Why SAP Needs Specialized Penetration Testing
SAP systems run your most critical organization processes and store sensitive business data such as financial records, customer information, and supply chain details. This makes them a prime target for any malicious activity aiming to disrupt operations, exfiltrate data, or enable extortion.
However, SAP is not just another IT system. It’s highly complex. A proprietary platform that requires specialized expertise to be effectively secure. Standard security scans typically fail to uncover the real weaknesses that can compromise your SAP landscape if not properly assessed. Without a thorough, SAP-focused penetration test, you’re unknowingly leaving open doors that attackers could exploit without triggering alarms.
Understanding the SAP NetWeaver / S4 Attack Surface: ABAP vs. Java
SAP NetWeaver / S4 is the foundational technology platform that enables the integration and operation of various SAP applications across your organization. It provides a run-time environment and essential services for both business applications and system management.
NetWeaver / S4 is structured around two main stacks / technologies:
- ABAP Stack: Main and most important environment used in core SAP applications such as ERP / ECC, SRM and S/4HANA. It manages business logic, custom developments, workflows, and data handling. As a result, it exposes risks such as weak non-configured access control lists, poorly secured custom code, and missign authorization checks, all of which can be exploited to gain unauthorized access and control.
- Java Stack: This supports web-based applications and integrations. It is more exposed to conventional web threats, including insecure deserialization, misconfigured User Management Engine (UME), and accessible administrative interfaces. These flaws can enable privilege escalation, system compromise, or even cross-stack attacks.
The following graphic gives an overview of the components of SAP:
Source: SAP NetWeaver Application Server: Dual-Stack Installation.
By understanding and assessing both stacks, organizations can better protect the entire SAP landscape. Overlooking either side exposes critical gaps that attackers can exploit to penetrate, persist, and pivot within your business infrastructure.
How Vicxer Tests SAP Security: Modern Pentesting Approaches
Vicxer follows a well-known testing framework, the NIST SP 800115: Technical Guide to Information Security Testing and Assessment, and also incorporates the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES), a methodology endoresed by OWASP. PTES provides a structured approach to penetration testing, from pre-engagemnent planning to post-exploitation analysis, ensuring that every test is both comprehensive and aligned with industry expectations.
By combining NIST SP800-115 and PTES, Vicxer ensures a robust methodology specifically adapted to SAP systems. The testing includes:
- Finding exposed points: Checking for open communication channels and services on both ABAP and Java sides.
- Looking for weaknesses: Reviewing custom code, system updates, and security settings.
- Simulating attacks: Trying out real-world hacking techniques, such as injecting harmful code or exploiting known SAP flaws like the RECON vulnerability.
- After the attack: Translating technical vulnerabilities detected in your SAP environment into possible real impact of those attacks on your organization (if data could be stolen, permissions escalated, or if attackers could move between ABAP and Java parts).
This comprehensive approach balances technical rigor with practical flexibility, offering both manual and automated techniques tailored to reveals hidden entry points attackers can potentially exploit.
Spotlight on RECON: A Case Study in Critical SAP Vulnerabilities
One of the most striking examples is the RECON vulnerability (CVE-2020-6287), a severe flaw in SAP Java servers. RECON allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute OS commands simply by sending a crafted request, no passwords, no user accounts needed.
If exploited, an attacker could:
- Access and manipulate sensitive business data.
- Move laterally into connected ABAP systems.
- Disable logging to remain undetected.
- Disrupt essential business processes.
Organizations that have delayed patching RECON remain exposed to significant risks: data breaches, compliance violations, financial loss, and reputational damage. This vulnerability illustrates why timely patching and continuous security assessments are non-negotiable for SAP environments.
Why Specialized SAP Security Matters
SAP environments are complex and mission critical. They deserve more than generic security checks. Vulnerabilities such as RECON prove that attackers are already probing your defenses.
The time to act is now. Don’t wait for a breach to expose your business to financial, legal, and reputational damage.
Contact Vicxer today to schedule your SAP Penetration Test and keep your ERP systems safe from cyber threats.