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March 9, 2026

Cloud Network Security Testing: VPCs, Security Groups, and Firewall Rules


Security Group and NSG Testing

Testing evaluates every security group/NSG rule for overpermissive access-especially inbound rules that allow broad IP ranges, port ranges, or protocol wildcards. Stale rules, temporary exceptions that became permanent, and self-referencing groups that allow unrestricted intra-group communication all represent risk.

Network Segmentation Validation

Testing verifies that network segmentation actually isolates what it's supposed to isolate. Can a workload in the development VPC reach production databases? Can a compromised web server access the management network? Segmentation testing proves your network boundaries hold under adversarial conditions-essential for PCI DSS compliance.

Egress Control Testing

Most cloud security testing focuses on inbound access. Egress testing evaluates whether outbound traffic is properly restricted-preventing data exfiltration, command-and-control communication, and lateral movement through unrestricted outbound access.

Cross-Cloud and Hybrid Connectivity

Testing evaluates VPN connections, VPC peering, PrivateLink/Private Endpoints, and transit gateways for unintended cross-network access paths.

Cloud Network Testing with Penetrify

Penetrify's cloud network testing covers security groups, NACLs, firewall rules, segmentation validation, and cross-network connectivity across AWS, Azure, and GCP.

The Bottom Line

Cloud network misconfigurations are invisible until an attacker exploits them. Penetrify tests every layer of your cloud networking-security groups, segmentation, egress controls, and cross-cloud connectivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I test cloud network security?
Evaluate security group/NSG rules for overpermissive access, validate network segmentation between environments, test egress controls, and verify cross-cloud connectivity restrictions. Combine automated configuration scanning with manual penetration testing for complete coverage.
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