Client Profile
A large healthcare technology company relied on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to host its electronic health records (EHR), AI-driven diagnostics, and patient management systems. As the company expanded its cloud footprint, it needed to ensure its GCP environment was secure against misconfigurations, privilege escalations, unauthorized access, and data breaches. Given the highly sensitive nature of healthcare data, achieving HIPAA, HITRUST, and SOC 2 compliance was a top priority.
Challenges Faced
Before undergoing GCP Penetration Testing, the company identified several security concerns:
- Overly permissive IAM roles and service accounts, leading to privilege escalation risks.
- Misconfigured Google Cloud Storage (GCS) buckets, potentially exposing patient health information (PHI).
- Publicly accessible Compute Engine instances, increasing risks of unauthorized access.
- Insecure Cloud SQL database configurations, leading to data leakage risks.
- Unrestricted firewall rules and VPC configurations, allowing unnecessary inbound and outbound traffic.
- Weak API Gateway authentication mechanisms, exposing critical APIs to potential attacks.
- Limited visibility into security logs, making threat detection and response difficult.
- Compliance gaps with HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, and ISO 27001 security requirements.
Our Approach
To strengthen GCP security, we conducted a comprehensive GCP 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 IAM, Google Cloud Storage (GCS), Compute Engine, Cloud SQL, API Gateway, VPC configurations, and Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
- Threat models specific to GCP, 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 Google Cloud Security Best Practices, CIS GCP Benchmark, OWASP Cloud Security Top 10, and NIST 800-53, we conducted rigorous GCP security testing, covering:
- IAM Security Testing – Identifying over-permissioned roles, misconfigured service accounts, and privilege escalation paths.
- Google Cloud Storage (GCS) Security Testing – Assessing public access misconfigurations, weak bucket policies, and data exposure risks.
- Compute Engine Security Testing – Identifying insecure SSH/RDP configurations, unpatched vulnerabilities, and network exposures.
- Firewall & 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.
- Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Security Testing – Evaluating Kubernetes RBAC, pod security policies, and container vulnerabilities.
- Cloud SQL Security Testing – Ensuring secure database access controls, encryption configurations, and least privilege permissions.
- Cloud Logging & Security Command Center Review – Ensuring logging, monitoring, and anomaly detection were configured correctly.
- Encryption & Data Protection Assessment – Evaluating Cloud KMS configurations, encryption at rest, and transit security.
- Compliance Gap Analysis – Mapping security findings against HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, and ISO 27001.
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 misconfigurations and escalate privileges.
- A prioritized remediation roadmap, helping the company address security issues efficiently.
4. Remediation Support & GCP Security Best Practices
To ensure continuous security in GCP, we provided:
- IAM role and service account hardening, enforcing least privilege access controls.
- GCS bucket access restrictions, preventing public exposure of sensitive data.
- Network segmentation and firewall improvements, securing Compute Engine instances and databases.
- Secure API Gateway authentication and input validation, mitigating unauthorized API access.
- GKE security hardening, implementing role-based access control (RBAC) and workload identity.
- Implementation of Security Command Center and Chronicle SIEM 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 GCP security posture, reducing risks of data breaches and privilege escalations.
- Compliance readiness for HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, and ISO 27001.
- 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 GCP security vulnerabilities.
- Hardened IAM roles and security policies, reducing privilege escalation risks.
- Secured Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and Compute Engine instances, preventing unauthorized access.
- Implemented cloud security best practices, ensuring ongoing GCP security resilience.
Conclusion
By leveraging our GCP Penetration Testing expertise, we helped the company proactively identify vulnerabilities, enhance GCP infrastructure security, and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Our structured approach, from threat modeling to remediation, ensured the GCP environment remained resilient against emerging cyber threats.
COE Security LLC
COE Security is a leading cybersecurity services provider, offering comprehensive solutions to address the evolving threat landscape. We have a proven track record of helping organizations of all sizes mitigate risks, strengthen defenses, and recover from cyberattacks. Our team of experienced cybersecurity professionals possesses deep expertise in the latest technologies and best practices, enabling us to deliver tailored solutions that meet your unique security needs.
We offer targeted GCP Security services relevant to this case study, including:
- GCP Penetration Testing: Comprehensive security assessments for Google Cloud Platform (GCP), identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring compliance with HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, and ISO 27001.
- Cloud Penetration Testing: Broader security assessments covering various cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP, addressing general security risks related to cloud infrastructures.
- API Security Testing: Focused on securing APIs within cloud environments, preventing unauthorized access and potential data breaches through proper API authentication, authorization mechanisms, and input validation.
We also provide a broader range of security services, including:
- Application Security: Comprehensive testing for Web, Mobile, and Thick Client applications, ensuring protection from vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and XSS.
- Network & Hardware Penetration Testing: Identifying vulnerabilities within network infrastructures and hardware devices, ensuring secure connections and preventing unauthorized access.
- Operational Technology & IoT Security: Securing IoT devices and Operational Technology systems from exploitation and ensuring safe, secure operations.
- Red Teaming & Social Engineering: Simulating real-world cyberattacks to evaluate an organization’s defensive capabilities through phishing, physical security tests, and penetration attempts.
- DevSecOps: Integrating security into the DevOps pipeline for continuous protection, including automated security testing and code reviews to ensure secure software development.