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Posted by: Hasan Sameer
October 27, 2023
It is a methodical procedure for assessing the security of cloud-based systems. The process starts with thorough planning, establishing goals and scope, and comprehending the policies of the cloud service provider. Target assets are identified through information gathering, and then possible vulnerabilities are evaluated through threat modeling. Vulnerabilities in cloud setups and code can be found by automated and manual vulnerability scanning. Next, proficient penetration testers make a realistic attempt to exploit these weaknesses. They produce a thorough report, outlining the results and offering suggestions for correction. Validation at the end of the procedure verifies that the issues have been resolved. Maintaining cloud security requires regular cloud pentesting. Especially, since cloud environments are always changing to satisfy corporate demands and draw new threats.
of organizations pen-test their external infrastructure at least once a year.
of organizations say they suffered from a security incident in their public cloud infrastructure within the past year.
of cloud security breaches are caused by misconfigurations.
of respondents said that cloud pen testing is a critical part of their security posture.
Cloud penetration tests are designed to uncover various security risks and threats specific to cloud-based systems. The following points explain the types of vulnerabilities and issues these tests aim to identify:
Unauthorized access to sensitive data stored in the cloud, such as customer information, intellectual property, or financial records.
Incorrectly configured cloud services may expose data or systems to potential attackers. It is mainly due to open ports, weak access controls, or improperly set permissions.
Vulnerabilities in application programming interfaces (APIs) that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to cloud resources or manipulate data.
Identification of weak or easily guessable passwords and ineffective authentication mechanisms, potentially leading to unauthorized access.
Identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited to launch DoS attacks, disrupting cloud services or making them unavailable.
Identifying potential data loss scenarios due to misconfigurations, accidental deletions, or malicious actions.
Detection of improperly configured security settings and rules that could result in security breaches.
Determining if any unauthorized users or entities have excessive privileges that could be exploited.
Assessing the security risks associated with multi-tenancy and shared resources within cloud environments, like the possibility of data leakage between tenants.
Identifying violations of regulatory and compliance standards, which could result in legal consequences and financial penalties.
Evaluating the cloud network infrastructure for weak points that might be exploited for unauthorized access or data interception.
Assessing the security of containers and orchestration platforms for potential misconfigurations or vulnerabilities.
Identifying vulnerabilities in cloud-hosted applications, such as web application flaws or insecure application code.
Evaluating the strength of encryption methods used to protect data in transit and at rest.
Ensuring that proper logging and monitoring mechanisms are in place to detect and respond to security incidents.
Cloud penetration testing offers several key benefits:
