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Cloud Penetration Testing, Cloud Pentesting, Cyber Crime

10 Ways Cloud Penetration Testing Can Protect Cloud Services

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Cloud penetration testing is a specific type of penetration testing that evaluates the security measures of cloud-based systems and services. With over 92% of organizations globally using some form of cloud infrastructure, they have become a major cybercriminals target. In fact, as per IBM, victims of cloud asset data breaches spend around $5 million on average to recover. Despite cloud platforms having some sort of security features like scalable compute power, easily deployable backups, and technical support documentation, there are unique security risks associated with them that need to be addressed. In this blog, we will get an in-depth knowledge of cloud penetration testing. Additionally, we’ll discuss common risks associated with cloud infrastructure, and how penetration tests can help secure cloud services and assets. What Happens in Cloud Penetration Testing In cloud penetration testing, pen testers or ethical hackers simulate cyber attacks against the organization’s cloud-native services, applications, and APIs to find any vulnerabilities present that cybercriminals could exploit. They also test corporate cloud components such as serverless computing platforms, federated login systems, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for security gaps. A cloud penetration test provides a detailed report to the organizations that mention vulnerabilities found in their cloud infrastructure and their severity. Along with it, the report also mentions steps to remediate those vulnerabilities. By conducting regular penetration testing for cloud infrastructure, organizations can address potential cloud security risks and mitigate them before they are used for cyber attacks. The Shared Responsibility Model of Cloud Services Cloud services have 3 main models: Software as a Service (SaaS): It is a software delivery model where the vendor hosts an application in the cloud that can be used by its subscribers. Platform as a Service (PaaS): It is a platform delivery model that can be purchased and used for developing, running, and managing applications. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): An infrastructure delivery model where the vendor offers various computer resources over the internet such as virtualized servers, storage, and network equipment.   Service Model Vendor Responsibility User Responsibility SaaS Application security Endpoints, user and network security, misconfigurations, workloads, and data PaaS Platform security, including all hardware and software Security of applications developed on the platform   Endpoints, user and network security, and workloads IaaS Security of all infrastructure components Security of any application installed on the infrastructure (e.g. OS, applications, middleware)   Endpoints, user and network security, workloads, and data What is the Purpose of Cloud Penetration Testing Cloud penetration testing is a security exercise, designed to check the strengths and weaknesses of cloud systems and improve their overall security posture. The main purpose of cloud pentesting is to: Identify vulnerabilities, risks, and security gaps Impact of those vulnerabilities Determine how to use the access gained by exploiting those vulnerabilities Deliver clear and actionable remediation methods Provide best practices to maintain visibility How Cloud Penetration Testing Secures Cloud Services More and more companies are including a wide range of applications, data, and services in their cloud. For example, public web applications, file-sharing and business productivity applications, mobile app data, system backups, network monitoring data and log files, and both employee and customer data. As a result, the cloud environment has become a primary target for attackers. Cloud penetration testing reports provide an accurate representation of the environment’s security posture, where the vulnerabilities lie, and what is its impact. Additionally, it showcases how resilient your cloud infrastructure is, against cyber attacks, unauthorized access, and data breaches. Here is How Cloud Penetration Testing Helps Secure Cloud Systems and Services: 1. Identify Vulnerabilities before Hackers Before real hackers break into your cloud system, you employ ethical hackers or cybersecurity professionals to check for potential entry points. Cloud penetration testing shows weaknesses present in your cloud infrastructure and allows you to address those security flaws before cyber attacks can exploit them. 2. Assess Cloud-Specific Risks Cloud environments have unique security risks due to their shared responsibility models, different service models (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), and complex configurations. Penetration testing services can be tailored to mitigate risks specific to cloud environments. 3. Prevent Data Breaches Cloud-based applications and services store and manage a large amount of sensitive data. This is the reason why cybercriminals are drawn toward cloud environments. Penetration testing helps find weak points through which these criminals can enter your system. thus, saving the organization from severe data breaches, 4. Comply with Regulatory Standards Many industries and jurisdictions have strict compliance rules to protect user information. For example DPR, PCI DSS, SOC 2, HIPAA, etc. Cloud penetration testing helps organizations meet these regulatory requirements and showcase their commitment to protecting user data and maintaining security controls. 5. Maintain Customer Trust and Reputation Your customers or clients using your cloud services trust their confidential data is safe with you. If a data breach occurs, not only will it result in huge time and monetary loss, but also you will lose the trust of your customer. Additionally, your reputation in the industry will go down, resulting in less business revenue. Conducting cloud pentesting can help your organization avoid all of this and even gain you more customers, given that you prioritize data safety. 6. Validate Cloud Provider Security Cloud service providers implement various security controls, but organizations need to verify these measures independently. Penetration testing is a great way to test the effectiveness of the security controls implemented by the cloud service providers. 7. Minimize Downtime and Losses By addressing vulnerabilities before cybercriminals exploit them, organizations can reduce the likelihood of system downtime, data breaches, and potential financial losses. 8. Improve Security Awareness When organizations conduct penetration testing, it shows that they prioritize cybersecurity a lot. As a result, it raises awareness among employees and stakeholders of the importance of security best practices. Additionally, it can lead to a better security-conscious culture within the organization. 9. Prioritize Risks and Allocate Resources Effectively Cloud penetration testing reports provide a clear understanding of the severity of the security risks found during the process. This allows organizations to assess

