Contents 1. Banking App Testing Challenges
2. Security is Critical
3. Complex Data
4. Omni-Channel Banking
5. Performance Failures
6. Integration with Programs
7. Usability testing
8. Real-time Activities
9. Internet Connections and Browsers
10. Time to Market
11. Devices
12. Security
13. Mobile Environmental Factors
14. Privacy
15. Conclusion

The banking domain has become multifarious with ever-changing and cutting-edge technology. With complex functionalities tangled into the banking applications, it is considered to be the most advanced and complicated enterprise solution. The day-to-day transactions made via banking applications call for high scalability, reliability, and precision in terms of data. Therefore, it is imperative to test banking applications under various set-ups. An adept test strategy for banking applications should comprise of Mobile, Cloud, Internet, and various other features linked to a banking application.

What are the characteristics of a banking app?
– Banking applications should be able to integrate with several other applications such as billing apps, credit cards, trading accounts, etc. – The apps should be able to navigate fast and help to process secured transactions – When a number of users use the application, it should be able to support all users with flawless performance – The app should be able to handle any complicate workflows – The storage capacity of the banking apps should be more – The app must be user-friendly and support the users on all devices and across their platforms – The app should have a high auditing capability to troubleshoot the customer issues – There should be a fool-proof disaster management recovery to protect users from unfair practices – The app should support service sectors such as for loans, retail, etc. and provide the scope to perform payments through multiple gateways

As a various number of banking transactions happen each day, these applications need to deliver a high performance that meets customer needs. Besides this, the banking sector needs robust reporting in order to monitor and record transaction and user interactions instantly. To ensure that the banking applications are performing efficiently well, testing is essential. However, there are numerous challenges from the testing point of view that need to be addressed. In this article, we have highlighted key challenges that are faced while testing any banking application.

Banking App Testing Challenges

Security is Critical

Banking applications are overloaded with private customer information and data. Therefore, it is essential to ensure security at all levels in an online application. However, security testing becomes quite challenging, especially when there is a variation in the network and operating system across various devices. A banking application must be compatible with all versions, operating systems, and devices etc. Security testing of banking applications is a must, and should adhere to all applicable security standards.

The bank should ensure that all access validation codes and one-time passwords work properly. To ensure that the software doesn’t have any defects or faults, a QA team needs to validate both positive as well as negative sides of the system, reporting it before any unauthorized access occurs.

Complex Data

One of the major challenges that become difficult to address while testing a banking application is the complexity of the data. Banking applications contain all sorts of private information, data, passwords, and assets of the customers stored in their back-end. It is imperative to ensure that the back-end databases are not affected by any malware and that the data within is protected.

A bank certainly needs to have an automation tool to check database connectivity and logical functions continuously. It is beneficial if this is done over a virtual private network (i.e. a VPN) in order to ensure safety across its private data.

Omni-Channel Banking

Omni-channel banking or the branchless banking is the modern concept where the financial markets are functioning without a need of any branch. And, this is a great challenge to the teams for understanding its end-to-end functionality and efficiency in mobile applications.

Performance Failures

Performance levels consist of infrastructure, connectivity, and back-end integration. The transactions happening through the application should be administered at regular interims. Moreover, load and stress tests should frequently be performed to ensure multiple support for transactions at the same time.

Integration with Programs

Banking apps should have the ability to integrate with the programs that are used by users. Also, the applications should be capable to handle every complex workflow without any hurdles and troubles. While integrating with any third-party websites, there is much scope to get bugs and issues, hence the QA teams have to be cautious to deal with issues related to bugs and incompatibility.

Usability testing

Banking apps are being accessed by wide number of people but not every person is having with the technical skills to perform banking tasks with ease. The banking should be user-friendly so that everyone can easily access it, if not these can lead disinterest among the people who are unable to use it with ease. Hence, the app has to be tested across different groups of customers.

Real-time Activities

Banking applications need to provide real-time updates on the transactions to the customers as well as the back-end. It is important that the functionality of the application is continuously managed and identified by the testing teams. If there are any network connectivity issues that can hamper the real-time updates of the transactions, the teams should ensure proper testing of the application for any response delay.

Internet Connections and Browsers

User may login the app by using various devices, different browsers and from different internet connections. If the app fails to respond in any of the scenario then this can create a negative impact. Hence, to avoid such situations, teams have to check the performance of the app across all internet connections and browsers.

Time to Market

The addition of new features is a way to attract more customers, but with reduced time to market, there is a pressure that causes testing teams to cut short the testing cycles.

Devices

The present market is having a multitude of devices. If any of the devices is not considered, then this may be a big drawback and can create complexities. Hence, while testing the applications, it is necessary to consider every device across networks and platforms.

Security

Security is an important challenge for the banking sector. When planning for security testing, it is essential to consider all security standards in accordance with mobile devices, networks, operating systems, and platforms.

Mobile Environmental Factors

There are several mobile environmental factors that can affect the behaviour of the mobile bank application. The app can get affected by the background applications, memory card, camera usage, GPS, switching of the network, the state of the battery, etc. The integration of the mobile app with all these features may be a big challenge if the testing team fails to consider all these possible scenarios. Hence, it is important for the teams to consider every environmental factor while testing.

Privacy

Privacy is a challenging issue in mobile apps. Mobile devices are much personalized as they consist user’s data and identity. These are the important constraints which have to be considered and require the need for security. If the privacy factor fails, then this can create risk for the user data when there is an integration with other third party websites. Hence, while practicing security testing it is important for the teams to consider every factor so that the user-data is secured.

Conclusion

Testing banking application can be an intricate process, but if there is an experienced testing partner involved, the testing challenges can be readily eradicated. TestingXperts, with its efficient testing strategies and the right blend of testers and processes, is helping its banking and financial clients to achieve successful and vulnerability-free applications.

The post 12 Challenges Faced While Testing an Banking Application first appeared on TestingXperts.

1. What is API Security Testing?
2. Things to Know About APIs
3. Preparing for API Security Testing
4. Why is API Security Testing important and its benefit?
5. Steps to Follow for API Security Testing
6. Conclusion
7. How Can TestingXperts Help with API Security Testing?

In today’s interconnected world, where the flow of information and data between applications is constant, the security of APIs has become a pressing concern. With cyber threats growing in sophistication and frequency, the importance of API security testing cannot be ignored. This is where API security testing becomes essential to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data and resources. 

What is API Security Testing? 

API Security Testing is a crucial component of ensuring the robustness and integrity of APIs. Application Programming Interfaces act as the bridge between different software systems, enabling seamless data exchange. However, they can also become vulnerable entry points for cyber threats if not adequately secured. API Security Testing involves systematically assessing APIs for potential vulnerabilities and implementing measures to protect against unauthorized access, data breaches, injection attacks, and other security risks. 

Through comprehensive testing, organizations can proactively identify and address security loopholes in their APIs. It evaluates authentication and authorization mechanisms, input validation techniques, error handling practices, rate limiting, and other critical aspects. By leveraging advanced tools, methodologies, and industry best practices, API Security Testing helps organizations fortify their APIs and safeguard sensitive data and resources. 

Things to Know About APIs 

Application Programming Interfaces are protocols, tools, and definitions that facilitate communication between software applications. They define how different software components should interact, allowing developers to access specific functionalities or data from external systems or services. APIs enable integration, automation, and collaboration between diverse applications, ultimately enhancing user experiences and enabling the seamless flow of information. Various types of APIs are: 

Web APIs:

They enable communication between web-based applications, allowing developers to access data and functionalities over the internet using standard web protocols such as HTTP and REST. 

Internal APIs:

Also known as private or enterprise APIs, these are designed for internal use within an organization. They enable different teams or systems to interact and share data securely. 

Third-party APIs:

They are provided by external service providers, allowing developers to access their platform’s functionalities or data. Examples include payment gateways, social media APIs, and mapping services. 

Common API Security Risks 

Despite their benefits, APIs can be vulnerable to various security risks. Some common vulnerabilities include: 

Injection Attacks:

APIs can be vulnerable to injection attacks, where malicious code or commands are injected into API requests. This can lead to unauthorized data exposure, compromised systems, or a takeover. 

Broken Authentication and Session Management:

Weak authentication mechanisms, improper session handling, or inadequate access controls can expose APIs to authentication and session-related vulnerabilities. Attackers may exploit these weaknesses to impersonate legitimate users, hijack sessions, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. 

Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR):

APIs that expose internal references, such as database IDs or file paths, without proper authorization checks can be prone to IDOR vulnerabilities. Attackers can manipulate these references to access unauthorized resources or sensitive information. 

Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks:

APIs can be targeted with DoS attacks, where attackers overwhelm the API infrastructure with a flood of requests, rendering the API unresponsive or unavailable. This disrupts services, impacts user experience, and potentially leads to financial losses. 

Preparing for API Security Testing 

Ensuring the security of APIs is crucial to protect sensitive data and prevent potential breaches. API security testing plays a vital role in identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses in API implementations. Following are some pointers to consider when preparing for API security testing: 

Setting up the Testing Environment 

Establishing a robust testing environment that closely resembles the production environment is essential. Here are key considerations: 

Isolate the Testing Environment:

Create a separate, isolated environment dedicated explicitly to API security testing. This prevents any accidental impact on the production systems and ensures a controlled testing environment. 

Replicate Production Configuration:

Replicate the configuration of the production environment as closely as possible, including the server setup, network architecture, and infrastructure components. This ensures that the security tests accurately reflect real-world scenarios. 

Utilize Virtualization or Containerization:

Leverage virtualization technologies like virtual machines or containerization platforms (e.g., Docker) to create a scalable and reproducible testing environment. This enables the easy setup of multiple testing instances and facilitates efficient testing of different API configurations. 

