Our Thick Client Penetration Testing methodology follows a multi-phased approach that ensures all aspects of the application and its infrastructure are thoroughly assessed. This involves both automated and manual testing to uncover known and unknown vulnerabilities and provide a holistic security evaluation.

Phase 1: Scoping and Information Gathering

Defining Objectives: Understand the specific objectives of the penetration test, including business goals, industry compliance requirements, and any specific security concerns.

Scope Definition: Identify components of the thick client application that require testing, including both front-end and back-end servers, databases, and network communications.

Pre-Engagement Documentation: Define testing rules, permissions, and gather initial technical details of the application environment.

Phase 2: Reconnaissance and Fingerprinting

Network and System Mapping: Identify how the thick client communicates with backend systems, any dependencies, and network configurations.

Component Identification: Analyze dependencies such as external libraries, APIs, and protocols used in client-server communication.

Environment Understanding: Examine OS, libraries, and dependencies for any known security risks.

Phase 3: Vulnerability Assessment

Automated Scanning: Use automated tools to scan for known vulnerabilities in the application’s libraries, dependencies, and configurations.

Protocol and Interface Testing: Test communication protocols (e.g., RMI, SOAP, REST, RPC) for insecure configurations, weak authentication, and data exposure risks.

Configuration Testing: Analyze application configurations and permissions for potential misconfigurations that could allow privilege escalation or data exposure.

Phase 4: Exploitation and Attack Simulation

Authentication and Authorization Testing: Attempt to bypass authentication and authorization controls through privilege escalation and session management testing.

Business Logic Testing: Assess business logic for exploitable flaws, such as manipulation of workflows and privilege-based errors.

Data Security and Storage Testing: Examine sensitive data handling, focusing on encryption, storage security, and file permissions.

Client-Side Attack Simulation: Test for client-side vulnerabilities, such as code injection, DLL hijacking, memory manipulation, and reverse engineering of binary code.

Phase 5: Reporting and Documentation

Comprehensive Technical Report: Provide a detailed report listing identified vulnerabilities, their severity, impact, and recommended remediation steps.

Executive Summary: Create an executive summary for non-technical stakeholders, highlighting key findings and risk areas.

Remediation Recommendations: Offer clear, actionable guidance to address identified vulnerabilities effectively.

Phase 6: Remediation Support and Retesting

By combining automated tools with expert manual testing, our methodology ensures a thorough analysis that addresses both well-known vulnerabilities and sophisticated, hidden risks. The objective is to provide clients with an actionable roadmap to secure their thick client applications effectively.