Cloud Configuration Review
A structured review of your cloud configuration against CIS benchmarks and real attack paths — the risky defaults, public exposure and IAM sprawl that active testing then confirms.
What is Cloud Configuration Review?
Most cloud incidents start with a default nobody changed. We benchmark your AWS, Azure or GCP configuration against CIS and real attack paths, finding the public exposure, IAM sprawl and missing guardrails that active testing then confirms.
Most cloud incidents don't need an exploit — they need a default nobody changed. A public snapshot, an over-broad role, logging switched off in one region: each is minor alone, but together they describe a quiet path to your data. A configuration review benchmarks your environment against CIS and real attack paths, giving you a prioritised list of what to harden before active testing confirms it.
A configuration review also gives you leverage over cost and complexity, not just risk: the same audit that finds public data and IAM sprawl usually surfaces unused resources, over-broad access and missing guardrails that make your environment both safer and simpler to run. It's the fastest way to turn a sprawling cloud estate into a documented, defensible one.
Cloud Configuration Review is a manual, exploit-driven assessment: real people attacking your target the way an adversary would, then proving each finding with a working proof of concept. It is not an automated scan with a logo on it — the point is to find and demonstrate the issues that actually put you at risk, and hand your team a clear plan to fix them.
Why it matters
Cloud breaches rarely come from a single flaw; they come from chains of small misconfigurations that end in full account takeover. Identity and configuration are the new perimeter, and both fail silently.
A cloud configuration review engagement replaces guesswork with evidence. Instead of hoping your controls hold, you get a ranked, reproducible picture of where they don’t — before someone hostile finds the same gaps.
Industries & use cases
Configuration review suits organisations early in their cloud journey, teams preparing for an audit, and anyone running multi-account or multi-cloud estates that have grown faster than governance.
What we test
Manual, exploit-driven coverage focused on real impact — not scanner noise.
- IAM and identity hygiene
- Public exposure of resources
- Logging, monitoring and guardrails
- Encryption and key management
- Network and segmentation config
- Benchmarking vs CIS / best practice
Signs you should run a cloud configuration review
If any of these apply, testing is overdue.
- You're preparing for an audit or certification
- Your cloud grew faster than your governance
- You run multi-account or multi-cloud
- You've never benchmarked against CIS
- You want a prioritised hardening roadmap
Common vulnerabilities we find
The issues that show up again and again in cloud configuration review — and the ones that actually get exploited.
Public resource exposure
Storage, databases or functions open to the internet.
IAM sprawl
Unused, over-broad and stale permissions everywhere.
Missing guardrails
No logging, no MFA enforcement, no preventive controls.
Disabled or incomplete logging
No CloudTrail/Activity Log means attacks and mistakes go unseen.
Unencrypted or over-shared data stores
Databases and buckets without encryption or with broad access.
No preventive guardrails
Missing SCPs, policies or org-level controls to stop risky changes.
Excessive cross-account trust
Broad assume-role or trust relationships between accounts.
Weak secrets management
Secrets in code, environment variables or unmanaged stores.
Example attack chain
Real impact rarely comes from one bug — it comes from chaining several. A representative example:
Why choose webhook.press
Attacker mindset
We’re offensive security people who also build the free tools bug-bounty hunters use daily. We test the way real adversaries do — and prove it.
No scanner theatre
You get findings a human exploited and verified, ranked by real business risk — not an unfiltered tool dump padded to look thorough.
Fixed price, free retest
A clear quote after scoping, a report your team and auditors can use, and a free retest to confirm the fixes hold.
Our methodology
A structured, transparent process aligned to OWASP and PTES — with a named point of contact throughout.
Scoping & rules of engagement
We agree the exact targets, depth, timing and constraints for your cloud configuration review, and set clear rules of engagement so testing is safe and predictable.
Reconnaissance & mapping
We enumerate the full attack surface — endpoints, roles, technologies and trust boundaries — and threat-model where an attacker would focus.