Identifying the Scope of Testing 

Defining the scope of API security testing is vital to ensure focused efforts and comprehensive coverage. Consider the following factors: 

APIs and Endpoints:

Determine which APIs and specific endpoints will be included in the testing. It’s essential to consider internal and external-facing APIs and any public APIs that may expose sensitive data or critical functionalities. 

Authentication and Authorization Mechanisms:

Assess the APIs’ various authentication and authorization mechanisms. Include scenarios like API keys, tokens, or user credentials to evaluate the security measures thoroughly. 

Data Validation and Input Handling:

Analyze how APIs handle data validation and input handling. Assess how they respond to input formats, including invalid or unexpected data. Pay special attention to potential injection vulnerabilities. 

Error Handling and Exception Management:

Evaluate how APIs handle errors and exceptions. Test their response to different error conditions and ensure that sensitive information is not leaked in error messages. 

Gathering Necessary Tools and Resources 

Equipping your API security testing efforts with the right tools and resources is essential for effective testing. Consider the following: 

API Testing Tools:

Explore and select appropriate API testing tools that support security testing, such as OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, or Postman. These tools offer features like vulnerability scanning, fuzz testing, and API traffic interception for comprehensive testing. 

Security Testing Frameworks:

Familiarize yourself with security testing frameworks, such as the OWASP API Security Top 10, which guides the most critical API security risks. These frameworks serve as invaluable references throughout the testing process. 

Documentation and Specifications:

Obtain the API documentation, specifications, and relevant security requirements. Thoroughly review them to understand the expected behavior, expected security measures, and any specific test cases. 

Security Testing Checklist:

Develop a comprehensive security testing checklist encompassing various aspects of API security, including authentication, authorization, input validation, error handling, and encryption. This checklist will serve as a roadmap for your testing efforts. 

Why is API Security Testing important and its benefit? 

APIs are the heart of many applications, providing developers with powerful interfaces to the services an organization has to offer. Ensuring that APIs are conformant to published specifications and are resilient to bad and potentially malicious input is critical to an organization’s overall security.

Traditional dynamic application security testing (DAST) scanners cannot cover APIs completely; they cover only a small portion of them. If an organization’s front end does not interact with all API endpoints, traditional DAST scanners will miss them. It is therefore essential to adopt a modern, dynamic API security testing strategy that targets issues in all an API’s endpoints.

What are the benefits of using API security testing?

At the most basic level, API security testing helps identify and prevent vulnerabilities and their associated potential organizational risk.

Specifically, API security testing is fine-tuned to both the API being tested and an organization’s overall strategy and best practices. API scanners work at a deeper level, examining the APIs that power single-page web apps, IoT devices, or mobile apps. By understanding what an API expects as input, API scanners can intelligently fuzz data to uncover hidden bugs.

Types API security testing

• Static Analysis Security Testing (SAST)

• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

• Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

• Authentication

• Authorization

Steps to Follow for API Security Testing 

As the importance of robust API security continues to grow, organizations must conduct thorough and systematic security testing to identify vulnerabilities and mitigate risks. Following are the steps to follow when implementing API security testing: 

Step 1: Understanding API Endpoints 

API endpoints serve as the entry points for interactions with an API. To conduct effective security testing: 

Define API Endpoints:

Identify and document all API endpoints. Categorize them based on functionality, sensitivity, and potential security risks. 

Identify Sensitive Endpoints and Vulnerabilities:

Determine which endpoints handle sensitive data, perform critical operations, or involve user authentication. These endpoints may be more prone to security vulnerabilities and require rigorous testing. 

Map API Endpoints:

Create a comprehensive map of API endpoints, including the request and response types, expected behavior, and associated security controls. This map will serve as a reference during testing to ensure thorough coverage. 

Step 2: Authentication and Authorization Testing 

Authentication and authorization mechanisms play a vital role in securing APIs. When testing, consider the following: 

Evaluate Authentication Effectiveness:

Assess the strength and effectiveness of authentication mechanisms, such as API keys, tokens, or multifactor authentication. Verify that only authenticated users can access protected resources. 

Examine Authorization Controls:

Test the authorization controls to ensure only authorized users or roles can perform specific actions. Pay attention to privilege escalation risks, such as bypassing authorization checks or gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data. 

Test for Improper Access Controls:

Identify potential security misconfigurations or improper access controls that may allow unauthorized access to sensitive endpoints or operations. Thoroughly examine access control rules and configurations. 

Step 3: Input Validation and Data Integrity 

Proper input validation is crucial for preventing injection attacks and maintaining data integrity. During testing: 

Analyze Input Validation Techniques:

Evaluate how the API handles input validation to prevent common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), or XML External Entity (XXE) attacks. Test for both expected and unexpected input scenarios. 

