TPN Gold Shield readiness testing for VFX and post-production studios
A TPN Gold Shield comes from an assessment carried out by a TPN-accredited assessor, not from a testing firm, and that assessment looks under digital security for vulnerability management that includes penetration testing. Working by hand from Hyderabad, BERRY9 tests your content portal, your production network and the workflow that carries content from receipt to delivery, and every finding comes back with its proof of concept, CVSS 3.1 score and fix, gathered in a remediation matrix you can clear before the assessor visits.
- Tests start from
- INR 27,000 + 18% GST
- Built for
- VFX and post-production
- TPN assessment
- By a TPN-accredited assessor
- Delivery
- Remote from Hyderabad
Last reviewed
| Function | Crew A | Crew B | Client | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Project A shots | Allowed, as designed | Refused, as designed | Allowed, as designed | Refused, as designed |
| Download Project A plates | Allowed, as designed | Finding: allowed, but should be refused | Refused, as designed | Refused, as designed |
| Open Project B shots | Refused, as designed | Allowed, as designed | Refused, as designed | Refused, as designed |
| Approve a Project A version | Refused, as designed | Refused, as designed | Allowed, as designed | Refused, as designed |
| Upload to the transfer share | Allowed, as designed | Allowed, as designed | Refused, as designed | Allowed, as designed |
- Crew BDownload Project A plates: allowed, but should be refused
01 / What TPN is
What TPN Gold Shield means for a VFX studio
For a studio that does VFX or post-production work on unreleased films and series, TPN is often the security check that stands between a bid and a contract. It looks at the whole facility, from the front door to the file server, and a penetration test covers only part of it.
A program for content vendors
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN) is a content security program for the film and television industry, linked to the Motion Picture Association. Major studios and streaming services commonly ask the VFX studios, post-production houses and other creative vendors they hire to go through it before sharing pre-release content.
Best practices with MPA roots
TPN's content security best practices are derived from the Motion Picture Association's Content Security Best Practices Common Guidelines, with added guidance for facilities, production, post-production, marketing and distribution.
The Gold Shield
The Gold Shield is the outcome of TPN's in-depth assessment of a facility. Client studios commonly look for it when deciding whether a vendor can be trusted with theatrical-grade content.
Assessed by accredited assessors
TPN assessments are carried out by independent assessors that TPN has accredited. The vendor does not assess itself, and a testing firm hired by the vendor does not stand in for the assessor.
TPN's program details change, so check the current requirements with your client or assessor. The TPN website describes the platform vendors use and how assessments work today.
Where BERRY9 fits. BERRY9 is not a TPN assessor. We do not perform the TPN assessment, we cannot award a Gold Shield, and we do not decide whether your facility reaches one. What we do is test the systems the digital security and content workflow areas look at, so you can fix what we find before your assessor arrives.
02 / Five areas
Five areas a TPN assessment looks at, and where VAPT fits
We plan a test against five areas of the best practices. VAPT sits inside digital security, and a test also gives you evidence on content workflow and on whether role-based access works, but physical security, policies and personnel checks are yours to prepare in other ways.
| Area | What the area covers | Where a BERRY9 test helps | Outside a security test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management systems | Governance, policies, change management and risk management | An executive report and a remediation matrix that your risk and change records can point to | Writing the policies and running the governance, change and risk processes |
| Physical security | Access controls, CCTV, visitor management and the areas where content is handled | Not covered: a remote test does not check doors, cameras or visitor logs | Everything in this area, which your assessor reviews against the best practices |
| Digital security | Network, endpoint, encryption and vulnerability management, including VAPT | The external test of the content portal and the internal test of the production network, with a proof of concept, CVSS 3.1 score and fix for every finding | Your scanning schedule, patching between tests and settings outside the agreed scope |
| Content workflow | How content moves from receipt to delivery, watermarking and asset handling | A review of who can open, download or share assets on the portal, transfer tools and file shares at each stage | Watermarking choices and your written asset-handling procedures |
| Personnel | Background checks, training, NDAs and role-based access | Whether role-based access holds in the systems tested, so each user reaches only the projects assigned to them | Background checks, training records and signed NDAs |
Digital security includes requirements for vulnerability management: periodic scanning, periodic penetration testing and remediation of what they find. Studios reviewing an assessment tend to look closely at how often you test and at any findings still open, which is why the timing of a test matters as much as its scope.
This table is a planning aid. An area with no findings from our test is not a pass in that area; only the TPN assessment decides how your facility scores.
03 / The engagement
What a TPN-focused penetration test covers
A typical engagement has four parts: an external test against the content portal, an internal test against the production network, a review of the content workflow, and a retest of what was fixed. Each part can be scoped on its own if your client or assessor has already pointed at one area.
Show details for What a TPN-focused penetration test covers
From the internet
External test of the content portal
The review, delivery or transfer portal your clients and vendors sign in to, tested as each role you give us: sign-in and sessions, file uploads, and whether one project's footage can be reached from another project's account.
OutputPortal findings, each with a proof of concept
From inside
Internal test of the production network
Starting where an artist workstation or a vendor connection would, we check whether the production network is kept apart from corporate and internet-facing systems, and which file shares and storage servers a foothold can reach.
OutputNetwork findings and the paths that led to them
End to end
Content workflow review
We follow content from receipt to delivery: where it lands, who can open or copy it at each stage, and which shares and transfer tools hold it on the way out.
OutputWorkflow findings, stage by stage
After your fixes
Retest
Once you have fixed them, findings are checked again under the retest terms your proposal states, and the record you carry into the assessment shows which issues are closed.
OutputRetest results for your file
The tests behind each step:
Network penetration testing
External and internal network tests, including whether the production network is really separate from the rest.
Web application testing
Review and delivery portals tested role by role, with the access rules between projects tried directly.
API security testing
The endpoints behind your portal, transfer tools and pipeline integrations, which can hand out files the screens never show.
Cloud security assessment
Cloud storage and rendering accounts where shots, plates and deliveries sit, checked for access wider than intended.
04 / Preparing
How to prepare your studio for the test
The most useful test is one scoped from what your client studio has asked for and from how content really moves through your facility. Gather these before the scoping call and the proposal can name exactly what will be tested.
Show details for How to prepare your studio for the test
- What your client or assessor has asked for. The questionnaire sections, earlier findings or test requirements your client studio or assessor has raised, so the test answers them.
- A network diagram. One that shows where the production network ends and the corporate, guest and internet-facing networks begin.
- Every route content takes in and out. Review portals, file-transfer tools, delivery links and cloud storage, including any a vendor runs for you.
- Test accounts on two projects. At least two accounts per role on different projects, so we can check whether one project's people can reach another's assets.
- Vendor and remote access. How freelancers, outsourcing partners and remote artists connect, and written permission for any vendor system in scope.
- Your assessment date and the rules of engagement. When the assessment is booked, so fixes and the retest come first, and who approves what testing may touch on storage and render servers during live production.
The internal test reaches the production network through a VPN account, a jump host or a connection on your premises. We test remotely from BERRY9's single office in Hyderabad, and on-site visits can be arranged.
05 / Deliverables
What you receive before the TPN assessment
The five items below are part of every BERRY9 test. They are written for two audiences: the engineers who close the findings, and the person who has to explain your security to a client studio.
Show details for What you receive before the TPN assessment
- An executive report for studio leadership and whoever answers client security questions: what was exposed, and what that means for the content you hold.
- An engineering report for your pipeline and IT engineers: how to reproduce each finding, the proof of concept behind it and our recommended fix.
- CVSS 3.1 severity on every finding, weighed against your production environment and the footage at stake.
- A remediation matrix placing each finding beside its fix, so you can track it until it closes ahead of the assessment.
- Retest terms, as the price section describes them.
Our VAPT methodology explains the five phases every test follows, and a sample VAPT report previews what your team will receive.
06 / Who it fits
Which studios and vendors this testing suits
This work suits creative vendors who hold someone else's unreleased content and have to show that it is safe with them. If what you need is the TPN assessment itself, you need a TPN-accredited assessor, and we can test before or after that visit.
Show details for Which studios and vendors this testing suits
VFX studios
Studios delivering shots for feature films and series, who hold plates, renders and edits for months before a release date.
Post-production houses
Editing, color, sound and finishing facilities that receive whole cuts of unreleased titles and send masters back.
Marketing and distribution vendors
Creative agencies and delivery vendors, areas TPN's guidance also covers, who handle trailers, artwork or delivery files ahead of release.
Heading into a first assessment
Vendors who want the digital security weaknesses found and fixed while there is still time before the assessor visits.