Cloud Application Penetration Testing, Cloud Security Testing

What Is Cloud Application Security Testing?

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Cloud applications now offer businesses a whole new level of scalability and agility. However, despite its ability to run businesses, there are several security risks to worry about. The best way to stay protected against cloud security threats is to incorporate cloud application security testing into your cloud security strategy. According to Statista, the cloud storage market was valued at 108.69 billion USD in 2023 and is expected to grow to 472.47 billion USD by 20230. This is why 82% of organizations say that cloud security is one of the most important factors in securing their business.  This blog provides an in-depth guide on cloud application security testing, ensuring businesses get the necessary information about creating a secure cloud environment. Let’s explore its importance, techniques, and potential risks associated with cloud applications.  The Definition of Cloud Application Security Testing Cloud application security testing is a method in which applications operating within cloud environments are tested for security risks and loopholes that hackers could exploit. It is mainly done to ensure that the cloud application and the infrastructure are secure enough to protect an organization’s confidential information. This type of testing assesses a cloud infrastructure provider’s security policies, controls, and procedures to find potential vulnerabilities that could lead to security risks like data breaches. Typically, cloud application security testing is performed by third-party auditors by collaborating with a cloud infrastructure provider, although the provider may also conduct it internally. Cloud application security testing uses a wide range of manual and automated testing methods. The data generated through this testing can be used for audits or reviews. Additionally, it offers an in-depth analysis of the risks associated with cloud applications.  Why is Cloud Security Testing Important? Cloud security testing is important to ensure the safety of your cloud applications and infrastructure. As the market for cloud-based applications grows, the need for application security solutions also increases.  Cloud security testing helps organizations identify potential security vulnerabilities through which massive data theft or service disruption can occur. This can also be a big part of the cloud compliance checklist, as most compliances require timely detection and remediation of vulnerabilities.  Cloud security testing benefits both organizations and cloud security auditors. Organizations use cloud application security testing to find vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit to compromise cloud applications and infrastructure. In contrast, cloud security auditors use testing reports to verify the security posture of cloud infrastructure. Understanding Cloud Application Security in Brief Let’s understand more about cloud applications, the potential risks associated with them, and their security briefly.  Significance of Cloud Applications in Modern Businesses Cloud applications play an important role in modern businesses because of their numerous advantages. They allow businesses to easily adjust their resources per demand and reduce infrastructure costs. Additionally, cloud applications encourage remote access and increase flexibility by helping employees work from anywhere. The centralized data storage and accessibility of cloud applications enhance collaboration among teams. Cloud applications are also at the forefront of innovations, as they access advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for automation. They also ensure data protection and compliance with regulatory requirements by offering necessary security measures. Furthermore, cloud applications enhance workflow efficiency by enabling seamless integration with other systems. Overall, integrating cloud applications in modern businesses drives growth and enables adaptability in this digital landscape. This is why cloud security must be strengthened through necessary security measures like cloud application security testing.  Potential Security Risks Associated with Cloud Applications Cloud applications offer a range of advantages like flexibility, storage capacity, mobility, improved collaboration, better accessibility, and more. But like any other online applications, they are also prone to various security risks, such as: 1. Data Loss Data loss or leakage is the most common security risk associated with cloud applications. In the cloud environment, loss occurs when sensitive data is accessed by somebody else, requiring more backup or recovery measures. Data loss also occurs if the data owner cannot access its elements or if the software is not updated on time. 2. Hacked Interfaces and Insecure APIs As we all know, cloud applications completely depend on the Internet, so protecting external users’ interfaces and APIs is important. APIs are the easiest way to communicate with most cloud services. Also, few services in the cloud can be found in the public domain. Third parties can access these services, making them more vulnerable to hackers. 3. Vendor Lock-In Vendor lock-in is one of the biggest security risks in the cloud, requiring cloud application security testing. This risk causes organizations to face problems transferring their services from one vendor to another. Moving services within multiple clouds can be challenging as different vendors offer different platforms. 4. Spectre and Meltdown The risk of specter and meltdown allows programs to view and steal data currently possessed on the system. It can run on personal systems, mobile devices, and the cloud. Your passwords and personal information, such as emails, images, and business documents, will be under threat. 5. Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks DoS attacks occur when the system receives huge traffic to buffer the server. They mostly target web servers of large organizations, such as media companies, banking sectors, and government organizations. Recovering from a DoS attack requires a great deal of time and money. 6. Account Hijacking Another major security risk in cloud applications is account hijacking. In this, hackers breach an individual user’s or organization’s cloud account (for example, a bank account, email, or social media account). They use these accounts for unauthorized access and perform fraudulent activities. 7. Insider Threats Another main threat to cloud applications is insiders. These can be current or former employees of the organization, workers who are negligent in their actions, or attackers who have gained the trust of innocent employees. The risk of insider threats has increased recently, mostly due to the rise of remote workers, policies like Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), or former employees whose jobs were affected by the pandemic. Best Practices of Cloud Application Security Testing Organizations need robust security measures during the development and deployment of cloud applications.