Ensure Data Integrity:

Verify that the API performs proper validation, sanitization, and encoding of user-supplied data to prevent data corruption or tampering. Validate the integrity of data transmitted between the client and server. 

Test for Data Leakage and Exposure Risks:

Identify potential data leakages risks, such as inadvertently disclosing sensitive information in responses or error messages. Test for scenarios where sensitive data may be unintentionally exposed. 

Step 4: Error Handling and Exception Management 

Proper error handling and exception management improve an API’s overall security and robustness. When conducting testing: 

Assess Error Handling Mechanisms:

Evaluate how the API handles errors and exceptions. Test for proper error codes, informative messages, and appropriate logging practices. 

Test for Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities:

Look for potential information disclosure vulnerabilities in error responses or stack traces. Ensure that error messages do not expose sensitive information that could aid attackers. 

Evaluate Exception Management Practices:

Assess how the API handles unexpected situations, such as unhandled exceptions or denial-of-service attacks. Verify that the API gracefully handles exceptions and does not expose system vulnerabilities. 

Step 5: Rate-limiting and Throttling 

Rate limiting and throttling mechanisms protect APIs against abuse and denial-of-service attacks. During testing: 

Understand the Importance of Rate Limiting:

Recognize the significance of rate limiting and throttling to prevent abuse, brute-force attacks, or DoS scenarios. Familiarize yourself with industry best practices. 

Test for Bypassing Rate Limits:

Attempt to bypass rate limits and verify if the API enforces them consistently. Check for potential vulnerabilities that allow attackers to circumvent rate limits and overload the system. 

Verify Effectiveness of Rate-limiting Mechanisms:

Test the API under various load conditions to ensure that rate-limiting and throttling mechanisms function as expected. Measure the API’s response time and stability during high-volume traffic. 

Step 6: API Abuse and Security Testing Automation 

Leverage automation testing techniques for API security testing to maximize efficiency and coverage. When testing, consider the following: 

Explore Techniques to Identify and Prevent API Abuse:

Learn about common API abuse scenarios, such as parameter tampering, replay attacks, or API key exposure. Develop test cases to identify and mitigate these risks. 

Implement Automated Security Testing:

Utilize automated tools and frameworks, such as OWASP ZAP or Burp Suite, to streamline security testing efforts. Automate vulnerability scanning, fuzz testing, and security checks to achieve comprehensive coverage. 

Leverage Tools and Frameworks:

Leverage open-source tools and frameworks tailored for API security testing. These resources provide a wealth of knowledge, best practices, and test scripts to enhance the effectiveness of your testing efforts. 

Best Practices for API Security Testing 

To achieve robust security, it’s crucial to follow best practices that align with industry standards, stay updated on evolving threats, and adopt continuous monitoring and retesting: 

Following Industry Standards and Guidelines:

To ensure robust API security, it is vital to follow industry standards and guidelines. These standards provide a framework for implementing adequate security controls and mitigating common vulnerabilities. By adhering to these standards, organizations can align their security practices with industry best practices and reduce the risk of potential breaches. 

Keeping Up with Evolving Threats and Security Practices:

It is another critical aspect of API security. The threat landscape constantly evolves, with new attack vectors and techniques emerging regularly. Staying updated on the latest threats allows organizations to identify and address vulnerabilities proactively before they can be exploited. By actively participating in security communities, attending conferences, and leveraging threat intelligence sources, organizations can stay one step ahead of attackers and implement timely security measures. 

Continuous Monitoring and Retesting for Ongoing Security:

These are essential for maintaining ongoing security. It is not enough to perform security testing once and consider the job done. APIs and their associated threats evolve. Organizations can detect and respond to potential security incidents in real-time by implementing continuous monitoring. Additionally, regular retesting helps identify new vulnerabilities that may have been introduced due to system updates or changes in the threat landscape. This iterative approach ensures that APIs remain secure and protected against emerging risks. 

Conclusion 

API security testing is crucial to safeguard the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of data exchanged through APIs. Organizations can identify and address vulnerabilities in their APIs by following a comprehensive step-by-step guide. As technology evolves, staying updated and adapting security practices is essential to ensure robust API security. 

How Can TestingXperts Help with API Security Testing? 

At TestingXperts, we understand the significance of API security testing and offer comprehensive solutions to help organizations identify and mitigate potential risks. Our experienced team of testers and security professionals specializes in API security testing, utilizing industry-leading tools and methodologies. Our services include: 

Comprehensive API Security Assessments:

Our experts perform in-depth assessments of your APIs, examining all critical components for potential vulnerabilities. We thoroughly analyze authentication and authorization mechanisms, input validation techniques, error-handling practices, and rate-limiting mechanisms. 

Realistic Testing Environment:

We create a controlled testing environment that simulates real-world scenarios while minimizing the impact on your live systems. This ensures accurate assessments without disrupting your production environment. 