Findings left open
Facilities whose assessment left digital security or workflow findings open, who need them fixed and tested again.
Working toward ISO 27001 too
Studios building an ISMS alongside TPN, where one test can serve both if the systems overlap and each assessor or auditor agrees the scope.
07 / Price
What a TPN readiness test costs
A TPN readiness test with BERRY9 starts from INR 27,000 + 18% GST. That is the floor, not a package price: your portals, the size of your production network and the number of projects and roles to test as decide the figure, and a written proposal after scoping states it.
TPN readiness test
Starts fromINR 27,000 + 18% GST
Starting price for a manual test of your content portal, production network or content workflow ahead of a TPN assessment. The final figure depends on how much of each is in scope.
- Executive and engineering reports
- Proof of concept and CVSS 3.1 severity per finding
- Remediation matrix
What sets the figure
Priced byScope
Three things decide what a TPN readiness test costs:
- Portals and transfer tools in scope
- Size of the production network
- Projects and roles to test as
The starting price for small scopes includes one free retest. For larger scopes, the retest terms are written into the proposal before work starts.
How each factor moves a price is set out in the VAPT cost guide for India. Every other test BERRY9 offers is listed under all offensive security services, or you can contact BERRY9 directly.
08 / Inquiry
Tell us about your facility and assessment date
Send us the portals and networks that handle client content, what your client studio or assessor has asked for, and when your assessment is booked. We reply with a written proposal that sets out the scope and timing.
Want to talk it through first? Call +91 86868 92922 or write to contact@berry9.com.
09 / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about scope, price and how testing works. For anything else, call +91 86868 92922.
What is TPN Gold Shield?
The Gold Shield is the outcome of the Trusted Partner Network's in-depth assessment of a facility. TPN is a content security program for the film and television industry, and studios commonly ask VFX, post-production and other creative vendors to go through it before sharing pre-release content. TPN's program details change, so check the current requirements with your client or assessor. See the section on What TPN Gold Shield means for a VFX studio above.
Can BERRY9 give us a TPN Gold Shield?
No. BERRY9 is not a TPN assessor, so we cannot award a Gold Shield, and no testing firm can promise how an assessment will turn out. We test the systems the assessment looks at and help your team fix what we find before the assessor arrives.
Who carries out a TPN assessment?
An independent assessor that TPN has accredited carries out the assessment. The studio being assessed does not assess itself, and a testing firm it hires, BERRY9 included, does not stand in for that assessor. The TPN website explains the current process. See the section on What TPN Gold Shield means for a VFX studio above.
Do the MPA and TPN content security best practices call for penetration testing?
TPN's best practices, which are derived from the Motion Picture Association's Content Security Best Practices Common Guidelines, place vulnerability management under digital security, and that includes periodic scanning, periodic penetration testing and remediation. How deep and how often is set by the current best practices and by your client, so confirm both with them or with your assessor. See the section on Five areas a TPN assessment looks at, and where VAPT fits above.
What does a TPN VAPT for a VFX studio cover?
Typically an external test of the content portal your clients use, an internal test of the production network, a review of how content moves from receipt to delivery, and a retest of the findings your team fixes. Physical security, policies and personnel checks are outside a penetration test. See the section on What a TPN-focused penetration test covers above.
When should we run the test before a TPN assessment?
Early enough to fix the findings and retest them before the assessor visits. Studios reviewing an assessment tend to look closely at how often you test and at any findings still open, so leave room in the plan for the fixes as well as the test. See the section on How to prepare your studio for the test above.
Can you test our production network without visiting the studio?
Usually, yes. An internal test reaches the production network through a VPN account, a jump host or a connection on your premises, and BERRY9 delivers testing remotely from its one office in Hyderabad. On-site work can be arranged when the network cannot be reached any other way.
Can one test serve TPN and ISO 27001?
It can, when the systems in your ISO 27001 scope overlap with the ones the TPN assessment looks at and the timing suits both. Ask your TPN assessor and your ISO 27001 certification body before the scope is fixed, because each decides what evidence it accepts.
How much does a TPN penetration test cost?
A TPN readiness test with BERRY9 starts from INR 27,000 + 18% GST. What you finally pay depends on the portals and transfer tools in scope, how big the production network is and how many projects and roles we test as; a written proposal after scoping gives the exact figure. See the section on What a TPN readiness test costs above.