What Is SaaS Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing, or pen testing for short, is about conducting "friendly" cyber attacks, where ethical hackers simulate attacks on your system, applications, or network. SaaS security testing allows you to identify security weaknesses and do it before criminal actors.

When it comes to SaaS companies that use cloud-based solutions to handle sensitive data, security testing for SaaS applications is an extremely valuable method, allowing for the detection of security gaps that require attention and fixing to ensure product security and compliance with standards such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO/IEC-27001, SOC 1, SOC 2, etc.

The process of pentesting SaaS platforms usually involves a combination of automated and manual testing techniques and tools to conduct checks and identify security risks. With regular penetration testing, companies can protect themselves from cyber threats by fixing critical vulnerabilities discovered in practice.

Although SaaS simplifies operations, the use of various web interfaces, network, cloud, APIs, third-party integrations, base code, user roles, and several other interconnected systems expands the surface attack, as it is quite difficult to keep track of all SaaS components. In this case, SaaS penetration testing can be of great help by clearly demonstrating security issues and areas for improvement.

Type of Penetration Testing for SaaS Product

There are several types of security testing that can vary depending on the scope of the assessment and what SaaS companies are looking to achieve. The most common types of SaaS security testing include:

White Box Testing

The white box testing approach means that testers have full access to the architecture and source code. This way, they can dive deep into the security landscape to perform vulnerability scanning and identify security issues, which provides a clearer picture of potential security flaws.

Black Box Testing

The black box testing approach is quite effective and interesting, as testers go in blind in this case. Without knowledge of the system architecture and source code, testers act similarly to hackers, since this approach mimics an external attacker's perspective. Ultimately, testers try to gain unauthorized access as a real-life attacker without any inside information, which allows them to identify specific vulnerabilities that hackers would be more likely to exploit.

Gray Box Testing

This approach is somewhere in between white and black box testing. Gray box testing means that testers have some knowledge about the system, for example, credentials or details about key features of the infrastructure. This method is also effective because threat modeling in this case is built around a situation where the attacker can be from both the inside and the outside. Gray box testing allows you to spot vulnerabilities that might not be obvious with just one approach, such as white/black box scenarios.

Automated Penetration Testing

Automated tools for testing SaaS applications and systems are especially useful when we are dealing with larger systems or face tight deadlines. Using these tools, testers can simulate a wide range of cyberattacks quickly and at scale. Although automation cannot replace a human security team, AI tools are a real lifesaver for conducting broad scans to identify known vulnerabilities before the manual testing stage.

In addition to the types of penetration tests, it is also worth considering the security frameworks that are used for penetration tests, providing guidelines and best practices:

The OWASP Testing Guide

The OWASP Testing Guide is a popular and especially efficient method when dealing with web applications. This framework enables cybersecurity teams to identify common vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection.

NIST SP 800-115

This framework is a comprehensive option for penetration testing. The value of this approach is that NIST SP 800-115 was originally designed for federal agencies, and it covers all aspects from planning and conducting tests to reporting and remediation, making it a one-stop solution that also aligns with best security practices.

PTES

Penetration Testing Execution Standard, or PTES, is another framework that facilitates step-by-step testing, covering aspects such as scoping, threat modeling, exploitation, and post-exploitation activities. From the initial planning phase to post-test reporting, PTES provides consistency and repeatability, which is especially valuable for ensuring security and compliance.

Why SaaS Products Need Pentesting

Security testing is essential to identify threats and mitigate risks. Ignoring vulnerabilities and potential attack surfaces usually results in security breaches that lead to significant fines and loss of brand reputation.

When we are talking about SaaS providers, on the one hand, there are reduced costs, as well as improved efficiency and agility. However, cloud security is an aspect that requires attention to ensure that the services, tools, and platforms you use are not exposed to cybersecurity threats.

Security assessment, testing, and compliance audits are the best way to avoid the risk of attacks and fines, ensuring the protection of the SaaS environment through timely identification of threats and vulnerabilities.

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What Can Founders Expect from a SaaS Pentest?