Cloud Penetration Testing, Cloud Pentesting

Top 9 Trends in Cloud Penetration Testing for 2024

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Organizations are growing increasingly exposed to cyber attacks as digital information and technology become more integrated into day-to-day operations. The increasing requirement to safeguard applications is pushing the global value of penetration testing.Furthermore, the growing usage of cloud-based security services raises the need for penetration testing. Today, all technology businesses and financial services organizations do penetration testing to identify application vulnerabilities, such as configuration mistakes, design flaws, and software defects. In this post, we will look at cloud pentesting and its most recent cloud security trends defining the future of data security in the digital world. We’ll also shed light on the best practices of cloud penetration testing, the top security issues in 2024. Because of the cloud’s simplicity, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, organizations and people alike have embraced it. However, as the cloud grows in popularity, so do the security issues that come with it. Additional Information on Cloud Security Cloud adoption is accelerating, with an increasing number of organizations opting to future-proof their technology and operations by switching to cloud-native technologies. Furthermore, the quantity of data stored across public, corporate, and government clouds is expected to exceed 100 zettabytes by 2025, or about half of the world’s data. The danger of cloud data breaches will increase as our dependence on cloud storage grows. In 2021, 39% of firms had a cybersecurity breach, and that figure is expected to rise, with losses expected to hit $10.5 trillion by 2025. Cloud security is regularly upgraded and modernized to address this expanding danger. Implementing a strong cloud security plan will help you to meet your operational objectives while also allowing you to: Enhance the application’s stability. Reduce downtime while increasing business continuity. You can easily scale your apps. Understanding Cloud Security Penetration Testing The security of cloud-based systems, applications, and services is assessed through cloud penetration testing. Its primary focus is on thoroughly evaluating the various components of cloud computing, such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). This type of testing is required due to the move toward cloud use in current company infrastructures. Important Considerations: A Cloud-First Approach: Understands and targets vulnerabilities inherent in virtualized, scalable, and frequently complicated cloud systems. Tools & Techniques for Specialized Work: Utilizes cloud-specific technologies, considering various cloud service providers’ particular setups and services. Complex Attack Surfaces: Identifies and fixes unique cloud-based platform vulnerabilities such as misconfigurations, insufficient access controls, unsecured APIs, and data breaches. Scalability Issues: Addresses issues raised by the scalable nature of cloud services, ensuring evaluations are flexible to changing infrastructure. Learn More: AWS Pentest | GCP Pentest | AZURE Pentest Why is Cloud Security a Need for Businesses? Cloud penetration testing enables enterprises to strengthen the security of their cloud environments, minimize unnecessary system breaches, and stay in compliance with their industry’s standards. Furthermore, it accomplishes this by assisting in the identification of vulnerabilities, threats, and gaps in a security program. Its proactive remediation guidance enables security teams to prioritize actions and address security vulnerabilities in accordance with their most significant business concerns. In particular, cloud pen testing: Aids in increasing an organization’s overall visibility of business risk. Aids