Customized Scope and Coverage:

We work closely with you to define the scope of testing based on your specific requirements. Our team examines all relevant API endpoints and functionalities, leaving no loophole in identifying potential vulnerabilities. 

Automation for Efficiency:

We use cutting-edge automation tools and frameworks to enhance testing efficiency and coverage. This allows us to conduct comprehensive assessments while reducing manual effort and maximizing accuracy.

Whether it’s setting up the testing environment, conducting thorough assessments, or providing actionable remediation strategies, TestingXperts can assist you in ensuring the security of your APIs. Contact us today to learn more about our API security testing services and how we can support your organization. 

The post API Security Testing: A Step-by-Step Guide first appeared on TestingXperts.

1. What is Web Application Security Testing?
2. Need for Web Application Security Testing
3. Business Benefits of Web App Security Testing
4. Different Software Testing Types for Web Application Security Testing
5. Web App Security Testing-Common Use Cases
6. Processes Involved in Web Application Security Testing
7. Web Application Security Testing Tools
8. Conclusion
9. How can TestingXperts Help?

What is Web Application Security Testing?

Web application security testing is a process of identifying, preventing, and mitigating security vulnerabilities in web applications. It involves assessing the security of web applications by examining their code, architecture, and deployment environment. Web application security testing can be conducted manually or using automated tools to identify potential security risks such as cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, buffer overflow, and malicious file execution.

The goal of web application security testing is to ensure that web applications are secure and do not contain any exploitable vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches or other malicious attacks. Additionally, web application security testing helps organizations comply with industry regulations and standards such as PCI DSS and HIPAA.

Need for Web Application Security Testing

Web application security testing is an important part of any organization’s overall security strategy. As more and more businesses move to the cloud, they must have a secure web application to protect their data and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Web applications can be vulnerable to malicious attacks, so organizations need to test them regularly and take steps to protect them from potential threats.

The need for web application security testing arises from the fact that web applications are exposed to public networks and can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection. This means that attackers can easily exploit vulnerabilities in these applications and gain access to sensitive information or disrupt operations. Additionally, web applications are often used as entry points into other systems, such as databases or servers, which can lead to further damage if not properly secured. We have discussed the importance of web application security testing in our comprehensive security testing guide.

Overall, web application security testing is critical for any organization looking to protect its data and comply with industry regulations. By performing regular tests on their web applications, organizations can identify potential vulnerabilities early on and take steps to mitigate them before it’s too late.

Business Benefits of Web App Security Testing

Improved Security:

Web application security testing helps identify existing and potential vulnerabilities in the system, allowing businesses to take proactive steps to mitigate risks. This can reduce the likelihood of costly data breaches and other malicious attacks.

Enhanced Reputation:

Customers trust businesses that prioritize security, so by testing web applications regularly, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to protecting customers’ data and maintaining a positive reputation.

Cost Savings:

By detecting potential problems early on, businesses can save money by avoiding expensive repairs or replacements due to malicious attacks or data breaches. Additionally, web application security testing helps organizations comply with industry regulations, which could result in significant fines in the case of non-compliance.

Improved Performance:

Regularly testing web applications can help identify areas where performance is lagging, or inefficient processes exist that are causing delays or errors. This allows businesses to make necessary changes that improve overall performance and user experience.

Increased Efficiency:

By identifying any weak points in the system, web application security testing helps businesses streamline processes and increase efficiency across the organization by eliminating unnecessary steps or redundant tasks.

Different Software Testing Types for Web Application Security Testing

Static Application Security Testing (SAST):

This testing type is White Box Testing, which enables developers to identify security vulnerabilities in the source code of an application during the early stages of the software development life cycle. Through this method, it can be ensured that the application adheres to coding guidelines and standards.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST):

This technique involves injecting malicious data into the software to simulate SQL injection and XSS attacks, with the goal of uncovering common security vulnerabilities. It is a black box or grey box security testing method which enables testers to identify potential weaknesses in web applications.

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST):

It is a combination of both the SAST and DAST technique wherein an IAST agent is placed within an application that performs the analysis of the app in real-time. A large pool of Certified Ethical Hackers (CEHs) with years of expertise in delivering security testing services vulnerabilities to clients across domains.

Vulnerability Scanning:

In this testing process, automated software is utilized to examine vulnerabilities in the application. It analyzes web apps to perform vulnerability assesment for cross-site scripting, command injections, etc.

Security Audit/Review:

It is a cybersecurity testing approach that should be conducted on a regular basis. It enables digital businesses to assess the existing security status of their app by identifying vulnerabilities and security issues. It can either be accomplished manually or through automated testing tools.

Penetration Testing:

Penetration testing (or pen testing) is a security testing procedure where an authorized cyber-security expert tries to find and exploit vulnerabilities in an application. Penetration testing types are – Internal, External, BlackBox, and GreyBox.

