Testing Network and Web App Security with Local Government

The client is a local government, including the administration and representatives of their East Coast district.

The primary objective of the Web Application Penetration Test was to identify common vulnerabilities, such as those in the OWASP Top 10, as well as review the server for misconfigurations that might add risk to the environment. The test was conducted on a single web application.

Testing identified multiple vulnerabilities ranging from Medium to Low severity. Findings included a known cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability which could be exploited by sending a malicious link to a victim. Additional findings revealed an HTML injection vulnerability in a credit card processing form. An attacker could use this vulnerability to force the server to send a malicious web page.

The primary objective of the Internal Network Penetration Test was to identify common vulnerabilities, such as those found in the PTES technical guidelines, as well as review the server for any misconfigurations that may add risk to the environment.

Findings

The test gave the client information regarding what a bad actor could do if they were to get on their network (i.e., through phishing attacks or insider threats). Specifically, as a result of testing, various vulnerabilities were identified, ranging from high to medium risk levels.
Included in the findings was Remote Code Execution (RCE) which allowed arbitrary commands on the server. Additionally, an unsupported operating system was found to have multiple vulnerabilities that could lead to a Denial of Service (DoS). It included Plaintext logins, which would allow adversaries onto the network to sniff the traffic and read the user credentials. Additional findings showed the utilization of out-of-date versions that could allow for the enumeration of usernames.

The primary objective of the External Network Penetration Test was to enumerate Internet-facing ports and services and identify flaws and misconfigurations through manual and automated testing techniques.

Findings

As a result of testing, multiple vulnerabilities were identified across the IP addresses provided in the test scope. The highest severity issue pertained to SMTP Email Address Enumeration, where an adversary could validate employee email addresses based on server response messages. The other identified vulnerabilities relate to the support for out-of-date protocols on multiple systems and a self-signed certificate on one system.

Key Takeaways

Our team was able to walk the client through their reports which outlined suggested recommendations in order of importance to help them mitigate these vulnerabilities for a more empowered security stance. Every engagement with RedTeam Security provides clients with:

• A clear understanding of the effectiveness of their existing information security program, training, monitoring, and system updating to keep things current.
• How well their vendors manage the security posture of networks and web applications (for those with a 3rd party IT vendor).
• A statement of assurance to provide to their customers that they are doing everything they should to keep their data and systems secure.
• Outlined areas of focus for improving their overall security posture.

All identifying information has been changed to protect our clients and ensure absolute confidentiality.