I don’t know about you, but I am tired of having my information end up in a data breach. Even with all the controls we put in place, somehow “this password has appeared in a data leak” is a constant battle. Users, i.e. the average person, is not savvy enough to put in the security controls more technical people have so it’s up to the organization providing the service to protect their users. One way to meet cyber security industry standards is to conduct a penetration test (pentest). For the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on application security pentests, we may sometimes call them a security assessment.
The importance of penetration testing is underscored by alarming statistics. According to a report by the Ponemon Institute, 42% of data breaches in 2022 were caused by vulnerabilities in applications. Additionally, the 2023 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that web applications were the most common vector for breaches, accounting for 43% of all incidents.
Security Assessments are a controlled and proactive approach to assess the security of your application by simulating real-world attacks and evaluating the business logic of the application to understand how an attack could manifest. Skilled security professionals, acting as ethical hackers, will try to breach your defenses, uncovering vulnerabilities before malicious attackers can exploit them.
A penetration test provides several critical benefits:
1. Identifying Weak Points: Penetration testing helps discover flaws that traditional scanning tools miss, whether they are in the code, configuration, or design.
For example: The Trello breach in January 2024 was a result of a business logic flaw. The API was working as expected but they failed to implement a “Fool-Proof Limiting” technical control to limit the number of unauthenticated queries.
2. Real-World Insights: Unlike automated scans, penetration tests mimic the tactics of actual cybercriminals. This realistic approach offers valuable insights into how an attacker might exploit weaknesses and how effective your current security measures are. This is also a better way to identify which vulnerabilities to fix first.
3. Compliance and Trust: Many industries have stringent security standards and regulations. Regular penetration testing helps ensure compliance for HIPAA,PCI-DSS, RBI-ISMS, SOC 2, and ISO 27001. Outside of regulated industries, pentesting builds trust and can be a competitive advantage.
4. Improved Security Posture: The whole purpose of a penetration test is to provide actionable recommendations to enhance your security. By addressing these issues, you strengthen your defenses, making your application more resilient against potential attacks and protect your users’ data. Wolfpack’s assessments provide code snippets to help speed the time to value on fixing the vulnerabilities.
Penetration testing should not be a standalone effort. It must be used in conjunction with other security tools and practices to create a robust defense-in-depth strategy. Automated vulnerability scanners, static code analysis tools, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines equipped with security checks are essential complements to penetration testing. These tools can identify and fix vulnerabilities in real-time, while penetration testing provides a thorough and strategic evaluation of your security posture.
In essence, a penetration test is like a fire drill for your application's security. It prepares you for potential threats, ensures your defenses are robust, and gives you peace of mind knowing that you've done everything possible to protect your digital fortress. By combining penetration testing with automated tools, you create a comprehensive and resilient security strategy that guards against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats. And who doesn’t want that?