Red Teaming:

It is a more comprehensive characterization of penetration testing where the internal or external group of security professionals simulate real-time attacks on the business. The security experts evaluate the infrastructure without any initial knowledge. The exhaustive evaluation is based on integrating various security controls of the organization.

Web App Security Testing-Common Use Cases

• Passwords must be encrypted

• Invalid users should not have access to the web app

• Browser back button should be non-functional on finance-based web apps

Processes Involved in Web Application Security Testing

Web Application Security Testing involves several critical processes to identify vulnerabilities and ensure a secure online environment. Let’s explore some of these key processes:

Brute Force Attack Testing: It evaluates the robustness of authentication mechanisms and systematically attempts numerous password combinations to gain unauthorized access. By simulating such attacks, security experts can assess the application’s resistance to these malicious attempts, identifying potential weak points in password protection.

Password Quality Rules: Testing password quality rules ensures the application enforces strong password policies. This involves examining whether the application mandates using a mix of characters, numbers, and symbols. Evaluating password length, complexity requirements, and expiration policies helps deter attackers from exploiting weak passwords.

Session Cookies: These are essential for authentication and maintaining user sessions. Security testing involves assessing the encryption and secure transmission of session cookies. By analyzing these cookies, testers can ensure that sensitive user data remains encrypted and that cookies are well-protected against theft or tampering.

User Authorization Processes: User authorization testing scrutinizes the application’s authorization mechanisms. This entails verifying that users are granted appropriate access privileges based on their roles. It also includes checking whether unauthorized users are correctly denied access to restricted areas of the application.

SQL Injection: SQL injection is a prevalent attack vector. Security testing involves deliberately attempting SQL injection attacks to identify vulnerabilities. Testers try injecting malicious SQL queries into input fields to determine whether the application is susceptible to unauthorized access or data breaches.

Trending Web Application Security Testing Tools in 2023

Burp Suite Professional:

Burp Suite is a comprehensive security testing platform with a popular feature of test automation that displays fewer false alarms. It is straightforward to set up and use, with the passive scan function enabling the capture of most sections of an object that may be overlooked. The Goals and scopes of security testing can be easily established with Burp Suite.

Veracode:

Veracode facilitates identifying and resolving security vulnerabilities in software. The tool enables a thorough evaluation of applications across the organization, including internally developed programs and external libraries. Developers can evaluate potential purchases, detect flaws in applications used with partners, and assess code that could be obtained through a prospective merger. Remediation reports prioritize flaws and repairs based on business goals and risk levels to optimize expenditure on software assurance.

Acunetix:

It is a comprehensive and effective solution for website, web application, and API security. It has the capability to detect over 4500 web vulnerabilities such as Cross Site Scripting (XSS) and SQL injection. Acunetix’s DeepScan Crawler can scan HTML5 sites and AJAX-based client-side SPAs.

Fortify:

Fortify Static Code Analysis (SCA) is a software security testing solution utilized by development teams and security experts to assess source code for potential vulnerabilities. It provides an analysis of the code and assists developers in recognizing, prioritizing, and resolving issues with greater efficiency.

OWASP ZAP:

It is an open-source pen-testing tool by OWASP which is particularly developed for testing flexible and extensible features of web apps.

OWASP Dependency Track:

The tool assists testers in visualizing and monitoring software components and libraries. OWASP Dependency Track enables testers to obtain a list of all current libraries and manage reported results. It is an open-source platform for component analysis which helps identify and reduce risks associated with software supply chains.

Conclusion

Web application security testing is a process used to identify, prevent, and mitigate security vulnerabilities in web applications. It involves examining the code, architecture, and deployment environment of web applications to ensure they are secure and do not contain any exploitable vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches or other malicious attacks. Regular web app testing helps digital businesses identify potential vulnerabilities early, take steps to protect their data, and comply with industry regulations.

How can TestingXperts Help?

TestingXperts (Tx), is the next-gen specialist QA & software testing company, that has been helping clients with a range of security testing needs. Our team of Certified Ethical Hackers (CEHs) ensures that your application is secure from vulnerabilities and meets the stated security requirements, such as confidentiality, authorization, authentication, availability, integrity, and non-repudiation . Our dedicated teams have more than a decade of expertise in validating a wide range of applications for vulnerability and security threats and ensuring end-to-end security testing for identifying threats and vulnerabilities.

TestingXperts Differentiators:

• Flexible engagement models best suited to customer’s business needs

• In-house security testing accelerator Tx-Secure makes the security testing process quick and seamless and helps you achieve significant results

• Secure and well-equipped in-house security testing labs help perform effective security testing of all applications, including Blockchain, IoT, network infrastructure, etc.

• Security testing services have conformance with international standards and compliance, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, OSSTMM, OWASP, SANS, NIST and others

• Deliver detailed test reports to stakeholders to make informed decisions

The post Web Application Security Testing – An Informative Guide for Beginners first appeared on TestingXperts.

