Cloud Security

Cloud Penetration Test

A Cloud Penetration Test identifies vulnerabilities in cloud environments and infrastructure by conducting real-world attack simulations and configuration reviews

What you'll get:
  • A comprehensive evaluation of your cloud network and environment
  • Robust testing against AWS, Azure, and Google cloud service infrastructure
  • Serverless cloud testing for Lambda, Azure Function, and Google Cloud Functions
  • Recommendations for enhancing system configurations and network security
  • A comprehensive report with detailed findings and remediations steps
  • Remediation and patch validation testing to confirm vulnerability fixes

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What is Cloud Penetration Testing?

Cloud penetration testing is a specialized security assessment that evaluates the security of your organization's cloud infrastructure, services, and configurations across platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Unlike traditional network penetration testing, cloud pentesting addresses the unique attack vectors introduced by cloud-native services, identity and access management (IAM) policies, storage configurations, and serverless architectures.

Cloud environments introduce a shared responsibility model where the cloud provider secures the underlying infrastructure, but your organization is responsible for securing everything deployed on top of it — IAM policies, storage buckets, virtual networks, serverless functions, container orchestration, and application configurations. Misconfigurations in any of these areas can lead to data exposure, unauthorized access, or full account compromise.

DarkPoint Security's cloud penetration tests combine cloud-specific attack techniques with traditional penetration testing methodology to identify vulnerabilities across your entire cloud environment, from IAM misconfigurations to exposed storage resources to vulnerable compute instances.

Cloud security testing

Why Your Organization Needs Cloud Penetration Testing

Cloud misconfigurations are among the leading causes of data breaches. As organizations accelerate their cloud adoption, the attack surface grows in complexity and requires specialized testing.

  • Prevent Data Exposure — Identify misconfigured storage buckets (S3, Azure Blob, GCS), overly permissive IAM policies, and exposed secrets that could lead to sensitive data leakage
  • Validate Shared Responsibility — Confirm that your organization is properly fulfilling its security responsibilities under the cloud shared responsibility model
  • Compliance Requirements — Meet SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and PIPEDA requirements that mandate security assessments of cloud environments handling sensitive data
  • Secure Cloud-Native Services — Assess serverless functions (Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Functions), container environments (ECS, AKS, GKE), and managed databases for security weaknesses

Our Cloud Testing Methodology

DarkPoint Security follows a cloud-specific testing methodology built on industry standards and cloud provider security best practices:

  • NIST SP 800-115 & NIST SP 800-144 — Guides our technical security testing procedures and cloud computing security considerations
  • CIS Benchmarks — We assess configurations against Center for Internet Security benchmarks specific to AWS, Azure, and GCP
  • PTES — Provides the overall engagement framework from scoping through reporting
  • Cloud Provider Security Best Practices — AWS Well-Architected Framework, Azure Security Benchmark, and GCP Security Best Practices

Our assessment begins with cloud environment reconnaissance to map your cloud footprint and identify all deployed services. We then perform IAM and access control analysis, followed by configuration review against security benchmarks. Active exploitation validates discovered weaknesses, and we test for privilege escalation paths within the cloud environment. Finally, we deliver a detailed report with prioritized remediation guidance.

Testing Coverage

Our cloud penetration tests cover a comprehensive range of cloud-specific attack vectors:

  • IAM policy misconfigurations and privilege escalation
  • Storage bucket permissions (S3, Azure Blob, GCS)
  • Serverless function security (Lambda, Azure Functions)
  • Container and Kubernetes security (ECS, EKS, AKS, GKE)
  • Virtual network and security group configurations
  • Exposed API endpoints and management consoles
  • Secrets and credential management
  • Cross-account and cross-tenant access
  • Database and cache service exposure (RDS, ElastiCache, CosmosDB)
  • Logging, monitoring, and detection gaps
  • Resource-based policy misconfigurations
  • Service-to-service authentication weaknesses
  • Cloud metadata service exploitation (IMDS)
  • Encryption at rest and in transit configuration
  • CI/CD pipeline and deployment security
  • DNS and domain takeover in cloud environments

Industries We Serve

DarkPoint Security provides cloud penetration testing to organizations across Canada navigating complex cloud security requirements. We serve financial services and banking (PCI DSS cloud requirements, OSFI B-13 technology and cyber risk), healthcare (PIPEDA, protecting patient data in cloud environments), technology and SaaS (SOC 2 Type II cloud controls, ISO 27001), and government and public sector organizations. Our cloud testing reports map findings to the compliance frameworks relevant to your industry.

Why Choose DarkPoint Security

  • Multi-Cloud Expertise — Our team has deep experience testing AWS, Azure, and GCP environments, including complex multi-cloud and hybrid architectures
  • Manual-First Approach — We go beyond automated cloud security scanners to perform hands-on testing of IAM policies, resource configurations, and attack paths that tools alone miss
  • Certified Security Professionals — Our team holds OSCP, CEH, and CISSP certifications alongside cloud-specific security expertise
  • Proven Vulnerability Research — Our published CVEs demonstrate our ability to discover novel vulnerabilities, bringing that same rigor to your cloud environment
  • Canadian Data Residency — As a Toronto-based firm, all testing data and reports remain within Canadian jurisdiction

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, major cloud providers permit penetration testing of your own resources. AWS no longer requires prior approval for most testing activities. Azure requires adherence to their Rules of Engagement. GCP allows testing of your own projects without prior notification. We are experienced with each provider's policies and ensure all testing activities comply with their terms of service.

We perform penetration testing across all major cloud platforms including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). We also test hybrid cloud environments and multi-cloud architectures. Our testing covers IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS services across each platform.

The level of access depends on the assessment type. For a configuration review, we typically require read-only access to your cloud environment. For active penetration testing, we may request a set of low-privilege credentials to simulate an attacker who has gained initial access. For black-box testing, we work with only externally discoverable information. We discuss the optimal approach during scoping.

A cloud penetration test typically takes 1 to 3 weeks depending on the size and complexity of your cloud environment, the number of accounts and subscriptions in scope, and the services deployed. Simple single-account environments may require less time, while complex multi-account, multi-region deployments need additional time for thorough assessment.

Yes. A cloud security audit is primarily a configuration review — comparing your settings against benchmarks like CIS. A cloud penetration test goes further by actively attempting to exploit misconfigurations, escalate privileges, move laterally between services, and demonstrate the real-world impact of identified weaknesses. Our cloud penetration tests include elements of both configuration review and active exploitation.

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