Google Cloud Platform: What is it and how can you benefit from GCP Penetration Testing?

Firstly, what is Google Cloud Platform (GCP)? GCP is a cloud computing platform that allows you to store, process and manage data. It also provides a range of tools and services to help developers build applications. One of the most important features of GCP is its security. The platform has been built with security in mind, from the ground up. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses that want to move their operations to the cloud.

Google is in charge of the security of the cloud (essentially the hardware and back-end infrastructure); however, you will be in charge of the security sitting within the cloud, so how do you set about testing that security?

Cloud environments (from any provider) can be compromised in many ways and can leave a business vulnerable to attackers (either external or internal; deliberately or accidentally). In this case, GCP penetration testing identifies and exploits security vulnerabilities in applications and infrastructure within a system; it can therefore help those businesses that use GCP protect their data, ensure compliance with regulations (both legal and industry-led) and improve the security of their systems:

  • Improved security: GCP penetration testing can help businesses to identify and crucially fix vulnerabilities in their systems, making their data more secure and creating the strongest environment should an attacker attempt to hack into their system.

  • Compliance with regulations: Many regulatory frameworks require organisations to conduct penetration tests as part of their security assessment.  GCP penetration testing can ensure that businesses are compliant with these regulations and allow them to emphasise the importance of security to their customers.

  • Improved performance: GCP penetration testing can also help to identify bottlenecks and improve the performance of applications.

Once a GCP penetration test has been concluded a report will be provided, identifying all the vulnerabilities found and what steps need to be taken to remedy those weaknesses.  Following remediation, a retest should be undertaken to confirm that all vulnerabilities are fixed.  You should check if your industry standards, regulations or compliance standards require a retest.  Should you wish to send any report relating to your GCP penetration test, you should think about how to do that safely; after all, your company’s vulnerabilities will be clearly set out and if these fall into the wrong hands, an attack on your company may not be far off.

It is important to remember that Google does not require to be notified prior to GCP penetration testing but, of course, any GCP penetration test cannot focus on infrastructure and services that don’t belong to you.

If you would like to see our template penetration test report please click here.

To get started with our penetration testing service, contact us today! Our team will work with you to assess the security of your environment and provide recommendations for how to improve it. Contact us now!