According to IBM’s Cost of Data Breach Report, the global average data breach cost reached $4.88 million in 2024 (a 10% increase compared to 2023), the most significant jump since the pandemic. 70% of breached organizations stated that the incident caused considerable disruption within their operations and affected their users’ loyalty and trust. ISO 27001, or ISO/IEC 27001, is a global standard that allows organizations to handle the security of employee/client details, financial information, intellectual property, and others. It also improves the user confidence in an organization’s capabilities for handling sensitive data and establishing a risk management process.  

What is ISO 27001, and Who is it for?

ISO 27001 is an international standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for information security, part of the ISO/IEC 2700 series. It describes how organizations should manage all security components. The full name is “ISO/IEC 27001—Information security, cybersecurity, and private protection—Information security management systems—Requirements.” 

ISO 27001 framework consists of requirements for defining, integrating, operating, and optimizing an Information Security Management System (ISMS). Its primary function is to secure organizational information (regardless of the size or industry) cost-effectively and systematically. Any enterprise that deals with data can benefit from ISO 27001 compliance. 

Why is ISO 27001 Compliance Important?

ISO 27001 compliance assists businesses in the digital age in establishing a robust framework to protect sensitive information, mitigate security risks, and ensure operational continuity. Companies can also get ISO 27001 certified, which can help them prove to their customers and partners that they are highly capable of protecting their data. According to this compliance, the primary goal of an ISMS is to protect three components of information, which are: 

• Integrity: Only authorized users can change/update information. 

• Availability: Information should be accessible to authorized users whenever and wherever they need it. 

• Confidentiality: Only authorized users should have the right to access information. 

How Many Controls does ISO 27001 have?

The latest version of ISO/IEC 27001: 2022 includes 93 controls organized into four themes across Annex A. These controls are well streamlined and consolidated compared to the previous ISO 27001:2013 version, which had 114 controls across 14 categories. The updated version more profoundly addresses modern security challenges like cloud security and threat intelligence. Let’s take a look at the four categories: 

ISO 27001 is currently used by organizations worldwide to keep their Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) up to date and ensure they comply with current best practices. It is divided into 14 phases: 

1. Define ISMS Scope 

2. Design and Organize Information Security Policy 

3. Perform Risk Assessment and Treatment 

4. Define, Review, and Implement Access Control 

5. Define or Review Cryptography and Technical Controls 

6. Develop Physical, Operational, and Communication Security Procedures 

7. Allocate Resources and Provide Training 

8. Implement ISMS 

9. Monitor and Measure ISMS Performance 

10. Conduct Internal Audits 

11. Management Review of the ISMS 

12. Address Nonconformities and Corrective Actions 

13. Certification Audit 

14. Continuous Improvement (PDCA Cycle) 

Why do Businesses Require an Information Security Management System (ISMS)?

An information security management system enables businesses to define a particular ruleset and identify stakeholders, objectives, and risks within a security posture. Companies can keep these rulesets as policies, strategies, and other technologies and processes as they don’t require any documentation. The primary benefits that an organization can achieve with ISO 27001 implementation are: 

Lower Costs:

ISO 27001’s primary function is to prevent security issues from arising and disrupting the organizational flow. No matter how big or small a security incident is, it will always cost money (sometimes a lot). Therefore, by leveraging ISO 27001 for ISMS implementation, businesses can prevent security incidents and save money. The best part is that investing in this compliance is far cheaper than the cost benefits businesses will achieve.  

Compliance with Legal Standards:

The laws, regulatory requirements, and standards will never be enough when dealing with information security. There will constantly be endless rules, but the good news is that ISO 27001 can cater to most of them. For example, what ISO security standard would be the best fit if you want to create your organization’s security policy in compliance with the EU GDPR or NIS 2? The answer is ISO 27001. 

Better Management:

Sometimes, businesses skip defining their processes and producers, which causes their employees not to know what needs to be done, by whom, and when. Implementing ISO 27001 in ISMS setup assists in resolving this issue by encouraging businesses to define their processes, including non-security-related ones. This reduces employee downtime and helps preserve crucial knowledge even when team members leave. 

Competitive Benefit:

When a business gets ISO 27001 certified, but the competitor doesn’t, they would have the edge over them as users would prefer the one who can keep their information safe. 

How can TestingXperts (Tx) help with ISO 27001 Compliance Readiness?

Tx offers customized compliance audit and assessment services to ensure your operations achieve ISO 27001 readiness. Our expertise and processes ensure your organizational infrastructure syncs with a robust information security management system (ISMS). Our approach consists of: 

Gap Analysis

We conduct a detailed gap analysis of your security practices against ISO 27001 requirements to identify non-compliant areas across your systems, policies, and processes. The action plan would include a roadmap to effectively address these gaps and align your business structure with ISO 27001 standards. 

ISMS Implementation

Our experts analyze whether the ISO 27001 controls are implemented, maintained, and monitored effectively to ensure the seamless setup of ISMS within your organization. 

