security testing or support with test planning and execution? Contact us directly – it’s easy via email!

Write us!

Industry Reports and Project Examples

Our customer reports show how banks, insurance companies, and other financial service providers strengthen their digital resilience, meet regulatory requirements, and ensure long-term stability through structured security testing in line with DORA.

Conclusion: With the right partner, DORA compliance is not just achievable – it’s a real opportunity to strategically improve your IT security. Get in touch – we support you with expertise, experience, and efficient testing solutions.

Contact show/hide

Your contact person at imbus

Mr. Tobias Esser