The technological advancement in the IT industry also enhances the risk of security breaches, making it essential for enterprises to undergo security testing services. Due to the pandemic, most businesses shifted online that made them focus on security due to higher security risks nowadays. Security testing plays a crucial role in data security and protecting the privacy of your business. The cyber attackers leverage technology advancements to enact vicious attacks.
As a business owner, you can’t be lenient about the security of your website/app. If your app isn’t hacked till date, that doesn’t mean it can’t be breached in future, and for this, you have to be prepared for any issues and attacks. Security testing is one of the most common practices conducted by organizations to find the bugs and fix them before it comes under the attacker’s radar.
According to Statista
- Over half of all internet users worldwide have been victims of cybercrime at some point in their lives.
- According to poll data from November 15 to December 7, 2021, internet users in India were the most likely to be victims of cybercrime, with 76% claiming to have ever encountered cybercrime.
- Internet users in Brazil came in second, with 69% of US respondents reporting being victims of online fraud.
- Over 24,000 cyber security incidents occurred worldwide between November 2020 and October 2021.
- In total, 2,065 occurrences were discovered in small businesses.
- With 3,566 and 2,792 recorded instances, the professional and public administration sectors were the most targeted.
Common sorts of cybercrime include interactions with malicious software on digital devices or unlawful access to social media and e-mail accounts.
What Does Security Testing Mean?
Security testing is a form of software testing that identifies loopholes and bottlenecks in the system and ensures that the data is protected from hackers. This testing allows you to counter vulnerabilities in your application that attackers may exploit; it is carried out periodically to maintain the integrity of the application. Security testing also automates peculiar tasks, counters issues and bottlenecks that might be tough to find in manual analysis techniques and enhances testing efficiency.
Reasons Why Security Testing Is Essential For Your App
Risk Management
Often unnoticed and untreated vulnerabilities and flaws have the potential to become serious dangers for your app. Security testing can assist your organization in defending against such vulnerabilities and preventing threats. This testing must be completed before hackers become acquainted with your programme and exploit its flaws. Furthermore, security testing is critical whether you employ outsourced or cloud-based third-party applications.
Cost Reduction
We’ve all heard the term “prevention is better than cure.” Considering this, employing Security Testing can help you save a lot of money on the costs of recovery and remediation after a breach. The cost may also include purchasing tools/technologies such as vulnerability scanners, which is a fraction of the costs associated with breach recovery.
Regulatory compliance and laws
Regulatory requirements such as HIPPA, GDPR, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and others require firms to conduct mandated testing and audits of their security devices regularly. As a result, firms must comply with regulatory compliance and security requirements in order to maintain unbreachable security and avoid expensive fines. Companies that fail to comply regulatory compliance and laws, face hefty punitive penalties.
Customer’s Trust
Another significant reason to conduct security testing is to ensure consumer trust. Preserving your business’ reputation and retaining your consumer base is critical, and security testing plays a significant role in this. Not only is security testing frequently required for accreditation and certification, but it also assures that your firm has a sound security system that helps gain and maintain client base, along with, customer trust.
Peace of Mind
Another perk of security testing is that it provides peace of mind by ensuring that your apps, systems, and infrastructure have been thoroughly tested for vulnerabilities. Working with a security test team and carrying out these duties can aid in securing your company and customers’ data.
Reduced Downtime
In today’s world, time is money as any network or application outage can result in lost productivity and availability, costing businesses millions of dollars. As a result, security testing is critical in detecting problems in the application and network that can cause downtime.
Types of Security Testing
- Vulnerability Scanning: It is carried out using automated tools to scan a system for vulnerabilities.
- Penetration Testing: This type of security testing simulates a malevolent hacker’s attack. It entails examining a specific system for potential vulnerabilities caused by hacking.
- Security Scanning: This entails discovering network and system flaws and then providing appropriate solutions to mitigate these risks. Security scanning can be done both manually and automatically.
- Ethical Hacking: As the name implies, it is a legitimate hacking of the company’s software system. Unlike fraudulent hackers who steal for personal gain, this type of hacking is performed to identify any security holes in the system.
- Risk Assessment: It entails analyzing various security hazards that may develop within the organization. This form of testing focuses on reducing hazards. Here, hazards are classified as low, medium, or high.
- Security Auditing: It is an internal examination of apps and operating systems to detect security issues.
