Common Penetration Testing Findings and Remediations – Blogs Christian Sajere Cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, cybersecurity vulnerabilities continue to pose significant threats to organizations of all sizes. Regular penetration testing serves as a critical component of a robust security strategy, allowing businesses to identify and address vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. This article examines the most common penetration testing findings across Australian organizations and provides actionable remediation strategies to strengthen your security posture.

The Annual Cyber Threat Report 2023-2024¹ from the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) highlights a continued rise in cybercrime incidents affecting Australian organizations. According to the report, over 87,400 cybercrime reports were logged in the 2023-24 financial year, with a report filed every six minutes. This rise in cyber incidents highlights the importance of proactive security measures like penetration testing. By understanding the most frequently discovered vulnerabilities, organizations can prioritize their security resources effectively and build more resilient systems.

Common Penetration Testing Findings

1. Misconfigured Access Controls

Access control vulnerabilities continue to be among the most prevalent issues discovered during penetration tests.

Common access control issues include:

Excessive user privileges
Default or weak credentials
Incomplete session termination
Missing multi-factor authentication
Inadequate segregation of duties

Remediation Strategies:

Implement the principle of least privilege (PoLP)
Enforce strong password policies
Deploy multi-factor authentication across all critical systems
Regular access rights reviews and user access recertification
Implement proper session timeout mechanisms

2. Unpatched Software and Systems

Vulnerability management remains a significant challenge for many organizations. Microsoft, in “Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2023”², emphasizes that attackers frequently target unpatched vulnerabilities, some of which have been publicly known for extended periods. This underscores the importance of timely patching.

Common patching oversights include:

Legacy systems without vendor support
Delayed patch deployment
Inconsistent patching across environments
Missing patches for non-Windows systems
Inadequate patch verification processes

Remediation Strategies:

Establish a formal vulnerability management program
Implement automated patch management solutions
Prioritize patches based on criticality and exploitability
Perform regular vulnerability scanning
Create a phased approach for legacy system replacement

3. Insecure Web Applications

Web application vulnerabilities remain prevalent in penetration testing findings. The OWASP Top 10 issues continue to plague many web applications, with injection attacks, broken authentication, and sensitive data exposure leading the way. OWASP in “A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures”³ shows that these issues continue to be among the most prevalent threats in web security.

Verizon’s 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR)⁴ states that web application attacks accounted for 25% of breaches. These incidents were largely driven by credential theft, where attackers used stolen credentials to gain unauthorized access to various resources. This makes them one of the most common attack vectors.

Common web application findings include:

SQL injection vulnerabilities
Cross-site scripting (XSS)
Broken authentication mechanisms
Insecure direct object references
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)

Remediation Strategies:

Implement secure coding practices
Conduct regular security code reviews
Deploy web application firewalls (WAF)
Utilize parameterized queries to prevent injection attacks
Implement proper input validation and output encoding

4. Insecure Network Configuration

Network configuration issues continue to be a significant source of security vulnerabilities.

Common network configuration findings include:

Open unnecessary ports and services
Lack of network segmentation
Inadequate encryption for data in transit
Weak or default credentials for network devices
Missing or incomplete network monitoring

Remediation Strategies:

Implement network segmentation and micro-segmentation
Deploy a zero-trust network architecture
Regularly audit and update firewall rules
Encrypt sensitive data in transit using TLS 1.3
Implement comprehensive network monitoring and logging

5. Cloud Misconfigurations

As organizations continue to migrate to cloud environments, cloud security misconfigurations have become increasingly common in penetration testing findings.

Common cloud configuration findings include:

Excessive permissive storage bucket permissions
Inadequate identity and access management
Unsecured API endpoints
Lack of encryption for data at rest
Insufficient logging and monitoring

Remediation Strategies:

Implement cloud security posture management tools
Apply the principle of least privilege to cloud resources
Enable encryption for all sensitive data stored in the cloud
Configure comprehensive logging and monitoring
Regularly conduct cloud-specific security assessments

6. Social Engineering Vulnerabilities

Human error remains one of the most exploitable vulnerabilities in any organization. Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams — a type of social engineering attack — have resulted in over $55 billion in global losses between October 2013 and December 2023 according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)⁵ in 2023.

