Cybersecurity Test Reveals Vulnerabilities in Service Booking Platform, Exposing Customer Contact Information

The Challenge

MapleWay Services, a mid-sized Canadian home services provider, recently migrated its appointment booking system to a cloud-based platform to streamline operations across multiple locations. The platform promised ease of use, fast customer scheduling, and centralized management for the growing business. Confident in their choice, MapleWay executives assumed the system's security measures were sufficient and scheduled a routine penetration test as part of their annual IT audit.

During the assessment, critical API vulnerabilities were discovered, allowing unauthenticated users to access customer records, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses. The platform lacked robust rate-limiting, had inconsistent input validation, and the internal SOC was not configured to flag anomalous activity. While no payment data was exposed, these weaknesses left customer information vulnerable to phishing, social engineering, and identity fraud.

The assessment also revealed organizational gaps. IT staff had relied heavily on the vendor’s default security settings without independent verification, and internal policies governing secure API design and SOC monitoring were insufficiently documented.

Our Solution

We provided a Technical Security and Testing engagement that included:
– Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment: Automated and manual testing of web applications, APIs, and database connections to identify exploitable weaknesses.
– Immediate Remediation Guidance: Recommendations for API authentication, input validation, rate-limiting, and SOC alerting improvements.
– Policy and Procedure Enhancement: Documentation of secure coding practices, internal data access controls, and a regular vulnerability testing schedule.
– Third-Party Oversight: Review of cloud platform security practices and contractual obligations to ensure compliance with PIPEDA and Canadian cybersecurity standards.

This approach combined technical testing, policy improvements, and governance oversight to address MapleWay Services’ cybersecurity gaps comprehensively.

The Value

MapleWay Services realized several key benefits from the engagement:
– Mitigation of Immediate Risks: Critical vulnerabilities were closed, preventing unauthorized access to customer information.
– Enhanced Regulatory Compliance: Alignment with PIPEDA and Canadian privacy and cybersecurity laws reduced the risk of regulatory penalties.
– Operational Confidence: Strengthened SOC monitoring and documented internal policies improved incident detection and response capabilities.
– Customer Trust Protection: Proactive safeguards and transparency reinforced the company’s commitment to data privacy and minimized potential reputational damage.

Where measurable, 100% of identified critical API vulnerabilities were remediated, and SOC alerting coverage for anomalous API activity increased from 0% to 95%.

Implementation Roadmap

1. Assessment Phase: Conducted a full penetration test of the booking platform, including API endpoints, databases, and web applications.
2. Analysis Phase: Identified critical vulnerabilities, SOC monitoring gaps, and policy deficiencies.
3. Remediation Phase: Implemented API authentication, input validation, and rate-limiting controls; configured SOC alerts for anomalous access.
4. Policy Update Phase: Developed internal procedures for secure coding, data access controls, and quarterly vulnerability testing.
5. Third-Party Verification: Reviewed cloud vendor security compliance and updated contractual obligations for data protection.
6. Value Realization: Reduced risk of unauthorized data access, improved regulatory alignment, enhanced SOC monitoring, and strengthened customer trust.