BreakPoint Labs (BPL) was engaged by a major research university to conduct a comprehensive supply chain and partner security assessment, evaluating the risks and potential attack paths between the university’s IT environment and a local partner institution. Both organizations had established a trusted working relationship over many years, sharing IT resources, accounts, applications, and network access across their interconnected environments.
That trust, while operationally rational, had quietly reduced the security controls enforced between the two entities. When BPL’s assessment team simulated the attack paths an adversary could take by exploiting that trusted boundary, the findings were significant. A compromise on one side created a near-direct path into the other.
This case study documents the challenge, methodology, findings, and outcomes of that assessment.
BreakPoint Labs partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to assess the cybersecurity posture of a large Northeastern hospital. The goal was to test its ability to withstand real-world attacks and protect patient data.
BPL’s testing revealed a mix of strengths and vulnerabilities, including strong firewalls and staff awareness along with authentication flaws and configuration gaps. All OIG recommendations based on BPL’s findings were accepted and implemented, resulting in stronger defenses and safer patient data.
Read the full case study to see how BreakPoint Labs helped close critical cyber gaps in healthcare security.
BreakPoint Labs (BPL) recently collaborated with a hospital and one of their local healthcare clinic partners to assess the risks and potential attack surface between the two interconnected IT networks. The assessment revealed critical vulnerabilities due to reduced security measures, as an established trust between the entities had lowered best security practices in some areas. This case study highlights the findings, outcomes, and benefits of this collaborative security assessment and demonstrates how attack vectors can exist between trusted partners.
The hospital and its local clinic partner acknowledged the necessity of identifying potential attack vectors through a penetration test. In response, they engaged BreakPoint Labs to perform a thorough assessment of its IT supply chain workflows and overall cybersecurity. The main objective was to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited due to the trust and shared IT resources between the two entities while also developing strategies to mitigate these risks.
