Challenges
Through this assessment, CyberGlobal’s team discovered that the company had a large number of highly privileged accounts with broad control over important systems.
When so much power is spread across many accounts, the risk of misuse or weak passwords increases. And for a payment processor, this can directly threaten the systems that support everyday transactions.
One privileged account was also being used as a service account, which meant that someone inside the company could try to gain elevated access. This was not exploited during the assessment, but the potential impact was significant.
The team also discovered issues with how guest wireless access was controlled. The setup allowed a determined user to possibly bypass approval steps and connect to the network without authorization.
Finally, communication with the directory service lacked protective measures around the integrity of identity and access data, raising the risk of unauthorized changes or interception.
Objectives
The client wanted to see how the company’s systems would look like to a potential attacker, including a realistic picture of its exposure and straightforward guidance on which issues to fix first.
What CyberGlobal needed to determine was:
- How vulnerable the company’s important entry points and applications were
- Whether user access could be trusted
- Which weaknesses posed the highest risk and needed immediate attention
Services Provided
CyberGlobal delivered an internal network security assessment which the purpose of identifying real business risks, not just note technical compliance issues
The team examined the following:
- Gaps in access control, system behavior, and data handling that could be taken advantage of in a real attack.
- How easy it was for important parts of the system to be misused or discovered by someone without permission.
- How system configurations influenced the overall protection of sensitive operations.
Execution and Outcomes
CyberGlobal examined the network the same way an insider attacker would, checking how access to systems and administrative tools looked like from within the organization.
Here’s how the team evaluated the systems and the discoveries they made:
- Many user accounts had too much control over important systems, with one crucial account also being used to run services, making it easier for someone to misuse it.
- They tested the guest Wi-Fi as if they were an unauthorized user and found that the system meant to block unapproved devices could be tricked by copying the identity of a device that was already allowed.
- When looking at the directory services, the team saw that user information and access weren’t fully protected.
All of these findings were explained in terms of business impact, so the client could clearly see which issues posed real risks and which improvements needed to be prioritized.
Solutions
CyberGlobal recommended reducing the number of highly privileged accounts and putting stronger rules around how they are managed. They advised the company to limit access and to clearly separate everyday work accounts from those with full administrative power. By keeping the number of critical accounts small and better controlled, the risk of a single account being misused or compromised drops significantly.
For the service account that also had admin rights, CyberGlobal suggested splitting these roles. Service accounts should only have the exact permissions needed to run their tasks, not broad system control. This prevents someone from gaining full access by targeting a service account.
To fix the guest Wi-Fi issue, the team recommended tightening the approval process. Guest access should not be granted just by copying an approved device. Each connection should be verified and tied to a specific user or request, making unauthorized access much harder.
For directory services, CyberGlobal advised enabling stronger protections on how identity and access data travels across the network.
Securing this communication is vital because it:
- Helps prevent tampering
- Supports accurate user verification
- Strengthens trust in access decisions across the entire environment
Results
Fixing these issues helped the company significantly reduce the chance that a single internal account could be used to take control of important systems and made it much harder for someone to slip into the network through the guest Wi-Fi.
These improvements created a stronger and safer internal network, a system that payment operations could rely on every day.
CyberGlobal continues to support payment processing companies in the United Kingdom with internal network security assessments and long-term security improvements. Similar organizations are encouraged to take a close look at their own internal security, especially privileged accounts, wireless access, and directory services.
By addressing these kinds of weaknesses early, you can help prevent risks associated with data breaches.