Your Guide to Cloud Penetration Testing -PlutoSec - Cyber Security Canada
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Cloud Penetration Testing
The shift to cloud computing has been a major trend in enterprise IT over the past decade, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Today, the majority of online services operate on a cloud-native model. A remarkable 92% of organizations report using some form of cloud infrastructure, with over half of these using multiple public clouds, and 21% utilizing three or more. Cloud infrastructure provides operational convenience and efficiency, leading to enhanced productivity and lower costs compared to on-premises infrastructure. At PlutoSec, Canada’s leading penetration testing company, we recognize the importance of cloud infrastructure in driving business success.
On average, recovering from data breaches involving cloud assets costs victims nearly $5 million USD.
Securing cloud assets against internal and external threats is crucial, given the significant value of cloud systems and data. According to IBM research, data breaches involving cloud assets cost victims nearly $5 million USD on average to recover. It’s no surprise that the global cloud security market reached approximately 29.26 billion USD in 2021, with projections estimating it will grow to USD 106.02 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 18.1%.
Although cloud solutions frequently offer convenient security features like reliable and easily deployable backups, scalable compute power, and extensive technical support documentation, there are unique security risks associated with cloud infrastructure that must be addressed. Additionally, a shortage of cloud computing skills further complicates the deployment of secure cloud systems.
Cloud penetration testing can bridge the visibility gaps that arise when deploying complex cloud-native solutions. By developing a cloud pentesting methodology based on guidance from leading IT security authorities and utilizing our highly certified and experienced in-house pentesters, PlutoSec is poised to deliver the highest level of risk assurance for cloud infrastructure. Our pentesting services meet regulatory requirements for government contracts such as FedRamp and adhere to industry standards like PCI-DSS, ISO-27001, and SOC-2. As the best penetration testing company in Canada, PlutoSec is committed to securing your cloud infrastructure.
Who Will Benefit from This Guide
C-level executives responsible for IT security, including CISOs, CSOs, and VPs of Security
This guide will be valuable for an organization’s leaders, including CEOs, CTOs, and CISOs, as well as other senior team members such as security managers, security engineers, network engineers, and administrators. It will also be useful for IT professionals like MSPs and providers of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
What Is Cloud Penetration Testing?
Cloud penetration testing simulates real-world cyber-attacks on an organization’s cloud infrastructure, cloud-native services, applications, APIs, and enterprise components such as Infrastructure as Code (IaC), serverless computing platforms, and federated login systems. This methodology is specifically designed to address the unique threats, vulnerabilities, and risks associated with cloud environments and cloud-native services.
A cloud penetration test delivers a comprehensive report, attack narrative, and vulnerability severity assessment to help interpret the implications of each finding. Unlike traditional vulnerability scanning, which may include false positives, cloud penetration tests focus exclusively on true positive vulnerabilities within your cloud infrastructure.
The primary objective of cloud pentesting is to safeguard digital infrastructure against an ever-evolving threat landscape and provide organizations with the highest level of IT security assurance to meet their risk management needs.
Why Is Cloud Penetration Testing Essential?
Cloud infrastructure and services are rapidly becoming a key asset for enterprises of all sizes, increasing their value and associated risk. Organizations now store a wide range of applications, services, and data in the cloud, including file-sharing and productivity tools, public web applications, mobile app data, network monitoring information, log files, system backups, security services, and both employee and customer data. As a result, the cloud has become a prime target for attackers. Cloud penetration testing offers strong evidence that an organization has robust operational resilience and is safeguarded against cyber-attacks, forced disruptions, unauthorized access, data theft, malware, and ransomware.
The extensive range of services hosted in a typical organization’s cloud makes it a primary target for attackers.
Cloud infrastructure and services come with a unique set of vulnerabilities, necessitating specialized cloud penetration testing to achieve a high level of assurance. Additionally, compliance standards such as FedRamp, PCI-DSS, SOC-2, ISO-27001, and NIST CSF specifically mandate penetration testing, which should ideally focus on cloud security for protecting cloud infrastructure. Furthermore, cloud penetration testing can also help reduce the cost of cyber insurance.
The advantages of a cloud penetration testing engagement include:
What Does Cloud Penetration Testing Involve?
PlutoSec’s cloud penetration testing methodology draws from industry-leading frameworks, including the SANS Penetration Testing Methodology, MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise and Cloud matrices, Azure Threat Research Matrix, and NIST SP800-115 Information Security Testing and Assessment standard. By adhering to these established frameworks, PlutoSec ensures compliance with security assessment regulations for government contracts, such as FedRamp, and industry standards like PCI-DSS, SOC-2, and ISO-27001.
Common Cloud Vulnerabilities
Cloud penetration testing should primarily involve simulated attacks targeting the most prevalent cloud vulnerabilities. Evaluating an organization’s cloud infrastructure for resilience against these common attacks ensures that attackers using readily available automated tools will not easily succeed. This approach significantly lowers the likelihood of experiencing a breach.
Here are the most frequently encountered cloud vulnerabilities
OWASP Top 10 Cloud Security Risks
The OWASP Top 10 Cloud Security Risks is a leading industry framework for assessing potential security gaps in cloud IT operations. It aims to enhance visibility into an organization’s cloud security posture by identifying vulnerabilities related to governance, regulatory compliance, policies, and business continuity planning (BCP).
