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Case Study on IT Infrastructure Audit
Vulnerability exposed attacks are not uncommon in today’s world. To remain updated and secure, every organization must carry out its IT infrastructure audit or vulnerability assessments.
Our client, who provides various software services across the globe, required IT Infrastructure audit and vulnerability assessments for all of their software products. These software services varied based on the business and were spread across a variety of domains. The challenge was to understand the risks in each business domain and evaluate the software based on these risks.
Tools & Technology
We used the following tools and technology to complete the audit:
- Kali Linux
- VeraCode
- Cisco VPN and Firewall
- Wireshark
- TcpDump
- Okta Verify
Solution
Our security experts evaluated the system and architecture at the client's end. The evaluation comprised understanding and mapping every architectural component, such as networks, firewalls, servers, OS, protocols used, VPNs, etc. For infrastructure, the CISCO Firewall at the client’s end needed to be made compliant with their global security policies. We helped them set up and define the rules.
The mail communication did not have any specific rule settings, so we noted the most appropriate rule settings and helped them incorporate these changes. One rule included was to disallow attachments comprising potentially harmful file extensions, such as .exe. In such scenarios, the mail sending is failed, and it triggered an appropriate alert message. We also analyzed network traffic by sniffing the incoming and outgoing network traffic by using the tools Wireshark and Tcpdump.
There were major patch updates required for the underlying Windows OS, which were used in some servers, including service pack updates. The client used the Cisco VPN, for which we added a single sign-on along with two-factor authentication using Okta Verify.
On the application and web servers, we disabled potentially harmful commands. We connected the servers to a firewall that had restrictive incoming and outgoing traffic. Opening web connections were disabled on these servers to ensure maximum security.
Once the infrastructural evaluation was complete, we scanned the applications. We started static scans for these codes which were deployed in the UAT environment. After performing 3 days of automation testing, our team of security experts started a manual assessment, and we submitted a complete report on the fixes that should be implemented to mitigate the issues that had been found.
5 scan cycles had to be completed for these applications to achieve a score of 92%.
After our IT Infrastructure Audit, we continued to carry out regular and timely assessments on the client’s request. We did quarterly this to ensure the system was robust enough to handle recently identified vulnerabilities.
Result
We regularly scanned and provided vulnerability assessments for our clients. Our security experts helped in explaining the nuances of all the vulnerabilities and provide cost-effective and efficient solutions.
The client has immense trust in our services and continues to complete vulnerability assessments before each new software code or patch release. Regular vulnerability assessments have helped the client showcase their credibility and build confidence in their end-users.
