Security Testing of a Whistleblowing Platform

Client:

Fraudline — a company specializing in ethical governance, corporate responsibility, and security solutions

Industry:

RegTech (Regulatory Technology)

Focus:

Protection of confidential information within a whistleblowing platform

Main challenge:

Conducting a security testing of the web platform and reviewing secure development practices as part of an annual audit

Market:

International segment

Services provided:

Gray-box pentest, audit of secure coding, review of business logic

Key Takeaways

Verified secure handling of sensitive reports and PII

Covered edge cases via manual testing of business logic

Identified 6 technical vulnerabilities: 5 low-risk and 1 informational

Used a custom Burp Suite extension for session handling

Prepared a technical report with recommendations and scheduled a retest

vulnerabilities identified

weeks — duration of the testing

Burp Suite

customized to fit project specifics

Security Testing of a Whistleblowing Platform

May 16, 2025

Is a pentest necessary if the system runs smoothly? Absolutely. A scheduled security testing for Fraudline revealed vulnerabilities in business logic and protection settings. Since the client regularly tests the platform, potential risks were identified in advance.

Fraudline is a mid-sized international company delivering solutions for ethical governance, compliance, and corporate security. Its products support whistleblowing processes in line with EU requirements.

Operating in regulated industries, the company adheres to standards such as GDPR, ISO 27001, ISO 37001, and EU Directive 2019/1937, making web platform security a top priority.

Objectives and challenges

Fraudline approached Datami to conduct a scheduled automated pentest of their web application. The primary goal was to assess the security level of the platform, which processes confidential whistleblowing reports, and to identify vulnerabilities that could pose risks to regulatory compliance or reputation.

Conduct an automated gray-box pentest of the web application
Review the approach to secure code development
Deliver a detailed report with security improvement recommendations

Penetration testing

Gray-box testing with admin and user accounts

Secure code audit

Review of policies, processes, and automated code checks

Reporting and recommendations

Report on identified issues and remediation recommendations

Datami methodology: Security testing for Fraudline

Our approach

For Fraudline, we conducted an automated gray-box penetration test. We used OWASP ZAP and Nessus, and to bypass non-standard authentication via HTTP headers, we developed and applied a custom Burp Suite extension.

Following the automated testing, the Datami team had additional time available — so we went beyond the contractual scope and provided extra value to the client. We performed manual analysis of business logic, focusing on areas such as password changes and file uploads.

Gray-box

Testing was conducted with admin and user roles, without access to the source code.

Key project stages and solutions

During the project, Datami performed automated security testing of the web platform and engineered a custom approach to handle non-standard client-side session management. In parallel, we conducted a review of secure development practices.

Additionally, after completing the automated scan, we performed manual business logic testing, focusing on password change functionality and file upload mechanisms.

Preparation

Analysis of initial data and access levels (user/admin), selection of testing tools, planning of test scenarios, creation of a custom extension for session handling in Burp Suite
Security testing

Automated pentest, analysis of secure development and function logic (password change form, file uploads)
Analysis and reporting

Structured report listing 6 vulnerabilities (low and informational severity), risk descriptions, and practical remediation recommendations

Fewer critical risks — more confidence

Results and recommendations

During the security testing of the Fraudline web platform, the Datami team identified 6 technical issues (5 low-severity vulnerabilities and 1 informational), primarily related to authorization logic and file upload functionality.

Based on the findings, we compiled a detailed report and provided Fraudline with actionable recommendations to enhance digital security:

Improve the password change mechanism (require current password input)
Implement file type filtering for uploads
Adjust the Content Security Policy
Strengthen privileged role controls

Once the recommendations are implemented, a reduction in data leakage risk is expected. A retest is planned to confirm the effectiveness of the improvements.

Key project outcomes

As a result of the collaboration with Datami, Fraudline received a structured security report and a clear improvement plan.

The project goals were achieved on time — within 2 weeks, including additional work such as manual business logic analysis.

This case demonstrates that companies focused on ethical compliance and information security require regular security testing to maintain compliance with industry standards.

Direction

Before the project

After implementation

Security status

Limited secure development review, logic-related risks

6 vulnerabilities identified, recommendations provided

Critical vulnerabilities

Not detected before testing

None found, but logic gaps in mechanisms were resolved

Account compromise

Risk for privileged roles

Risk minimized through function restrictions

Security compliance

Partial alignment with expectations

Increased transparency and functional security

Timeline

Estimated: 2 weeks

Completed in 2 weeks (including additional manual logic analysis)

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