They were also able to embed some backdoor features on the device, such as additional users with various levels of access to the operating system, and were able to plant simulated malware samples that remained on the device after a legitimate user logged on and completed the setup process. With the devices in this out-of-box state, our tester was able to use the operating system’s audit mode to gain administrator-level access to the device. In this instance, the most likely ways for a malicious actor to gain access would be by intercepting the device during shipping (for example, by stealing it from a porch), by convincing the helpdesk to perform a remote wipe of the device, or by using a USB device to reset the laptop, assuming they have prolonged physical access to the device.
Breach pen software#
Both these scenarios relied on the laptops being in their out-of-box state, that is, it’s loaded up with the necessary software but no user has signed in yet. Our penetration tester found two possible scenarios in which a skilled attacker could compromise the device and gain access to the organization.
freely available information) to help with their attack, and whether social engineering methods (deception or manipulation) could be used as well. The tester evaluated whether a hacker could use OSINT (open-source intelligence, i.e. They attempted attacks on the devices’ communication ports, on the BIOS (that is, the basic software used when a computer is booting up), and even attempted to access the laptop by booting a different operating system on top of the installed one – in this case, the open-source Linux OS that’s favored by hackers.
The tester went to work to see if they could compromise the laptops’ security and gain access to the operating system or sensitive data. Our penetration tester was given two devices in two different states: One of them was powered on, with the user signed in, but with the device closed and locked. Could someone with physical access to the machine get into the operating system, or otherwise extract meaningful data from the laptop? Simply put, our job was to put these devices through the wringer and make sure that even sophisticated attackers couldn’t compromise the organization’s security. But the organization needed to be sure that these machines would still be secure if they were lost or stolen and ended up in the hands of a malicious actor. This organizations laptops had already been imaged, or formatted, appropriately with the right systems and data for staff. We provided our client with a report that gave them the information they needed to fix these issues before distributing the laptops to staff. Our consultant’s work did indeed pinpoint some critical vulnerabilities. We provided them with the services of one of our consultants, who acted as a penetration tester – they went into these laptops and attempted a number of different kinds of attacks on the devices, including attacks on their communication ports and the software used to boot them up, as well as social engineering attacks, meaning the use of deception and manipulation to get people to hand over sensitive data. SnapshotĪ major global organization came to Kalles Group with a request: they wanted us to test their new “modern device” laptops to make sure their security features were as foolproof as possible. as a part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document.Ever wondered how penetration testing can make an impact in real life? Here's an overview of a recent pen test our team delivered. This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation.
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