There are aspects that SaaS pentesting can and cannot cover that are worth considering when creating your organization's security strategy.

  • Can:

Identify vulnerabilities via application and infrastructure testing

Improve understanding of the current security posture and create a remediation plan

Assist in regulatory compliance

  • Can’t:

Fix issues that are the result of insufficient security education and awareness in the organization

Fix vulnerabilities (testers can create a remediation plan, but do not fix them themselves)

Perform DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) tests or stress-testing since many cloud providers forbid it

Benefits of SaaS Penetration Testing

SaaS pentesting helps to significantly minimize security risks. The main advantages include:

  • Identification of vulnerabilities. Testers help detect vulnerabilities across systems, applications, and networks, allowing you to avoid situations where attackers exploit your system.

  • Compliance. Testing is an effective way to meet industry standards such as HIPAA, SOC2, ISO-27001, GDPR requirements, etc.

  • Security planning. The obtained test results can be used to create an action plan to fix vulnerabilities, implement robust security measures, and prevent future vulnerabilities.

  • Trust. Product security and compliance certifications help build trust in a brand, guaranteeing the protection of customer data.

What Pentests Often Overlook in SaaS

Building security requires a comprehensive approach. While pentests are effective in finding vulnerabilities, some areas are not covered sufficiently because these tests may have time and access limitations. These include:

Third-Party Vendors

Third-party integrations represent a significant risk, since OAuth flows and API integrations with external services are rarely tested comprehensively for possible attacks.

Cloud Infrastructure

Cloud services often remain a blind spot. Improperly configured S3 buckets, open databases, excessive IAM rights, and unprotected containers may go unnoticed when focusing only on the web application.

Authorization

Application-level authorization is often ignored in favor of basic authentication. This leads to pentesters potentially missing complex privilege scenarios where users with limited rights can perform administrative functions through API or hidden endpoints.

Improper Monitoring

In case of improper monitoring and detection configuration, blind spots may appear, due to which testers will not be able to notice and identify threats.

Platform Misconfigurations

Sometimes users may have excessive access to data due to misconfigured permissions. Also, improperly configured SaaS portals can lead to exposure of sensitive data to external parties; a similar issue can occur with multi-tenant SaaS platforms.

Choosing the Right Pentest Approach

When choosing a penetration testing approach, it is essential to consider your goals, available budget, timeframes, and required level of detail. Most often, it makes sense to use a combined approach to test different aspects of your infrastructure security.

Selecting the right penetration testing methodology is critical for effective security assessment. Speaking in more detail:

  • Black box testing is excellent for assessing your external defenses, since with this method, testers simulate an external attacker's attack without prior knowledge of the system. However, this approach may miss internal vulnerabilities.

  • White box testing is an excellent solution for conducting deep analysis and identifying the maximum number of vulnerabilities; however, this requires more time and resources. Also, with the white box method, the organization provides full access to source code, architecture, and system documentation.

  • Grey box testing is a hybrid method that combines elements of both approaches. Therefore, if you are looking for a balance between realism and depth of analysis, then the grey box approach that provides testers with partial information about the system is a great solution.

  • Automated penetration testing is effective for discovering common issues. However, the insufficiency of expertise in automated tools can lead to missing complex vulnerabilities. This approach is best if you require a quick scanning of known vulnerabilities.

How Jappware Can Help with SaaS Pentesting

At Jappware, we are focused on long-term partnerships, solving issues, and enhancing your security as you grow and scale. Our team offers a range of penetration testing solutions specifically designed for SaaS companies. Through combining different approaches, including automated assessments and expert manual testing, the process of identifying and fixing vulnerabilities in your infrastructure becomes much more efficient and faster.

Compliance with regulatory frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, or GDPR will also be easier. By collaborating with our company, organizations can gain an advantage from comprehensive tools and cybersecurity expertise to uncover security weaknesses while meeting compliance requirements.

Our team is with you every step of the way, paying attention to various aspects of security so that no details are left unattended

Contact us today to discuss your security posture and find effective ways to strengthen it.