Posted by: Praveen Joshi
May 17, 2023
Cloud pen testing is the process of testing your cloud’s security against real-world attacks. Testing teams simulate the whole scenario of an actual attack on the target cloud infrastructure. They exploit all the known vulnerabilities and uncover the hidden ones. This process can test a company’s cloud infrastructure, cloud-native services and applications, APIs, and enterprise components such as Infrastructure as Code (IaC), serverless computing platforms, and federated login systems. Pen testing results let you know about all the vulnerabilities present within your cloud-based systems and their impacts as well. Eventually, this is a security process that gives you a clear idea of how your present cloud security protocols and policies will respond to a real attack. So, that you can make the necessary changes to fortify your cloud security posture and protect your digital assets from prevailing attacks.
is the estimated Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) at which the cloud security market is expected to grow between 2021 and 2029.
of organizations claimed that they suffered data breaches or exposures due to multi-cloud security configurations.
of organizations that are affected by cloud security incidents are startups.
of companies accept that managing security controls is their primary challenge while using cloud platforms.
Pen testing for cloud environments certainly acts as the first line of defense against cyberattacks. It is a proactive approach that enables companies to mitigate potential risks before malicious actors can exploit them. This helps them fortify their security posture and provide a comprehensive understanding of their cyber resilience.
The following are the highlights of how penetration testing acts as the primary line of defense for your cloud infrastructure:
The process of pen testing typically involves simulating real-world cyber-attacks to uncover vulnerabilities in cloud environments. Testing professionals perform a thorough scan of your complete environment. The procedure includes identifying vulnerabilities by leveraging a range of tests such as network scanning, application testing, and system configuration analysis. When you identify vulnerabilities early, it is easier to address them before malicious actors exploit them. This minimizes the risk of successful attacks.
Pen testing is an effective way to evaluate the security controls implemented within cloud environments. This evaluation involves assessing access controls, encryption mechanisms, identity and access management, logging and monitoring systems, and other security measures. As a result, you can find out whether these controls are adequate enough or not to protect your assets in the cloud. You can easily identify the gaps and fill them immediately to ensure your cloud security.
A lot of businesses develop and host applications on cloud platforms. Focused pen testing can help you evaluate the security of cloud-based applications. It effectively determines the strength of authentication mechanisms, input validation, session management, and other security aspects. Through regular assessments, organizations can identify vulnerabilities in their applications. This will allow them to remediate these vulnerabilities on time and reduce the likelihood of successful attacks and data breaches.
There are various components of cloud infrastructure including virtual machines, containers, databases, and storage systems. Cloud penetration testing can help you examine the security of all these underlying components of the cloud infrastructure. It enables you to scrutinize the configuration and security settings of these elements. You can easily identify misconfigurations, weak access controls, and other potential weaknesses. Eventually, you are in full control to fortify your infrastructure and prevent unauthorized access or data leaks.
The pen testing process gives you effective and efficient recommendations for mitigating identified vulnerabilities. These recommendations suggest you implement security patches, enhance access controls, strengthen encryption mechanisms, improve code quality, and conduct regular security assessments. If you adhere to all these recommendations, you are most likely to dodge all kinds of prevailing threats posing risks to your cloud security.
Along with all these factors, cloud pen testing helps organizations meet compliance and regulatory requirements. By being in line with regulatory requirements such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you can avoid potential penalties or legal repercussions.
