What makes Security Testing Important?

As technology continues to ingrain itself into nearly all aspects of everyday life, the threat of data being hacked — becomes more and more real. Therefore security testing is a priority in any Software Development Life Cycle(SDLC), irrespective of the methodology employed.Security breaches can lead to a business debacle resulting in lost customers, damaged reputation and high costs of legal and recovery processes.

Every new technology or development is a gateway to cybercrime. Cybercrime is a continually increasing reality. Cyber-attacks are mounting rapidly in scope and frequency across the globe. Though there’s no end to the means by which someone can launch a cyber-attack, and more ways are being found, the most common types of cyber-attacks are as follows:

• Malware: It is a variety of cyber threats including trojans, viruses, and worms which can be introduced to a system through software downloads, operating system vulnerabilities, email attachments etc.
• Phishing: Attacks are sent via email which may include a link that will guide the user to a dummy site designed to steal a user’s information and personal data.
• SQL Injection: It works by exploiting known SQL vulnerabilities that allow the SQL server to run malicious code to access user information.
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): One of the most common ways an attacker can deploy a cross-site scripting attack is by injecting malicious code into a comment or a script that could run automatically and significantly damage the website by placing the users’ information at risk.
• Session Hijacking and Man-in-the-Middle Attack: An attacker can hijack the session by capturing the session ID, allowing them to log in as an unsuspicious user and gain access to the information on the web server.
• Denial-of-Service (DoS): Disrupting the service to a network, attackers send high volumes of data or traffic through the network until it becomes overloaded and stops functioning.

Cyber security is the need of the hour since hackers have raised their arsenal to breach your personal information. It is imperative to know that cyber-attacks can occur in different forms, thereby, impacting both small and large businesses. Businesses today look for solution providers who can anticipate customer security needs and provide an enriching experience with utmost quality.

What is security testing?

Security testing can be described as a type of software testing that’s deployed to identify vulnerabilities that could potentially allow a malicious attack. By engaging in this activity, security teams can uncover all loopholes in the system to prevent the loss of information, revenue, and a negative impact on brand value.

The primary objective here is to detect all possible risks before the software is integrated into enterprise infrastructure. This approach also provides developers with ample time to fix these problems before it becomes a significant security incident.

Focus Areas in Security Testing:

There are four main focus areas to be considered in security testing (Especially for web sites/applications):

• Network security: This involves looking for vulnerabilities in the network infrastructure (resources and policies).
• System software security: This involves assessing weaknesses in the various software (operating system, database system, and other software) the application depends on.
• Client-side application security: This deals with ensuring that the client (browser or any such tool) cannot be manipulated.
• Server-side application security: This involves making sure that the server code and its technologies are robust enough to fend off any intrusion.

Types of Security Testing:

There are different types of security testing as per Open Source Security Testing methodology manual. They are explained as follows:

• Vulnerability Scanning: This is done through automated software to scan a system against known vulnerability signatures.
• Risk Assessment: This testing involves analysis of security risks observed in the organisation . Risks are classified as Low, Medium and High. This testing recommends controls and measures to reduce the risk.
• Ethical hacking: It’s hacking an Organisation Software systems. Unlike malicious hackers, who steal for their own gains, the intent is to expose security flaws in the system.
• Security Scanning: It involves identifying network and system weaknesses, and later provides solutions for reducing these risks. This scanning can be performed for both Manual and Automated scanning.
• Security Auditing: This is an internal inspection of Applications and Operating systems for security flaws. An audit can also be done via line by line inspection of code
• Penetration testing: This kind of testing simulates an attack from a malicious hacker. This testing involves analysis of a particular system to check for potential vulnerabilities to an external hacking attempt.
• Posture Assessment: This combines Security scanning, Ethical Hacking and Risk Assessments to show an overall security posture of an organisation .

In Conclusion

What most organisations are lack today in is a team that can completely focus on performing security testing. Due to this, a lot of applications are launched in the market are becoming the victims of hackers. The Security Testing services provided by GRhombus comprise an in-depth security analysis maintained by reports and dashboards. GRhombus also has exceptional expertise in Security Testing for mobile applications, web applications, web services, and software products, both over the cloud, as well as on premise.

At GRhombus, we just don’t identify potential vulnerabilities in your application and network but also provide insights to act on security vulnerabilities before attackers exploit. With our software testing expertise, we ensure that our clients are always delighted. Contact us to know more about our pilot offer.