Cybersecurity: Understanding Security Challenges and Protecting Your Drupal Solution

Why is web security such a major issue?

Every day, more than 1,050 websites are hacked in France (2022). The consequences can be serious:

• Theft of sensitive data: customer information, banking data, confidential documents, leading to identity theft and fraudulent payments.
• Compromise of resources: the attacker changes content to relay a political message, discredit the site owner, claim responsibility for the attack, etc.
• Loss of user trust.
• Interruption of the attacked service.

Main threats to your Drupal site

• SQL Injection: A technique that allows an attacker to execute malicious code on the database to retrieve, modify, or delete sensitive information.
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): An attack that injects malicious code into a site's pages to steal information or compromise the user experience.
• Brute-force attacks: A method where hackers try numerous password combinations until they find the correct one, thus compromising site access.
• Denial of Service (DDoS): An attack that floods a site with massive traffic, making it inaccessible to legitimate users.
• Cross-Site Request Forgery: An attack that tricks a user into unknowingly performing actions on a third-party application where they are authenticated. This happens when browsing a malicious site that sends requests to a trusted but CSRF-vulnerable site.
• Phishing and identity theft: Attacks that aim to deceive administrators or users into providing sensitive information through emails or fake login interfaces.

These threats are constantly evolving. They require ongoing vigilance and multi-level solutions to ensure effective protection.

How to protect yourself: a multidimensional approach

Security by design: Integrate cybersecurity from the very start of site development by analyzing risks and applying best practices end to end. 

Client-side integrity: A web application interacts with many external resources (third-party scripts, APIs, browsers). It is therefore necessary to protect users against potential malicious modification of these resources, notably by controlling permissions and applying strict security policies.

Secure hosting infrastructure: Beyond Drupal itself, the server and network must be secured, particularly through encrypted communications, strict access controls, stringent permission management, and the implementation of active monitoring.

Upstream monitoring and detection: Beyond prevention, it is important to implement regular audits, monitoring mechanisms, and alert systems to quickly identify and respond to threats in case of attack.

Your digital tools are built on Drupal? Good job! You’ve chosen a CMS recognized as one of the most secure on the market. Unlike other platforms, Drupal benefits from a large, highly active community and a dedicated security team that regularly releases patches and updates. You can therefore rely on:

• A rigorous update cycle with official security alerts.
• Advanced management of permissions and user roles.
• Native protection against certain attacks, particularly thanks to its robust and modular structure.

Unfortunately, even a secure CMS like Drupal is not enough.

Securing the Infrastructure

The security of the hosting infrastructure is a fundamental aspect of cybersecurity. In our case, our hosting is based on a highly secure environment, designed to efficiently protect the sites we manage. Our servers are equipped with advanced firewalls and benefit from round-the-clock monitoring, enabling us to detect and neutralize any suspicious activity in real time. Automatic backups are performed regularly to ensure quick restoration in case of an incident, and each project is isolated in a dedicated environment to limit the risk of cross-contamination. 

The Drupal Application

Following a 'Security by Design' approach, we are currently strengthening the security of our entire development and deployment chain. In fact, our partner Potech, a cybersecurity expert, is currently auditing our installation profile to guarantee a sound development base that complies with all security principles.

During our development, we also rely on several Drupal modules to enhance security:

• Password Policy enforces strict rules on password creation and management, thus reducing the risks associated with weak credentials.
• Rename Admin Paths makes it possible to hide the administration login URL, making brute force attack attempts more difficult.
• reCAPTCHA and Honeypot block automated bot submissions, thereby reducing spam and malicious attacks on forms.
• Security Kit improves protection against XSS, CSRF, and other common vulnerabilities by strengthening security HTTP headers.
• Security Review performs an automatic audit of the site to detect potential vulnerabilities and recommendations to follow.
• Paranoia limits the execution of certain dangerous actions to prevent the exploitation of potential vulnerabilities.

Additionally, we rigorously apply Drupal security recommendations as well as those from the ANSSI (National Agency for the Security of Information Systems) to ensure development in line with best practices.

For secure access management, we use tools such as Paste Safe and Bitwarden, which enable encrypted storage and sharing of credentials, thus minimizing the risk of sensitive information leaks.

Raising awareness and providing ongoing training to our teams is another pillar of our approach. Our cybersecurity officer ensures their continued skill development in cybersecurity, enabling them to adopt best practices and anticipate emerging threats.

Monitoring and Response

We recommend implementing monitoring and remediation measures for security issues as a preventive step.

First, through preventive maintenance, which plays a key role in protection against cyberattacks. Known security vulnerabilities are often exploited on sites that have not been updated, which is why we apply monthly updates to the Drupal core and modules. Constant monitoring allows us to identify emerging vulnerabilities and act quickly in the event of a threat or suspected intrusion.

Next, in line with an approach of active and continuous monitoring, we now offer our clients the Darkivore solution, an advanced technology capable of detecting and neutralizing external threats. Darkivore provides continuous monitoring of the web, deep web and dark web, enabling rapid identification of:

• Leaks of sensitive data that could impact your business.
• Identity theft and phishing attempts targeting your users or administrators.
• Suspicious activities and emerging threats before they become actual attacks.

Finally, rather than waiting for a vulnerability to be exploited, we offer penetration tests to assess the resilience of the sites we develop.

We simulate cyberattacks on your digital tool to identify and fix potential vulnerabilities before they are exploited by hackers. Once flaws are detected, we apply appropriate patches to make your site even more resistant to attacks.

Cybersecurity is a crucial issue for any company with a web application. Protecting your Drupal project requires a comprehensive approach, combining technical expertise, a "Security by Design" strategy, and proactive monitoring.

Do you want to strengthen the security of your Drupal site? Contact us now for an audit or personalized support. Our team is ready to help you secure your project and ensure its sustainability in the face of cyber threats.