Strengthening Alibaba Cloud Security Through Penetration Testing

Client Profile

A global e-commerce and logistics company relied on Alibaba Cloud to host its online marketplace, customer data, and payment processing systems. With rapid expansion into international markets, the company needed to ensure its Alibaba Cloud infrastructure was secure from misconfigurations, unauthorized access, privilege escalations, and compliance violations. Given the high volume of transactions and sensitive customer data, achieving PCI DSS, GDPR, ISO 27001, and China’s Cybersecurity Law (CSL) compliance was a critical business requirement.

Challenges Faced

Before undergoing Alibaba Cloud Penetration Testing, the company identified several security concerns:

  • Overly permissive RAM (Resource Access Management) roles, leading to privilege escalation risks.
  • Misconfigured Object Storage Service (OSS) buckets, potentially exposing sensitive financial and customer data.
  • Publicly accessible Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances, increasing risks of unauthorized access.
  • Weak security configurations in ApsaraDB for RDS databases, leading to data leakage risks.
  • Insecure Security Group and Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) configurations, allowing unrestricted inbound/outbound traffic.
  • Unprotected APIs in API Gateway, making critical services vulnerable to exploitation.
  • Limited visibility into security logs and CloudMonitor alerts, making threat detection challenging.
  • Compliance gaps with PCI DSS, GDPR, ISO 27001, and China’s CSL security requirements.
Our Approach

To enhance Alibaba Cloud security, we conducted a comprehensive penetration testing engagement, identifying vulnerabilities and providing tailored remediation strategies.

1. Scoping & Threat Modeling

We collaborated with the client to define:

  • Scope of testing, including Alibaba RAM, ECS, OSS, RDS, API Gateway, VPC, and Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK).
  • Threat models specific to Alibaba Cloud, such as misconfigurations, privilege escalations, API vulnerabilities, and insider threats.
  • Testing methodologies, including Black Box, Gray Box, and White Box testing.
2. Security Testing Execution

Using industry-standard frameworks like Alibaba Cloud Security Best Practices, CIS Alibaba Cloud Benchmark, OWASP Cloud Security Top 10, and NIST 800-53, we conducted rigorous Alibaba Cloud security testing, covering:

  • Alibaba RAM Security Testing – Identifying excessive IAM permissions, insecure access policies, and privilege escalation risks.
  • Object Storage Service (OSS) Security Testing – Assessing public access misconfigurations, weak ACLs, and data exposure risks.
  • Elastic Compute Service (ECS) Security Testing – Identifying insecure SSH/RDP configurations, unpatched vulnerabilities, and network exposures.
  • Security Group & VPC Review – Analyzing firewall rules, open ports, and unauthorized network access points.
  • API Gateway Security Testing – Assessing API authentication, authorization mechanisms, and input validation flaws.
  • Alibaba Kubernetes Service (ACK) Security Testing – Evaluating RBAC misconfigurations, insecure pod security policies, and container vulnerabilities.
  • ApsaraDB for RDS Security Testing – Ensuring secure database access controls, encryption configurations, and least privilege permissions.
  • CloudMonitor & Security Center Review – Ensuring logging, monitoring, and anomaly detection were configured correctly.
  • Encryption & Data Protection Assessment – Evaluating KMS configurations, encryption at rest, and transit security.
  • Compliance Gap Analysis – Mapping security findings against PCI DSS, GDPR, ISO 27001, and CSL.
3. Findings & Risk Assessment

After completing the penetration test, we provided a detailed security report, including:

  • Critical, High, Medium, and Low-risk vulnerabilities, with business impact analysis.
  • Proof-of-Concept (PoC) exploits, demonstrating how attackers could exploit Alibaba Cloud misconfigurations and escalate privileges.
  • A prioritized remediation roadmap, helping the company address security issues efficiently.
4. Remediation Support & Alibaba Cloud Security Best Practices

To ensure continuous security in Alibaba Cloud, we provided:

  • RAM role hardening, enforcing least privilege access controls.
  • OSS bucket access restrictions, preventing public exposure of sensitive data.
  • Network segmentation and firewall improvements, securing ECS instances and databases.
  • Secure API Gateway authentication and input validation, mitigating unauthorized API access.
  • Alibaba Kubernetes Service (ACK) security enhancements, improving container security and RBAC policies.
  • Implementation of Security Center and CloudMonitor for real-time threat detection.
  • Re-testing of critical vulnerabilities, ensuring proper remediation and security hardening.
5. Compliance & Continuous Security

After implementing security fixes, the company achieved:

  • Stronger Alibaba Cloud security posture, reducing risks of data breaches and privilege escalations.
  • Compliance readiness for PCI DSS, GDPR, ISO 27001, and CSL.
  • Improved real-time threat monitoring and alerting, ensuring early detection of security incidents.
  • Proactive cloud security management, establishing continuous security monitoring and risk management practices.
Results Achieved

Within six weeks, the company successfully:

  • Eliminated all critical Alibaba Cloud security vulnerabilities.
  • Hardened RAM roles and security policies, reducing privilege escalation risks.
  • Secured OSS, RDS, and ECS instances, preventing unauthorized access.
  • Implemented cloud security best practices, ensuring ongoing Alibaba Cloud security resilience.
Conclusion

By leveraging our Alibaba Cloud Penetration Testing expertise, we helped the company proactively identify vulnerabilities, enhance Alibaba Cloud infrastructure security, and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Our structured approach, from threat modeling to remediation, ensured the Alibaba Cloud environment remained resilient against emerging cyber threats.

COE Security LLC

COE Security is a leading cybersecurity services provider offering comprehensive solutions to address evolving threats. We help organizations mitigate risks, strengthen defenses, and recover from cyberattacks. Our experienced team possesses deep expertise in the latest technologies and best practices, delivering tailored solutions to meet unique security needs.
Given the complexities of cloud environments like Alibaba Cloud, specialized security testing is crucial.

We offer targeted penetration testing services relevant to this case study, including:

  • Alibaba Cloud Penetration Testing: Comprehensive security assessments for Alibaba Cloud infrastructures, identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring compliance.
  • Cloud Penetration Testing: Broader cloud security assessments covering various cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure) to address general cloud security risks.
  • API Penetration Testing: Crucial for securing APIs within cloud environments, preventing unauthorized access and data leaks.

We also provide a broader range of security services, including:

  • Application Security (Web, Mobile, Thick Client)
  • Network & Hardware Penetration Testing
  • Operational Technology & IoT Security
  • Red Teaming & Social Engineering
  • Product Security & DevSecOps.