Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of shahidiqbal.com (the “Site”) and any engagement with Shahid Security, a sole proprietorship of Muhammad Shahid Iqbal, registered at Chak 105/15-L, Vanjari, Tehsil Mian Channu, District Khanewal, Punjab, Pakistan (“we”, “us”, “our”). By using the Site or engaging our services, you agree to these Terms.

This is a first draft written for launch, not a substitute for legal advice. Have it reviewed by a lawyer before relying on it, especially the liability and jurisdiction clauses.

1. Use of this Site

You may browse this Site and use the contact and booking forms for legitimate business enquiries. You agree not to:

• Submit false, misleading or malicious content through our forms
• Attempt to disrupt, overload or gain unauthorised access to the Site or its infrastructure
• Use automated tools to scrape or spam our forms
• Use the Site for any unlawful purpose

Unauthorised security testing against this Site itself (beyond what our Responsible Disclosure policy permits) is not authorised and may be treated as a violation of these Terms and applicable law.

2. Engagements

Any security testing, consulting, or development work we perform for a client is only carried out under a separate written agreement (a proposal or statement of work) and, where the work involves testing systems, a signed authorisation letter from someone with the authority to grant it. We do not test any system without explicit written permission covering the exact scope and time window agreed.

A free initial consultation does not itself constitute an engagement or create any obligation on either party.

3. Confidentiality

We treat client information, systems architecture and findings as confidential. A mutual non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is available on request and is standard practice before any sensitive information changes hands. We expect the same discretion from clients regarding our methodologies, tools and non-public materials.

4. Scope and limitations of security services

Security testing services (including penetration testing, vulnerability assessments and security audits) identify vulnerabilities discoverable within the specific scope, timeframe and methodology agreed for that engagement. No test — ours or anyone else’s — can guarantee discovery of every vulnerability, and no report can guarantee that a system will remain free of compromise afterward, especially as new vulnerabilities are discovered over time or the system changes. Our reports reflect the state of the system at the time of testing.

5. Client responsibilities

To deliver testing and consulting work safely and effectively, clients agree to:

• Confirm they have the legal authority to authorise testing on the systems in scope (for third-party infrastructure — e.g. cloud providers, SaaS platforms — this may require the third party’s own permission too)
• Provide accurate information about systems in scope
• Maintain working backups before any testing or remediation work begins
• Respond to scheduling and access requests in a timely manner so agreed timelines can be met

6. Intellectual property

Reports, code, documentation and other deliverables we produce for a client are licensed for that client’s internal use upon full payment, unless the engagement agreement states otherwise. We retain ownership of our own pre-existing tools, methodologies, templates and general know-how, even when used to produce a deliverable.

7. Payment

Fees, scope and timelines are agreed in writing before any engagement begins. Unless otherwise stated in a proposal, invoices are due on the terms specified in that proposal. We reserve the right to pause work on overdue accounts after reasonable notice.

8. Warranty and disclaimer

Services are provided on a professional, best-efforts basis in line with industry practice at the time of the engagement. Except as expressly stated in a specific engagement agreement, services and deliverables are provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

9. Limitation of liability

[FILL IN: this section needs a lawyer to define actual liability caps and exclusions appropriate to the scope of work you take on — for example, a cap tied to fees paid, and exclusions for indirect/consequential loss. Do not rely on the absence of a defined limit here; treat it as an open risk until this section is completed.]

10. Indemnification

Each party agrees to be responsible for its own breaches of these Terms or an engagement agreement, and for any loss it causes through gross negligence or wilful misconduct. [FILL IN: a lawyer should draft mutual indemnification language appropriate to security testing work specifically.]

11. Termination

Either party may terminate an ongoing engagement in line with the notice period stated in that engagement’s proposal or statement of work. Fees for work already performed remain payable.

12. Force majeure

Neither party is liable for delay or failure to perform caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control (natural disaster, war, internet or utility outage, government action, and similar events).

13. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Pakistan. [FILL IN: confirm jurisdiction and dispute-resolution mechanism (courts vs. arbitration) for cross-border clients — this matters if you regularly work with clients outside Pakistan.]

14. Severability and entire agreement

If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining parts stay in effect. For an active client, these Terms together with the signed engagement agreement (proposal/statement of work and any NDA) form the entire agreement between the parties for that engagement.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time; the “Last updated” date above reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the Site after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms: info@shahidiqbal.com.