Just as security is a top concern for software development, your organization needs a strong quality assurance specialist with testing strategies to ensure that you're using good software. Does your organization have the IT expertise for security testing? Today, we're sharing three of the most important security testing strategies that your teams should understand to protect your organization.
Risk-Based Testing
Test cases are prioritized based on the risks of the features. In theory you can never test every nook and cranny of the software, so this testing strategy takes the infinite number of possible tests and has the goal of defining the most important, ranking them, and focusing on that code and those areas that are critical. When teams think security testing, they may think that it means learning to utilize the latest security tools added to the software. Relying on one given tool, however, can lead to vulnerabilities. Instead, teams need to analyze their tests and follow the strategy as defined by risk-based analysis.
Vulnerability Assessment
The goal for testing here is to identify weaknesses in the code, and then determine if attacks are possible. The majority of this testing work should be carried out by automated software testing tools, with manual tests used for supplemental support. The deliverable of the assessment is a prioritized list of discovered vulnerabilities.
Penetration Testing
When teams have identified vulnerabilities, the next step is to determine how harmful the attack may be. Testers then simulate a breach and prove that the software is at its desired security posture. A penetration test will deliver how security could be breached and lead to a plan for prevention. Penetration testing is ethical hacking with the desired outcome of protection and correction.
Quality software testing requires that today’s analysts must think like cybercriminals and data thieves, probing for weaknesses. Using the three above testing strategies can help achieve this goal and support the goals of secured software. Strong testing is just one step in securing your software against cyber criminals.
Have questions, need help with IT expertise, or implementation? We invite you to get in touch!
