MGID is a leading global advertising platform,
Enabling brands to reach targeted audiences with AI-driven ad placements. Known for its privacy-first approach, MGID serves over 200 billion ad impressions across 25,000 trusted publishers and reaches 900 million unique readers monthly.
With this massive scale comes an equally large attack surface. Handling vast amounts of data in a high-speed, complex infrastructure, MGID operates in one of the most targeted industries for cyber threats. The AdTech ecosystem is a prime target for:
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Data scraping and API abuse
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Ad fraud and malware injection
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Real-time bidding (RTB) exploits
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Privacy regulation non-compliance risks
To stay ahead of evolving threats, MGID needed a proactive security approach. Regular penetration testing (pentesting) became a critical part of their strategy to identify vulnerabilities before attackers could exploit them - ensuring data integrity, platform resilience, and regulatory compliance.
Problem Overview:
The Growing Security and Compliance Demands in AdTech
As MGID expanded into regulated industries such as banking and automotive, security expectations from enterprise clients increased significantly. Several key challenges emerged:
High Regulatory and Privacy Standards
Operating in strictly regulated industries meant adhering to GDPR, CCPA, and industry-specific compliance requirements.
Ensuring data protection, encryption, and secure API handling became a business necessity.
Rapid Development and Security Oversight
MGID’s various development teams continuously roll out new features, potentially introducing overlooked vulnerabilities.
Even with security embedded in development workflows, ensuring end-to-end protection required independent testing.
Reputation and Business Risks from Exposed Vulnerabilities
Security researchers had previously identified vulnerabilities, highlighting gaps in existing security measures.
Any critical exploit becoming public could severely impact client trust, business continuity, and revenue.
MGID recognized the need for a structured, proactive security approach to continuously identify, assess, and mitigate vulnerabilities.
Key Results:
Proactive Vulnerability Management
Identified and mitigated critical security gaps before they could be exploited.
Reduced risk exposure across MGID’s platform.
Lessons Learned
Security Must Be an Ongoing Commitment
Cyber threats evolve daily—pentesting must be continuous, not a one-time effort.
Enterprise Clients Expect Security Maturity
Regular pentesting and third-party validation are essential for securing high-value deals.
Proactive Security Drives Business Growth and Trust
Demonstrating cybersecurity resilience attracts premium clients and strengthens partnerships.
Enhanced Client Trust and Security Attestation
After successfully resolving all high-level vulnerabilities, Sekurno issued an Attestation Letter, validating MGID’s cybersecurity maturity.
This document became a key trust signal for enterprise clients, showcasing MGID’s commitment to security.
Security as a Competitive Advantage
MGID’s proactive security investments led to significant improvements in threat resilience:
Strengthening MGID’s Security and Reputation
Strengthened Reputation and Business Resilience
With a continuous security program in place, MGID bolstered trust among advertisers, publishers, and users.
Prevented potential security breaches, reducing risks to brand reputation and financial stability.
Solution: Partnering with Sekurno for a Comprehensive Penetration Testing Program
To meet strict security standards and demonstrate cybersecurity maturity, MGID partnered with Sekurno to establish a robust penetration testing strategy. This collaboration focused on white-box security testing, ensuring deep analysis of potential vulnerabilities beyond surface-level scans.
Sekurno’s Approach:
A Multi-Layered Testing Framework
Threat Modeling and Risk Assessment
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Custom threat modeling based on MGID’s infrastructure and business logic risks.
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Identified potential attack vectors, ensuring testing focused on high-impact areas.
Full-Scope Pentesting
(Web and API)
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200+ security controls tested from OWASP WSTG (Web Security Testing Guide).
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Examined authentication, authorization, session management, and cryptographic implementations.
Automated and Manual Security Testing
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Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) - Simulated real-world attacks to detect vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, authentication bypasses, and API misconfigurations.
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Static Application Security Testing (SAST) - Analyzed MGID’s source code for flaws such as hardcoded secrets, weak cryptography, and insecure logic.
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Manual Exploitation and Business Logic Testing – Identified complex attack scenarios, such as privilege escalation and API abuse.
Findings Presentation and Remediation Strategy
A detailed report was provided, covering:
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Identified vulnerabilities with exploit scenarios.
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Remediation strategies with prioritized fixes.
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Q&A sessions with MGID’s security and engineering teams to ensure understanding.
Follow-Up Testing and Validation
Sekurno conducted retesting after MGID implemented security fixes, ensuring issues were effectively mitigated.
Their expertise was evident in every aspect of the engagement.
Maksym Romanchuk - Information Security Architect at MGID Inc.
Conclusion: Why Continuous Security Testing is a Must for AdTech
For AdTech platforms like MGID, regular penetration testing is not just a security measure—it is a business enabler. By implementing continuous security assessments, MGID:
Identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
Ensures compliance with privacy regulations and industry security standards.
Builds trust with enterprise clients, publishers, and advertisers.
As cyber threats targeting AdTech continue to evolve, companies that prioritize proactive security will lead the industry.