Manual testing & exploitation
We attack by hand, verifying and chaining weaknesses into real impact. Automated tooling supports coverage; humans find the logic and authorization bugs it can’t.
Analysis & risk rating
Each finding is validated, rated by real business risk rather than raw scanner severity, and de-duplicated so you get signal, not noise.
Reporting
You receive an executive summary for leadership and a technical section with reproducible PoCs, evidence and concrete, stack-specific remediation.
Free retest
After you remediate, we re-test the closed findings to confirm they are actually fixed — at no extra cost.
What you get
Reproducible PoCs
Every finding ships with a working proof and step-by-step reproduction your engineers can replay and verify.
Risk-ranked findings
Prioritised by real business impact, so you fix what matters first instead of drowning in low-severity noise.
Actionable remediation
Concrete, stack-specific fixes and guidance — not generic “apply best practice” filler.
Free retest
We re-check the closed findings after remediation and confirm they’re resolved.
The report is written for two audiences at once: an executive summary that a non-technical stakeholder can act on, and a detailed technical section — findings, evidence, CVSS and reproduction — that your developers and auditors can use directly.
Manual testing, not just a scan
Automated scanners are fast and useful for coverage, but they only find patterns they already know, and they flood you with false positives. They cannot understand your business logic, chain several small issues into a breach, or tell you which alert actually matters. Our cloud configuration review is led by experienced testers who exploit findings by hand and rank them by the damage they’d really do — the difference between a 300-page tool dump and a short list of things worth fixing.
Standards & compliance
Our cloud configuration review reports are written to support the frameworks your auditors and customers care about — including SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and the EU’s NIS2 and DORA. Each engagement produces clear, independent evidence of testing with scope, methodology and findings documented the way assessors expect, so the same test both hardens your systems and helps satisfy your obligations.
Frameworks we follow
Recognised methodologies, adapted to your target — never a rigid checklist.
- OWASP — Web Security Testing Guide, ASVS and the API Security Top 10
- PTES — the Penetration Testing Execution Standard
- NIST SP 800-115 — technical guide to security testing
- OSSTMM — Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual
- MITRE ATT&CK — to frame real-world adversary techniques
FAQ
How is this different from AWS pentesting?
This is a configuration audit; we pair it with active cloud pentesting when you want exploitation proof too.
Multi-cloud?
Yes — AWS, Azure and GCP in one engagement if needed.
How is this different from cloud pentesting?
This is an audit of configuration against best practice; we pair it with active pentesting when you also want exploitation proof.
Single or multi-cloud?
We review AWS, Azure and GCP, together in one engagement if needed.
Do you deliver a prioritised roadmap?
Yes — findings ranked by risk with concrete remediation, so you fix the highest-impact items first.
Can you re-review after we remediate?
Yes — a follow-up review confirms the guardrails and fixes are in place.
How long does a cloud configuration review take?
Most focused engagements run one to two weeks depending on scope; we agree the exact timeline during scoping.
Is a retest included?
Yes — after you remediate, we re-check the closed findings to confirm they’re fixed, at no extra cost.
How do you price it?
Per engagement, based on scope and depth — you get a fixed quote after a short scoping call. No cookie-cutter packages.
Why teams trust our cloud configuration review
Aligned to recognised standards
Testing follows OWASP, PTES, NIST SP 800-115 and MITRE ATT&CK, and reports support SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, NIS2 and DORA.
Every engagement includes
Reproducible PoCs, risk-ranked findings, concrete remediation, a named point of contact, a free retest, and a summary letter of attestation.
Confidential by default
Work is covered by an NDA, scoped with clear rules of engagement, and data is handled with care throughout — including residency requirements.
Sample report available on request — see our reporting format and depth before you commit. Ask for a sample →
Get a quote for Cloud Configuration Review
Tell us about the target — we’ll come back with scope and a fixed price. Manual, exploit-driven testing with reproducible proof and a free retest.