in the identification of vulnerabilities. Shows the possible effect of discovered vulnerabilities if exploited. Provides specific remedial suggestions to address vulnerabilities and reduce related risk. Facilitates adherence to regulatory requirements and industry standards. Provides documentation and evidence of security measures taken, aiding in compliance audits. Supports in staying ahead of evolving cyber threats and maintaining a resilient infrastructure. Are you a business with cloud-based applications and worried about its security? We are here to help! Get in contact with our expert security consultant and get every insight into cloud penetration testing! Talk to our Cybersecurity Expert to discuss your specific needs and how we can help your business. Schedule a Call The Top Security Concern in 2024 1. Compliance and Regulatory Challenges: As data privacy laws and industry regulations evolve, organizations must navigate a dynamic environment of compliance requirements specific to their industry and geographic location. Ensuring cloud deployments align with these standards and regulations poses a significant challenge. Non-compliance exposes organizations to legal consequences and increases the risk of data breaches. Thus, organizations need to stay abreast of regulatory changes and implement robust strategies to maintain compliance in their cloud infrastructure. 2. Data Breaches and Unauthorized Access: One of the top concerns in cloud security revolves around the persistent threat of data breaches and unauthorized access. As organizations increasingly migrate sensitive data to the cloud, the potential for unauthorized access and data exposure becomes a critical issue. Furthermore, cybercriminals are continually evolving their tactics to exploit vulnerabilities. These include cloud configurations, misconfigured security settings, or weak authentication mechanisms, making it imperative for organizations to enhance their data protection measures and access controls. 3. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and Sophisticated Attacks: The landscape of cyber threats includes an elevated risk of advanced persistent threats (APTs) and sophisticated attacks targeting cloud environments. Furthermore, APTs are prolonged, targeted attacks conducted by well-funded and organized threat actors to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. With the increasing reliance on cloud services, organizations face the challenge of defending against highly sophisticated attack vectors that exploit vulnerabilities in cloud infrastructure, applications, or even supply chain components. This necessitates proactive and adaptive cloud penetration testing solutions to detect and mitigate APTs effectively. 9 Emerging Cloud Security Trends in 2024 Every year, the environment of cyber assaults evolves, and there have been several important strikes in recent years. Businesses will face several new cyber assaults in 2024, which is why we’ve compiled a list of the top cyber security trends to assist you in keeping ahead of growing threats. Here are the trends that your security teams should be aware of in 2024: 1. Data Encryption in Confidential Computing Cloud security trends include safeguarding data at rest or in transit and protecting it while it is being processed in memory. Confidential Computing overcomes this issue by encrypting data in use. This enables cloud

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Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

COO & Cybersecurity Expert

“By filling out this form, you can take the first step towards securing your business, During the call, we will discuss your specific security needs and whether our services are a good fit for your business”

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Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

COO & Cybersecurity Expert