Common social engineering findings include:

High employee susceptibility to phishing
Insufficient security awareness training
Weak password practices
Oversharing of information on social media
Lack of verification procedures for sensitive requests

Remediation Strategies:

Implement regular security awareness training
Conduct simulated phishing exercises
Establish clear procedures for verifying sensitive requests
Create an environment where security concerns can be reported without fear
Develop and enforce a comprehensive security policy

7. Insufficient Logging and Monitoring

Many organizations struggle with adequate logging and monitoring, making it difficult to detect and respond to security incidents promptly.

Common logging and monitoring findings include:

Inconsistent or inadequate logging
Lack of centralized log management
Absence of security monitoring tools
Missing alerts for critical security events
Insufficient log retention periods

Remediation Strategies:

Implement a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution
Establish comprehensive logging across all critical systems
Define and implement alerting thresholds for suspicious activities
Create an incident response plan that incorporates monitoring data
Ensure adequate log retention periods that comply with regulatory requirements

Prioritizing Remediation Efforts

While all identified vulnerabilities require attention, organizations must prioritize remediation efforts based on risk. The following factors are recommended to prioritize security improvements:

Exploitability: How easily can the vulnerability be exploited?
Impact: What would be the consequence of successful exploitation?
Prevalence: How common is the vulnerability across systems?
Detectability: How difficult is it to detect exploitation of the vulnerability?

By considering these factors, organizations can allocate resources effectively and address the most critical vulnerabilities first.

Measuring Remediation Success

Effective remediation requires measurable outcomes. Key performance indicators (KPIs) for security remediation include:

Reduction in the average time to remediate vulnerabilities
Decrease in recurring findings in subsequent penetration tests
Improved security posture scores
Reduction in security incidents related to known vulnerabilities
Increased maturity in security controls

According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report⁶, organizations with extensive use of AI and automation saw $1.76 million lower data breach costs compared to organizations with no usage. This underscores the importance of not only remediating vulnerabilities but also implementing sustainable security improvements.

Conclusion

Penetration testing remains an essential component of a comprehensive security program, providing valuable insights into an organization’s security posture. By understanding and addressing common findings, organizations can significantly reduce their risk exposure and build more resilient security programs.

The cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, with attackers constantly developing new techniques. Regular penetration testing, combined with prompt and effective remediation, enables organizations to stay ahead of emerging threats and protect their critical assets.

For Australian organizations seeking to enhance their security posture, the Australian Cyber Security Centre offers valuable resources, including the Essential Eight mitigation strategies⁷, which provide a prioritized approach to cybersecurity improvements.

By addressing the common findings outlined in this article and implementing the recommended remediation strategies, organizations can significantly strengthen their security posture and reduce the risk of successful cyber attacks.

References

Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSC), “Annual Cyber Threat Report 2023-2024,” https://www.cyber.gov.au/about-us/view-all-content/reports-and-statistics/annual-cyber-threat-report-2023-2024 ↩︎
Microsoft, “Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2023”, 2023 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/security-insider/microsoft-digital-defense-report-2023 ↩︎
OWASP, “A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures”, 2021 https://owasp.org/Top10/A07_2021-Identification_and_Authentication_Failures/ ↩︎
Verizon, “2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR),” 2023 https://www.verizon.com/business/en-gb/resources/reports/dbir/2023/incident-classification-patterns-intro/web-application-attacks/ ↩︎
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), “Public Service Announcement, Alert Number: I-091124-PSA September 11, 2024”, 2023 https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240911 ↩︎
IBM, “Cost of a Data Breach Report”, 2023 https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach ↩︎
Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), “Essential Eight”, 2023 https://www.cyber.gov.au/resources-business-and-government/essential-cybersecurity/essential-eight/essential-eight-explained ↩︎

At Christian Sajere Cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure, we tackle common penetration testing vulnerabilities head-on. Our targeted remediations fortify weak points and streamline compliance—ensuring gaps are closed before attackers strike. Strengthen your defenses today

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