- Posture Assessment: It combines risk assessment, security scanning, and ethical hacking to provide a comprehensive security picture of the firm.
Also Read: How Does Defect/Bug Life Cycle Work in Software Testing?
Figure Out Hidden Issues & Weaknesses
Finding ways to undermine the security of your applications and infrastructure is one of the most effective ways to test their security. Businesses typically perform security testing after installing new apps and infrastructure to ensure that the system does not contain code faults, software bugs, or service configuration errors that could allow cyber-attacks to impact the system.
Penetration testing effectively assesses the system’s capability and the extent to which it can withstand external cyber-attacks. The test is executed in the similar way how hackers attack the system’s loopholes.
Keep An Eye On Changing Infra
Organizations frequently introduce new components (server, app, device, etc.) as per the changes in business requirements or while ramping up our security posture. Which may work independently or integrate with existing infrastructure components. This change in infrastructure may expose the system to new cyber hazards and open up new pathways for attackers to breach our defences. As a result, regular assessment in the form of security testing keeps newly introduced risks visible and under control.
New Vulnerabilities Surfacing Everyday
Irrespective of your company’s size, you must opt for Security Testing as it also prevents the downfall of the business. With the help of security testing, it is possible to find areas for refinements that can help in enhancing efficiency and shorten downtime. The best way to safeguard the business is to find the right security mechanism, which you can achieve by doing a posture assessment and comparing the same business and legal justifications. Security testing must be carried out by trained professionals by using the latest tools that don’t leave any loopholes and vulnerabilities in your app.
DevOps To DevSecOps
The release cycle in organizations has been substantially decreased due to the advancements and how businesses must deal with new developments. In a short period of time, new functions, features, and capabilities are being introduced. Still, while implementing DevSecOps, we must incorporate security into the rapid-release cycles. Security testing is essential at various stages of the project lifecycle to decrease manual errors and eliminate vulnerabilities.
Regulatory & Contractual Requirements
Cyber security is not just confined to business risk; it’s even becoming a national threat. Numerous regulatory guidelines or security frameworks are making it compulsory to carry out security testing of internet-exposed infra. It is crucial to know and follow the security guidelines that are mandated by the paramount regulators and security standards. Especially in healthcare, technical and financial sectors, compliance with regulations is important to avoid the hefty fines imposed by the authorities. Also, with the rising supply chain attacks, business partners are making this security requirement part of their contracts.
It’s Business Enabler
Safeguarding your clientele, partner, or user data is the chief responsibility of any organization. Once you develop the trust with the stakeholders that their data is secure with you, they’ll easily connect with your company. Regular security test exercises convey that you take the security of the client’s data seriously. It also develops a trust factor and helps you to build a good reputation in the market and gain more clients.
Long-Term Investment
Spending money on cybersecurity testing is not a preference of startups or most businesses as they believe it will repeatedly cost them a lot of money. However, many are unaware that the expense of security testing is significantly less than the value it produces. You may pay a few dollars today, but it will protect the systems that will save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
No More Network Downtime
Many firms conduct cybersecurity testing yearly to verify that there is no network outage. If your company’s network goes down, it can cost you far more than you anticipated. In this instance, penetration testing professionals can assist you in determining which security solutions are appropriate for your company.
Facts About Security Testing
- Irrespective of your company’s size, you must opt for Security Testing as it prevents the downfall of the business.
- With the help of security testing, it is possible to find areas for refinements that can help in enhancing efficiency and shorten downtime.
- The best way to safeguard the business is to find the right security mechanism, which you can achieve by doing a posture assessment.
- Buying software and hardware for security is sound if the organization carefully understands the security concerns first and then applies the measures.
- Security testing must be carried out by trained professionals by using the latest tools that don’t allow any loopholes and vulnerabilities in your app.
Final Thoughts
Security testing is critical for every organization to guarantee that apps run properly and their data is secure. While performing security testing, a tester assumes the role of a hacker and then explores the system for potential security vulnerabilities. Security testing is crucial for all businesses, as protecting data at all costs is extremely important. The process of conducting tests must be continuous, and organizations must proactively and consistently focus on improving it with the help of high-end security processes and infrastructure.
If you want to improve security for your business but don’t have the in-house skillset to perform regular security testing for your environment, a quick Google search for top cybersecurity companies, VAPT, or Penetration Testing in your region will bring up a few cybersecurity experts who can help you save your company from any malicious attack.
