Strengthening Healthcare Cyber Defense through Targeted Penetration Testing
Overview
Through our research focused, in-depth penetration test, a major healthcare company, identified critical vulnerabilities, including CVEs with RCE risks, weak access controls, and insecure data handling. The company addressed these issues, greatly improving its security.
CHALLENGES
The company struggled to secure its vast digital infrastructure, facing critical vulnerabilities and frequent security incidents. These issues posed severe cyber threats, risking sensitive customer data and essential operations, underscoring the need for a security overhaul. To tackle these issues, the company enlisted Enciphers for a research-driven penetration test. The goal was to identify vulnerabilities from a hacker’s perspective and address:
- Critical Security Gaps: Identified vulnerabilities that could lead to security breaches.
- Access Control Weaknesses: Discover flaws in user authentication and authorization processes.
- Insecure Data Handling: Found weaknesses in data encryption and storage practices, exposing sensitive information.
- Application-Level Vulnerabilities: Uncover exploitable flaws within web and mobile applications that could compromise security.
IMPLICATIONS
The security challenges led to frequent incidents and exposure of sensitive user data, compromising operational stability and trust. Inadequate measures resulted in persistent vulnerabilities, increasing the risk of major breaches and damaging the company's reputation.
Problem Statement
The company struggled with major security flaws in its web, mobile, and infrastructure systems, leading to data exposure and operational risks. Fragmented defenses left vulnerabilities open, threatening data breaches and customer trust. Enciphers was engaged to conduct a thorough, research-driven penetration test to address these issues.
Enciphers was brought in to conduct a comprehensive, research-driven penetration test, focusing on following main objectives:
Uncovering High Risk vulnerabilities
With recent security incidents reported, it became vital to identify, and address critical security weaknesses that could result in data loss or vulnerabilities, such as Remote Code Execution, which could grant attackers access to the company's assets.
Data Protection Practices
Establishing robust encryption standards and secure data management practices to reduce the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access, ensuring comprehensive protection of sensitive information.
DevSecOps Security Weaknesses
One of the goal of this project is to identify vulnerabilities within DevOps and DevSecOps workflows that could compromise security. This includes assessing automation, code integration, and deployment processes for potential risks.
Solutions Implemented
To address the identified security challenges and fortify the company’s digital infrastructure, Enciphers implemented the following comprehensive solutions:
Mitigation of High Risk Issues
Immediate actions were taken to fix critical and high-risk vulnerabilities, with patches applied to secure the system and protect sensitive data. Mitigation strategies for all findings, including medium and low-level vulnerabilities, were communicated to the client, ensuring a secure and resilient digital infrastructure.
Advanced Data Protection Measures
Comprehensive data protection strategies were deployed, including the implementation of robust encryption standards for data at rest and in transit. Secure data handling practices were established to protect against data breaches, and rigorous validation processes were enforced to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.
Deliverable Summary
- Penetration Test Report: Delivered a detailed analysis of vulnerabilities across the client’s web, mobile, and infrastructure systems, categorizing them by severity and providing technical descriptions, endpoints, validation steps, POCs, impact assessments, and mitigation recommendations. A follow-up retest confirmed that all issues were resolved.
- Actionable Remediation Strategies: Given the prevalence of similar vulnerabilities across various applications and assets—such as missing access controls, use of outdated components, and client-side injection attacks—secure coding practices were recommended to developers to prevent the recurrence of these issues in the future.
Key Discoveries
- Use of outdated components with known vulnerabilities
- Multiple assets and applications used outdated components vulnerable to critical CVEs, leading to remote code execution on the server and impacting both web and infrastructure systems.
- Access Control Issues
- Missing or inadequate access controls in various applications, including web and api's used in mobile platforms.
- Multiple Client-Side Injection attacks
- Multiple XSS vulnerabilities identified across web applications, including reflected and stored types.
- Insecure Data Handling and Weak Security Configurations
- Sensitive information was found in unencrypted databases, logs, and mobile app content. Security misconfigurations included missing headers, inadequate transport protection, and weak JSON web tokens.
Quantifiable Outcomes
- Reduction in Security Incidents: The number of security incidents were significantly reduced, greatly decreasing the risk of exploitation.
- Improvement in Access Control Security: Strengthened access controls led to a substantial increase in the security of sensitive data, ensuring that only authorized personnel could access critical systems.
- Increase in System Stability: The resolution of infrastructure vulnerabilities, including those that enabled Remote Code Execution (RCE), resulted in a notable improvement in system security, reducing the risk of exploitation and enhancing the protection of sensitive data.
Impact on Business
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Enhanced Customer Trust
By addressing critical vulnerabilities and improving data protection, the company strengthened customer confidence, leading to increased trust and loyalty.
Enhanced Data Security
Identification & remediation of critical vulnerabilities fortified the company's data protection, reducing the risk of data breaches and unauthorised access.
Minimized Exploitation Risks
Remediation of critical vulnerabilities, significantly reduced the likelihood of successful cyberattacks, protecting against severe exploitation risks.
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Conclusion and Future Outlook
The penetration test conducted by Enciphers identified and addressed critical and high-risk vulnerabilities across the company’s web, mobile, and infrastructure systems. By remediating these issues, the company has significantly bolstered its security posture, mitigating the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks. The improvements have enhanced operational stability, ensured better compliance with industry standards, and increased customer trust.
Regular Wide-Scope Penetration Tests
Regular testing will ensure that vulnerabilities are promptly identified and addressed.
Automated of Web and API Scanning
Further development and integration of automated tools will enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
LEARNINGS FROM THE ENGAGEMENT
Critical Importance of Regular Security Assessments
Regular penetration testing is essential to identify and address emerging vulnerabilities, ensuring ongoing protection against new and evolving threats.
Significance of Proactive Risk Mitigation
Proactively identifying and addressing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited is crucial for minimizing the risk of data breaches and operational disruptions.
Impact of Transparent Reporting
Clear and actionable reporting of vulnerabilities and remediation steps is vital for ensuring that all stakeholders understand the risks and the actions needed to address them.
