Blockchain technology powers a number of industries today, such as fintech, crypto, healthcare, etc., and is starting to take hold in several others. Being the backbone of these capital-rich industries, blockchain has drawn the attention of hackers. In addition, security issues in blockchain applications also arise due to improper implementation and maintenance of blockchain applications. A recent survey showed that blockchain hackers stole over $3.8 billion in approximately 125 attacks in 2020.
If we want to make a sustainable future with blockchain, we need to talk about blockchain security today. That is why through this article we will discuss in detail the blockchain penetration testing process and how it helps to secure blockchain applications. But before that, let’s discuss what exactly is blockchain and blockchain penetration testing.
What is Blockchain?
Blockchain is a type of spreadsheet that contains transaction information, each transaction information creates a hash, and each block refers to the previous block. And collectively they form a chain of blocks. Blockchain technology has successfully transformed the business transaction industry. With its unmatched potential, blockchain has presented us with a wonderful opportunity to take control of transactions, healthcare, and various other services that need privacy and transparency.
5 Steps Involved in Blockchain Penetration Testing Process
Effective blockchain penetration testing services involve basic testing services like functional testing, performance testing, API testing, security testing, integration testing, etc. Penetration testing, as the name suggests, is accomplished by targeting and exploiting potential weaknesses in the system. In this section, we will discuss the steps involved in the penetration testing process.
STEP 1: Discovery
The first step of a penetration testing process is the discovery of potential vulnerabilities in the system. It is important to know how the blockchain works in your application in order to secure it.
- The Blockchain architecture: Try to analyze the blockchain implementation to ensure the blockchain’s ability to preserve integrity, confidentiality, and availability during data delivery, compliance, and storage.
- Compliance readiness: Don’t forget to ensure that your blockchain implementation meets legal governance requirements.
- Readiness Assessment: Also, exercise a deep insight into the technological features of the Blockchain application to ensure security and most beneficial practices.
STEP 2: Evaluation
The second step of blockchain penetration testing is the evaluation and analysis of the information obtained in the discovery step. The assessment will help you determine which vulnerability or loophole may put your blockchain application at risk. It involves the following tests:
- Network penetration
- Testing Blockchain Static and Dynamic Application Testing including testing of wallets, GUIs, databases, application logic.
- Blockchain Integrity Testing
All of the aforementioned attack vectors will be properly tested to ensure that security controls are in a position to properly recognize, alleviate, and review access.
STEP 3: Functional Testing
Functional testing is done to ensure that all services used in your blockchain application work as expected. The components that a blockchain penetration tester takes into account are:
3.1. Block size and chain
A block contains the information of a transaction itself. Currently, the size of a block is 1 MB. This value should be checked periodically. Also, there is no limit to the size of the string, as it keeps increasing over time. It is important to test the functional performance of the chain to keep it under control.
3.2. Block Addition
After verification and authentication of a transaction, penetration testers validate the box and add it to the chain.
3.3. Data streaming
makes it easy for testers to have flawless data encryption and decryption due to its peer-to-peer architecture.
3.4. API Testing
API testing is performed to control the interaction of the Blockchain application ecosystem. It is done to make sure that the requests and responses sent by the APIs are valid.
3.5. Integration Testing
Integration tests do not guarantee that the different components of the blockchain will communicate with each other without problems. The need for integration testing arises due to the deployment of blockchain on parallel platforms.
3.6. Performance Testing
The purpose of performance testing is to determine potential bottlenecks and check whether the blockchain application is production-ready or not.
3.7. Security Testing
The goal of security testing is to ensure that your blockchain application is completely secure against malware and viruses.
STEP 4: Reporting
An effective penetration test is incomplete without a detailed penetration test report. Make sure the report contains a detailed summary of each vulnerability found in the blockchain application. A well-explained pentesting report makes it easy for cybersecurity experts to employ the necessary security practices considering the loopholes found.
5. Remediation and Certification
The last step in blockchain penetration testing is to remediate the vulnerabilities reported by the security expert and request a rescan.
Blockchain Penetration Testing Solution by Astra
Astra offers a deep level of blockchain penetration testing with its Astra Pentest solution. The solution includes manual and automated vulnerability scanning and a user-friendly web UI platform for developers and security engineers for easy vulnerability management.
Here are some key features and highlights of the Astra Pentest solution for blockchain penetration testing:
- Rich Dashboards – User-friendly dashboards designed to make security simple.
- Easy Collaboration – Options to collaborate with your internal development team and Astra security engineers.
- Automated Scan – An intelligent automated scanner that performs over 2,600 test cases.
- Risk Ranking – Risk Ranking allows the development and management team to analyze risk factors such as potential loss in dollars, CVSS score, amount of bug bounty saved, and more for each vulnerability discovered.
- Detailed Reports in Dashboard and PDF: Options to view detailed VAPT reports in the dashboard, as well as PDF reports in email.
- Publicly Verifiable Pentest Certificate – After every successful pentest, you earn an industry-recognized publicly verifiable pentest certificate.
Conclusion
Blockchain penetration testing is a new and emerging niche in the cybersecurity industry. Since blockchain technology can be used to store any type of data, this opens up the possibility of serious vulnerabilities in the system. Companies turn to blockchain pentesters to find these vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
