Comparison
ThirdProof vs. Security
Questionnaires
Security questionnaires take 4-6 weeks and return self-reported answers. ThirdProof investigates independently across 21 intelligence sources in under 2 minutes.
Try ThirdProof Free →No credit card required
The fundamental problem with questionnaires
You are asking the entity you are evaluating to grade themselves. ThirdProof investigates vendors the way an auditor would — using independent, publicly-available evidence that vendors cannot influence or curate.
Questionnaires
ThirdProof
Time to results
4-6 weeks (vendor must respond)
Under 2 minutes (no vendor involvement)
Data independence
Self-reported by the vendor
Independently sourced from public intelligence
Vendor cooperation required
Yes — depends on vendor's willingness
No — investigates without vendor participation
Sanctions screening
Not included (vendors don't self-report)
OFAC, EU, UN + entity verification
Adverse media check
Not included (vendors don't disclose)
Multi-source news scan with severity classification
Verification of claims
Trust vendor's word
Cross-reference trust pages against registries
Coverage consistency
Varies by vendor response quality
Same 24 sources for every vendor
Cost to the vendor
Hours of staff time (vendor relationship risk)
Zero — they never know you investigated
Repeat assessments
Send another questionnaire (weeks again)
Re-investigate instantly to track changes
Audit evidence
Vendor's emailed responses (questionable weight)
SHA-256 sealed PDF with timestamped evidence
Common questions
Can ThirdProof replace our vendor security questionnaire?+
For initial vendor vetting and risk triage, yes. ThirdProof provides independent evidence across sanctions, cyber risk, business registration, adverse media, and compliance certification — information that questionnaires either don't cover or that vendors self-report with inherent bias. Many organizations use ThirdProof for the initial risk assessment, then send targeted follow-up questions only to vendors that require deeper review based on ThirdProof's findings.
What can ThirdProof find that a questionnaire can't?+
Questionnaires only surface what vendors choose to disclose. ThirdProof independently discovers: sanctions matches (OFAC/EU/UN), adverse media coverage (breaches, lawsuits, regulatory actions), domain security issues (expired certificates, missing security headers), network exposure (open ports, exposed services), subprocessor supply chain risks, SEC enforcement filing mentions, and FDIC bank failure records. Vendors have no incentive to volunteer this information in a questionnaire.
Do we still need to send questionnaires after using ThirdProof?+
It depends on your risk appetite and regulatory requirements. ThirdProof covers the outside-in intelligence layer comprehensively. However, some questions require vendor cooperation — for example, specific internal controls, data retention policies, or incident response procedures that aren't publicly visible. ThirdProof's risk tier and findings help you decide which vendors warrant that deeper engagement, so you send questionnaires only where they add value.
How does ThirdProof work with SIG or CAIQ questionnaires?+
ThirdProof complements standardized questionnaires like SIG (Standardized Information Gathering) and CAIQ (Consensus Assessment Initiative Questionnaire). Use ThirdProof first to assess the vendor's public risk posture independently. Then, if needed, send the appropriate questionnaire framework for the internal controls assessment. ThirdProof's findings help you focus questionnaire follow-up on areas where independent evidence raised concerns.
Investigate, don't interrogate
Your first investigation is free. See what ThirdProof finds that questionnaires never would.
Start Free Investigation →No credit card required