About

Established in 1957, the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) is the first indigenous bank in Bahrain. It has a nationwide network of 25 branches, 61 ATMs, and over 4,000 points of sale terminals along with their branches in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. With a strong local stakeholder profile, the National Bank of Bahrain is publicly listed on the Bahrain Bourse. NBB is putting its efforts into leveraging business opportunities locally, regionally, and internationally. The goal of the NBB is to always connect with its customers, understand them, and help them by providing what they need in a way that is suitable for its customers.

 

Challenge

As a prominent financial institution, NBB understands the importance of maintaining a robust and secure IT infrastructure to protect sensitive customer data and ensure uninterrupted banking operations. Also, it had specific compliance and business continuity requirements in regard to its client’s and employees’ personal data. So, to meet its requirements and to learn more about the vulnerabilities they have and how to tackle them, the client engaged an expert team at Ducara Info Solution to perform thorough penetration testing. Ducara Info Solutions is a leading cybersecurity company that specializes in providing comprehensive security solutions to organizations worldwide.

 

Objectives

The main objective of conducting the penetration testing was to evaluate the security posture of NBB’s IT infrastructure, identify vulnerabilities, and provide recommendations to enhance the overall security posture. So, Ducara’s team of experts was tasked with conducting a thorough assessment of the client’s systems, networks, and applications to identify potential weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious actors.

 

Our Approach

For conducting penetration testing, Ducara’s expert followed a systematic and comprehensive approach, which included the following steps:

1. Planning and Scoping: We worked together with the client to determine and define the goals and scope of the penetration testing, which involved identifying the systems, networks, and applications to be tested, as well as the specific testing techniques to be employed.
2. Reconnaissance: Once the scoping and planning were done, our esteemed experts performed extensive reconnaissance to gather information about the client’s infrastructure, including IP addresses, domain names, and network architecture. This information was crucial for identifying potential entry points and attack vectors.
3. Vulnerability Assessment: Our experts utilized advanced scanning tools to identify vulnerabilities in the client’s systems and networks. This phase of penetration testing involved performing both external and internal vulnerability assessments to ensure a comprehensive evaluation. Additionally, our experts manually verified each of the identified vulnerabilities to avoid false positives.
4. Exploitation: Once vulnerabilities are identified our team of experts attempted to exploit them to gain access and to analyze their impact on the client’s systems and networks. Moreover, to evaluate the effectiveness of the client’s existing security controls, our experts simulated various real-world attack scenarios.
5. Reporting and Recommendations: To conclude the penetration testing, our team prepared a detailed report highlighting the discovered vulnerabilities, along with their potential impact and recommended remediation measures. The report also included a prioritized list of vulnerabilities based on their severity and potential risk to the client’s operations.

 

Result

The penetration testing conducted by Ducara’s experts for the National Bank of Bahrain plays a crucial role in identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities and provides the client with valuable insights into the security weaknesses present in their IT infrastructure. Additionally, by proactively assessing their IT infrastructure, NBB was able to enhance their security controls, protect sensitive customer data, and ensure uninterrupted banking operations. Ducara Info Solutions’ expertise and comprehensive approach to penetration testing proved instrumental in helping NBB strengthen its overall security posture.

 

“The penetration testing report was an eye-opener for us and we’re very satisfied with the service Ducara Info Solution. We leverage the benefits of the results and recommendations provided by Ducara’s experts.”