Case StudiesBlackbird Lab
VPN security penetration test
Location
United Kingdom
Industry
Information Technology and Services
Case Studies United Kingdom
Information Technology and Services
Blackbird Lab is a software development company that has been providing IT services to firms in North America and Europe since 2018. The company delivers smart solutions for the bright future by building intuitive and user-friendly websites, mobile applications, and software for companies of all sizes. The company collaborates closely with its clients to conceptualize, design, and develop technology solutions that make a tangible impact.
The client approached us to conduct a security assessment of their VPN server infrastructure. Their VPN was critical for remote teams to access internal development environments, but they were concerned about potential vulnerabilities in their configuration and security practices. With increasing cyber threats targeting VPN services, they sought assurance that their environment was secure and compliant with industry best practices.
Key challenges included:
We performed a comprehensive security assessment, which included a VPN server penetration test. The assessment followed common testing methodologies aligned with industry standards such as PTES. Our approach was to simulate real-world attack scenarios to identify both technical and operational vulnerabilities.
Key activities during the engagement:
We began with a thorough review of the VPN configuration to check for weak settings, like inadequate encryption protocols, insecure authentication mechanisms, or misconfigured access controls.
Our experts simulated various attack vectors, including credential stuffing, brute-force attacks, and exploitation of known vulnerabilities specific to the VPN software.
We assessed whether the VPN server was running the latest security patches and verified if outdated or vulnerable versions were being used.
Our team delivered a range of specialized security testing services to meet the project’s needs, including:
A detailed assessment of the VPN’s resilience against common and advanced attack techniques.
Automated scanning for known vulnerabilities in the VPN software and related dependencies, combined with manual validation of findings.
Recommendations for improving VPN server settings based on security best practices.
Get a detailed estimate of your project with all risks included.
Our approach was methodical, combining automated tools with expert manual testing. We followed a phased methodology:
We collected information on the VPN infrastructure and reviewed configurations. This included a review of server logs, VPN configurations, and access policies.
We launched targeted attacks, focusing on weak credentials, encryption flaws, protocol downgrade attacks, and potential privilege escalation.
After completing the testing phase, we prioritized discovered vulnerabilities based on their potential impact and ease of exploitation. We provided detailed remediation steps for each finding.
We engaged the client's security and IT teams throughout the process, ensuring they understood the identified risks and how to implement our recommendations effectively.
Ihor is a certified security specialist with experience in penetration testing, security testing automation, cloud and mobile security. OWASP API Security Top 10 (2019) contributor. OWASP member since 2018.
Victoria is a certified security specialist with a background in penetration testing, security testing automation, AWS cloud. Eager for enhancing software security posture and AWS solutions
Denys is a certified security specialist with web and network penetration testing expertise. He demonstrates adeptness in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and executing social engineering campaigns. His wide-ranging skills position him as a well-rounded expert in the cybersecurity industry.
Roman is an AWS Expert at TechMagic. Helps teams to improve system reliability, optimise testing efforts, speed up release cycles & build confidence in product quality.
The engagement demonstrated that the customer’s VPN infrastructure had a solid foundation with high-security controls already in place. Our security testing confirmed that core configurations, such as encryption protocols and user authentication mechanisms, effectively protected against common threats. However, to achieve an even higher level of security, we identified a few areas for improvement and made recommendations to address minor misconfigurations found during the penetration test.
By applying these improvements and adopting a long-term security strategy, the customer strengthened their VPN security, ensuring continued protection against evolving cyber threats.
![[object Object] mockup](https://tm-bucket-for-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Avatar_45dde5999d.png){kind=avatar}
The transparency of the tech team was unique. “To ensure the security of existing functionality TechMagic provided BlackBird with security testing service, including one Black Box VPN Server pentest in accordance with best practices, PTES, OWASP testing guide, and Penetration testing methodologies. The team's project management was effective and fast. They delivered the project adhering to strict deadlines and expected outcomes. Their professionalism and transparency were impressive”.
With certifications PenTest+, CEH, eJPT and eWPT, our team possesses deep expertise and technical skills to identify vulnerabilities and simulate real-world attack. We provide cloud penetration testing, wireless penetration testing, social engineering testing, mobile and web application penetration testing, API penetration testing, external and internal network pen testing.