Kubernetes Security Assessment
Kubernetes (or K8s) is an open-source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) platform that facilitates the automatic deployment and management of cloud VPS and containerized applications. It has rapidly become a key component of cloud architecture due to its capabilities in optimizing load balancing and automating the deployment of VMs, containers, and enterprise applications. From 2020 to 2021, the number of Kubernetes engineers grew by 67%, reaching nearly 4 million, and Kubernetes now represents 31% of all enterprise backends.
Penetration testing Kubernetes demands extensive technical knowledge and experience with its configuration, operation, and management. It should encompass tactics aimed at identifying vulnerabilities in the following areas:
Configuration
Identity and access management (IAM)
Multi-tenancy & pod security
Container image security
Exposed secrets such as authentication keys or plain text passwords
Restrictions on Penetration Testing Cloud Infrastructure
Cloud service providers have stringent policies that specify which penetration testing activities are permitted on their infrastructure. Some providers also require advance notice of any planned testing before it begins. It is essential for the penetration testing team to thoroughly review and comply with these policies throughout the engagement. Violating a cloud provider’s policies during testing could result in severe penalties for the organization, including potential termination of service.
Here are some penetration testing activities that are typically prohibited:
Virtual machine escape
DOS and DDoS attacks
Any type of illegal activity
Phishing or social engineering the cloud provider’s employees
Deploying trojans, ransomware, or other known malware strains
Other violations of the cloud provider’s acceptable use policy
How Does Cloud Penetration Testing Differ from Infrastructure Penetration Testing?
The primary difference between Cloud Penetration Testing and Infrastructure Penetration Testing is that the hardware assets involved in a cloud pentesting engagement are owned by a cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider, not the target organization. This distinction introduces limitations not present in traditional Infrastructure Penetration Testing, due to the service level agreements (SLAs) and acceptable use policies of the IaaS provider.
Otherwise, the tactical approach to Cloud Penetration Testing involves all the techniques used in Infrastructure Penetration Testing, along with additional cloud-specific methods. Additionally, because cloud infrastructure is off-premises, physical penetration testing techniques are not required.
Cloud Penetration Testing With Plutosec
PlutoSec provides top-tier professional cloud penetration testing services. Our team of over 20 in-house penetration testers all hold at least an OSCP certification, and we handle all pentesting activities internally without outsourcing to third parties. Additionally, PlutoSec is SOC-2 Type II accredited and compliant with Canada Data Residency requirements.
Although many free and fully automated “pentesting tools” are available for quickly scanning applications or environments for vulnerabilities, they fall short of providing the high level of security assurance needed for enterprise risk management. These tools do not accurately simulate an organization’s ability to handle a real-world cyber-attack. PlutoSec’s penetration testing process relies on 95% manual testing, which is crucial for identifying the most potentially risky vulnerabilities targeted by real-world adversaries. By prioritizing manual testing, we ensure that our reports are free from false positives, as each vulnerability is directly verified.
PlutoSec is committed to excellence in client communication, providing IT security findings in both general terms and detailed technical descriptions. Our reports include insights into vulnerabilities, associated threat intelligence, and recommended mitigation steps. With a team of over 20 in-house testers, PlutoSec is prepared for rapid engagement starts and offers flexible retesting schedules to accommodate client needs.
What You Can Expect from a Cloud Penetration Test
Each Cloud Penetration Test starts with a consulting phase to establish the scope and rules of engagement (RoE). This phase outlines which assets of the target organization will be tested, the types of vulnerabilities the testing team will focus on exploiting, the communication channels between the target and testing entities, and the severity thresholds that would necessitate halting the testing process and immediately reporting critical findings.
Following the initial consultation, the pentesting engagement proceeds according to IT industry-standard methodologies. The testing activities culminate in a report that summarizes the findings. This report includes a technical description of the exploitation process, a thorough severity assessment of each vulnerability, and detailed remediation steps.
PlutoSec’s Cloud Penetration Testing methodology is supported by the following testing phases:
PlutoSec’s Cloud Penetration Testing methodology targets security weaknesses in cloud-native infrastructure and incorporates a range of cloud-specific activities, in addition to evaluating traditional infrastructure security.
Some of the cloud-specific activities included in PlutoSec’s Cloud Penetration Testing service offering are:
Cloud Misconfigurations
External services and applications including APIs
Exposed sensitive information, data, and documents
Internal testing of cloud servers and services
Internal testing of cloud servers and services
Container and Pod security testing
Identity and access management (IAM)
Who Will Conduct This Test?
The pentester role, also known as an ethical hacker, is a specialized IT security position that requires specific training and certification. Ethical hackers can be generalists with broad penetration testing skills or specialists with in-depth expertise in certain aspects of the pentesting process. Specialists may focus on particular exploitation frameworks, protocols, operating systems, or procedures. For Cloud Penetration Tests, PlutoSec provides specialized experts, including GIAC Cloud Penetration Testers (GCPN).
The OSCP is a widely recognized and leading ethical hacking certification provided by Offensive Security. Although Offensive Security offers several certifications, the OSCP is the most comprehensive and renowned. PlutoSec is a dedicated team of highly skilled ethical hackers with the industry’s most advanced certifications. All PlutoSec pentesters are required to hold at least an OSCP certification. While OSCP is the minimum requirement at PlutoSec, many team members pursue additional certifications to further enhance their expertise, including:
This enables our team of OSCP-certified penetration testing professionals to showcase industry-leading, hands-on expertise in comprehensive penetration testing.
PlutoSec provides thorough cloud penetration testing solutions designed to safeguard your cloud environment from malicious threats. For more details, download our sample cloud report today.

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