Proactive and Persistent: How SynerComm’s Pentest Playbooks and the CASM® Platform Enable Continuous Penetration Testing

In today’s cybersecurity landscape, vulnerabilities evolve faster than ever, and attackers exploit them at unprecedented speed. To help organizations stay ahead, SynerComm has developed a two-pronged approach combining Pentest Playbooks and our CASM Platform (Continuous Attack Surface Management) to deliver Continuous Penetration Testing (CPT). This proactive, ongoing service ensures that your defenses remain resilient against emerging threats and persistent adversaries.

Answering the Question: What to Do Between Pentests

Traditional penetration testing often occurs annually or semi-annually, providing only a snapshot of your organization’s security posture. In the meantime, new vulnerabilities emerge, systems change, and attackers innovate, leaving gaps that go unaddressed for months. This point-in-time approach can leave organizations exposed and unprepared to handle modern, fast-moving threats.

SynerComm’s Continuous Penetration Testing solves this problem by delivering real-time insights, identifying new vulnerabilities as they emerge, and validating security controls on an ongoing basis. With our CPT service, organizations gain a continuous and evolving understanding of their attack surface, ensuring that no weakness goes unnoticed or unaddressed. The true strength of our CPT lies in our team of experienced pentesters, who expertly execute our playbooks, uncover vulnerabilities, and provide actionable insights to strengthen your defenses.

SynerComm’s Pentest Playbooks: Tailored Assessments for Every Threat

At the heart of our CPT are SynerComm’s Pentest Playbooks—a curated library of tactical and strategic testing scenarios designed to uncover vulnerabilities across all layers of your technology stack. These playbooks are divided into two categories, Emergency Playbooks and Recurring Playbooks.

1. Emergency Playbooks

When critical vulnerabilities emerge in the wild, they often come with CVE identifiers and demand immediate attention. Our Emergency Playbooks are built to address these late-breaking threats, ensuring that your organization isn’t left exposed to exploits targeting popular systems and applications. Examples include:

• Remote Code Execution (RCE):Testing vulnerabilities that allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. Recent examples include:
  • MOVEit Transfer (CVE-2023-34362):A vulnerability exploited to allow attackers to compromise sensitive data in file transfer environments.
  • Cisco Secure Email Gateway (CVE-2024-20401):A flaw allowing unauthorized users to execute commands remotely on email security appliances.
  • Fortinet FortiManager (CVE-2024-47575):Critical RCE vulnerability allowing full control over systems managing network devices.
• Path Traversal Attacks:Identifying ways attackers can manipulate file paths to access restricted directories, such as Apache HTTP Server’s Path Traversal flaw (CVE-2021-41773).
• Authentication Bypass:Simulating attacks on authentication mechanisms, including the JetBrains TeamCity bypass (CVE-2024-27199) or Fortra GoAnywhere MFT bypass (CVE-2024-0204).

2. Recurring Playbooks

Recurring Playbooks are designed to address security risks that require regular attention. Unlike Emergency Playbooks, which focus on immediate, late-breaking threats, Recurring Playbooks test for vulnerabilities and weaknesses that can arise over time. These playbooks are ideal for monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual execution to ensure consistent and proactive security hygiene. Examples include:

• Password Security:Testing for weak or reused passwords using password spraying, password stuffing, and guessing common passwords like Summer2024# or Winter2024!! To help prevent unauthorized access.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):As our pentesters discover valid user credentials, they verify the presence and effectiveness of MFA controls across critical assets.
• Web Application and API Testing:Web applications account for the vast majority of our external findings with numerous unique vulnerabilities such as XSS, SQL injection, and sensitive data exposures. (Please note though that some applications warrant deeper testing like a privileged application assessment.)
• Reconnaissance and Enumeration:Discovering new assets, subdomains, or exposed directories/files to identify exposures and to ensure an up-to-date attack surface inventory.

These playbooks form the foundation of proactive security programs, ensuring vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated before they can be exploited.

CASM: Continuous Attack Surface Management

Complementing our Pentest Playbooks is SynerComm’s CASM Platform (Continuous Attack Surface Management). CASM extends the capabilities of traditional penetration testing by continuously monitoring your external attack surface for new assets, changes and exposures. Here’s how it works:

1. Real-Time Discovery:CASM identifies new assets, subdomains, and services as they are added to your infrastructure and cloud environments, ensuring that your attack surface is always up to date.
2. Threat and Vulnerability Management:Using CASM, our AssureIT team tracks emerging threats, correlating them with your environment to highlight risks that demand immediate action.
3. Findings, Reporting and Retests:CASM is much more than just an attack surface management platform, it’s also your dashboard for receiving reports and managing your findings and retest requests.

By integrating our playbooks with CASM, SynerComm delivers Continuous Penetration Testing, which combines the hands-on expertise of our penetration testers with the automated monitoring and threat intelligence of CASM.

How We Deliver Results

Every Playbook Run is documented to ensure actionable insights for our clients. Here’s what you can expect from our reporting:

• Playbook Purpose:We document the specific vulnerability or weakness being tested, ensuring our clients understand the significance of the assessment.
• Methodology Summary:Our reports include an overview of the methods and tools used, providing transparency into the depth and rigor of our tests.
• Test Results:Results are clearly documented:
  • If an exploitable vulnerability is found, our testers produce a detailed finding outlining the risk, technical details, and recommended remediation.
  • If no vulnerabilities are detected, the playbook records that the systems were tested and found secure.

  This structured reporting ensures our clients gain clear visibility into their security status, with actionable guidance for addressing any detected vulnerabilities.

  The SynerComm Advantage

  SynerComm’s Continuous Penetration Testing is more than just a service—it’s a partnership. By combining our Pentest Playbooks with CASM, we provide a solution that adapts to your evolving attack surface and emerging threats. Together, they ensure:

  • Proactive Defense:Immediate testing for late-breaking vulnerabilities.
  • Continuous Insight:A real-time view of your organization’s security posture.
  • Actionable Remediation:Detailed findings with prioritized recommendations.
  • Expert Pentesters:Our AssureIT Team of certified, capable, and experienced pentesters.

  Take Control of Your Security

  With SynerComm’s Continuous Penetration Test, you don’t have to wait for your next annual pentest to discover gaps in your defenses. Stay ahead of attackers, adapt to new threats, and achieve confidence in your organization’s security posture.

  Learn more about our Continuous Penetration Testing and how SynerComm can help you stay secure.