Cloud Reviews

Cloud Configuration and Services Review – This stage involves a detailed examination of the cloud environment’s configuration settings and deployed services. Testers evaluate security groups, storage bucket permissions, IAM roles, and policies to identify misconfigurations or overly permissive settings that could expose the cloud environment to attacks. The review extends to assessing the security of cloud-native services, such as databases, serverless functions, and container orchestration systems, ensuring they are configured in line with best security practices.

API Security Testing – Given the pivotal role of APIs in cloud services for application interaction, this phase focuses on testing the security of both internal and external APIs. This involves identifying authentication bypasses, injection vulnerabilities, and flaws in logic that could lead to unauthorised data access or manipulation. Testing also scrutinises how APIs handle data, checking for encryption in transit and at rest, to prevent data leaks and ensure data integrity.

Exploitation Simulation and Lateral Movement – This advanced phase attempts to exploit the previously identified vulnerabilities to assess their real-world impact on the cloud environment. Testers simulate an attacker gaining initial access through vulnerabilities and then explore how they can escalate privileges or move laterally across the cloud infrastructure. The aim is to uncover how an attacker could exploit the interconnected nature of cloud services to access sensitive information, disrupt services, or establish a persistent threat within the environment.