What is Security Testing?
Security testing is an integral software testing technique implemented to validate an application, system, network, etc. For security threats or vulnerabilities. This testing method is significantly helpful in improving a business’s security posture and ensures that they are protected from all kinds of cyber threats. The implementation of security testing also helps guarantee that the business application or system is safe from weaknesses or loopholes that hackers could exploit. The fundamental concepts in security testing include Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability, Authenticity, Authorization, Non-repudiation, and Resilience.
Why Do Businesses Need Security Testing?
Integrating a robust security testing process is critical because it helps identify security vulnerabilities and potential exploits and ensures the development of a high-quality, secure software solution. Here’s why implementing security testing is of the essence for businesses:
1. Helps Pinpoint Hidden Defects
With the effective implementation of security testing, uncovering hidden flaws or vulnerabilities becomes significantly easier. If left undetected, hackers can exploit these weaknesses or loopholes.
2. Ensures Confidential Data Security
In this digital age, ensuring customer and business-sensitive data is secure from all threats and dangers is crucial. Security testing precisely fulfills this requirement, guaranteeing all confidential data remains safe.
3. Guarantees Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory laws call for businesses to secure sensitive consumer data and take strict measures to avoid data breaches. Consequently, security testing helps ensure the application or system complies with regulatory standards.
4. Defends IT Infrastructure
Security testing is exponentially helpful in defending the business’s IT infrastructure and overall framework from anonymous threats and attacks with malicious purposes.
5. Reduces Software/Network Downtime
Cyberattacks are prone to impacting the software product or network, resulting in downtime. This can also lead to interrupting regular business activities and a discomforting user experience. Security testing helps protect the software from these attacks, thus reducing or altogether eliminating downtime.
6. Protects Business Repute
A cyberattack can severely affect a business’s reputation and impact its bottom line. By leveraging security testing effectively, damage to reputation and economics can be avoided.
Cyberattacks in 2022: Signifying the Need for Robust Security Testing
In November 2022, the Costa Rican government was the victim of numerous ransomware attacks on its critical systems in an attempt to overthrow the government; this attack significantly affected its tax and customs systems, leading to import and export collapse. The attacker collective also published 50% of the stolen data during these attacks.
Medibank, an Australian health insurance corporation, suffered a massive data breach in October 2022. This breach exposed the confidential information of approximately 9.7 million consumers, including their names, addresses, dates of birth, contact information, and medical history.
In September 2022, Uber experienced a data breach conducted by a malicious attacker collective that gained access through a compromised third-party vendor, exposing the personal information of over 77 million users and drivers, including credentials and important particulars.
These incidents and similar occurrences underscore the significance of robust security testing and why it’s of utmost necessity for businesses.
Different Types of Cyber Threats Businesses Must Know
Given the growing number of cyberattacks, businesses need to know about the different types of attacks that hackers are capable of initiating. These are outlined below:
1. SQL Injection
This attack involves hacking database-driven applications or software utilizing dynamic SQL. To execute this technique, threat actors inject malicious SQL code into the entry field.
2. Malware Attacks
To execute this attack, hackers install malicious software, or malware, on the system. This can take various forms to compromise the victim’s data, disrupt system functionality, or gain unauthorized access.
3. Phishing and Spear Phishing
This cyberattack involves hackers sending emails appearing to be from genuine sources, asking for personal information, or influencing the reader to perform any action.
4. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack
In this breach, the perpetrator intercepts and alters the communication between two parties without them knowing. This allows them to intrude on their communication, manipulate data exchange, or mimic one or both participants.
5. Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack
In this hack, the perpetrator attempts to overwhelm the victim’s system or network, thus shutting it down for its intended users.
6. Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack
This cyberattack involves hackers flooding an entire organization’s system or servers with fake or bot users, intending to disrupt the normal functioning of a system and interrupt the communication channel.
7. Password Attack
A password attack is among the most common types of cyberattacks, where the attacker uses various techniques to steal passwords. These techniques involve sniffing, keylogging, dictionary attacks, and phishing.
8. Botnet
A botnet is a network of compromised and malware-infected computers or devices managed by a single attacker entity, known as the bot herders. These ‘bots’ can collectively perform malicious activities, such as initiating coordinated assaults, spreading malware, sending spam emails, and carrying out distributed denial-of-service operations.
9. IP Spoofing
IP spoofing is a technique where the attacker modifies the ID address in the packet header to deceive the receiving computer system into thinking that it is from a trusted or legitimate source. This facilitates unauthorized access, data manipulation, or other malicious activities.
10. Session Hijacking
In a session hijacking attack, a user in session can be hijacked by the attacker, gaining the actor access to their account or sensitive data.
11. Ransomware
A ransomware attack involves the cybercriminal encrypting the files on a victim’s computer or network, rendering them inaccessible. The attackers then demand a heavy ransom to decode it.
As is evident, there are numerous types of cyberattacks in this digitally evolving world. To ensure the software product is safe and secure from such threats and attacks, performing robust security testing becomes indispensable.
What are the Various Security Testing Methods?
Businesses can leverage various security testing methods to perform effective security testing and guarantee the software’s optimal security. These methods include the following:
1. Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
SAST is a white-box security testing method where the tester examines the software source code to scope out security defects. Leveraging this security testing method identifies and addresses any defects and flaws efficiently.
2. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
DAST is a black-box testing technique, which means it is focused on software functionality rather than internal structure or code. By implementing this technique, it becomes easy to identify vulnerabilities that may be exploited by cybercriminals if left undetected.
3. Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)
This testing technique involves the use of specialized software tools to validate applications in real-time. Implementing IAST helps businesses identify and remediate security risks and issues that may arise during the actual execution of the software.
4. Red Team Assessment
Expanding upon penetration testing, this technique involves an organization’s internal or external team of security experts simulating real-time cyberattacks on the organization. This helps determine an organization’s overall capabilities for safeguarding itself from cyberattacks, thereby improving its security posture.
5. Risk-based Testing
Risk-based testing involves the security testing team assessing various software features and functions to identify and prioritize potential software risks based on a perceived risk of failure and the importance of each component. This allows businesses to allocate resources more efficiently and ensure that testing efforts are focused on areas with a higher risk of failure.
6. Penetration Testing
In this method, an authorized ethical hacker simulates cyberattacks to identify potential areas of vulnerability in the software.
Who Performs Security Testing?
Security testing is performed by security professionals with extensive experience in the field of cybersecurity. The specific roles and responsibilities can vary depending on the organization’s size, structure, and industry. These professionals typically include testers, such as penetration testers, security audit teams, security test engineers, security analysts, etc. These testers are crucial to ensuring a software product’s security.
How Can We Help?
JigNect Technologies Pvt. Ltd., with its extensive amount of experience in the field, is capable of providing businesses with exceptional security testing services. Leveraging our expertise, we ensure that your software product is free from any vulnerabilities or weaknesses, elevating software quality and contributing to your market success. We are a pioneer in the field of security testing, with a stringent emphasis on quality and dedication to our clients. Consider reaching out to JigNect Technologies for your testing requirements today.