Risk Assessment and Management

Our comprehensive risk assessment helps you identify potential threats and vulnerabilities within your information security. We recommend mitigation strategies and help integrate risk assessment plans into your ISMS. 

Compliance Auditing

We conduct detailed audits to verify compliance structure and identify improvement areas to ensure your information system complies with ISO 27001. 

Continuous Security and Compliance Monitoring

Our in-house framework, Tx-Secure, is capable of assisting organizations with not just security monitoring but also detecting any non-compliance issue. 

Summary

ISO 27001 is a global standard for information security management, enabling organizations to protect sensitive data, mitigate risks, and enhance operational continuity. With 93 controls, it addresses modern security challenges like cloud security and threat intelligence. ISO 27001 ensures integrity, confidentiality, and data availability while providing cost savings, legal compliance, and competitive benefits. Tx supports businesses in ISO 27001 readiness through gap analysis, ISMS implementation, risk management, and compliance audits. To know how Tx can help, contact our experts now.

The post ISO 27001 Simplified: Key Insights for Modern Businesses  first appeared on TestingXperts.

The recent cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure have witnessed the use of advanced methods to break traditional encryption and hashing techniques. The traditional hashing algorithms like MD5 and SHA-1, once reliable, are now susceptible to more sophisticated, AI-driven attacks – Microsoft Security Report, 2024.  

This development has resulted in the innovation in the cybersecurity space, with AI-Powered hashing algorithms coming out as a promising solution. The use of AI in cybersecurity has moved beyond the basic automation to intelligent learning, predicting threats and adapting encryption techniques in real-time. As the digital world grows more complex, the need for AI-driven hashing has never been more pressing. 

The Growing Threat to Traditional Hashing 

As computing power advances and threats become more sophisticated, traditional hashing methods are increasingly vulnerable to brute-force attacks and collision attacks.  

The rise of quantum computing and AI-enhanced cyberattacks has multiplied these risks. Hashes that were once impossible to reverse-engineer, are now at the risk of being cracked, revealing sensitive data to unauthorized access. To overcome these threats, AI-Powered hashing techniques are coming up as the next wave of encryption, offering dynamic and adaptive solutions for securing data in real-time. 

What is Hashing in Cybersecurity?

Before diving deeper into how AI is changing the hashing, it is important to understand what hashing is and why it is important. Hashing is the process that converts an input (e.g. a password or file) into a fixed-length string of characters, specifically a hash value or digest. This is done using hashing algorithms like SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm) and MD5 (Message Digest Algorithm). Unlike encryption, whatever is reversible, hashing is a one-way process designed to protect data integrity.  

Some of the key uses of hashing include: 

Data Integrity:

Hashing makes sure that files or messages haven’t been adjusted during transmission by comparing the hash value before and after transmission.  

Password Storage:

Passwords are hashed before being stored in databases to safeguard them from exposure in the event of a data breach.  

Digital Signatures:

Hashing helps verify the authenticity of digital signatures, making sure that the data is not tempered with. 

However, with the rise of advanced attack methods, like rainbow table attacks and collision attacks, traditional hashing is no longer enough to ensure security. This is where AI comes in.  

The Role of AI in Enhancing Hashing Techniques

As attackers take advantage of AI to crack traditional hashing methods, AI-driven defenses are becoming more critical. Here’s how AI is transforming the game for hashing in cybersecurity: 

1. Adaptive Hashing Algorithms 

AI allows the development of adaptive hashing algorithms, which can change and improve over time on the basis of the types of attacks they encounter. Unlike traditional static algorithms, AI-Powered hashing systems can identify and learn from patterns in cyberattacks, dynamically adjusting the hashing process to safeguard exploitation. 

For example, machine learning models can be trained to detect vulnerabilities in hashing algorithms by analyzing patterns in how hashes are cracked. This predictive approach enables AI systems to foresee and counter new types of attacks before they become widespread. 

2. AI-Powered Threat Prediction 

One of the most powerful capabilities in cybersecurity is its ability to predict potential threats by examining historical attack data and detecting emerging patterns. When applied to hashing, AI systems can detect when a hashing algorithm is under threat from techniques like brute-force attacks or collision generation.  

For instance, AI can analyze attempts to generate different hash values from a single source, anticipating an impeding collision attack and adjusting the hashing algorithm as required to prevent vulnerabilities. This proactive threat detection is critical for businesses handling sensitive data like financial transactions, intellectual property and personal information.  

3. Automating the Hashing Process for Real-Time Security 

AI is also being used to automate hashing processes in real-time, eradicating the potential for human error and refining response times. Automating complex hashing algorithms through AI eliminate the risk of misconfigurations and ensures that even the most advanced security protocols are implemented regularly. 

This level of automation is specifically beneficial in industries that handle large-scale data transactions, like financial services and healthcare, where the accuracy and speed of hashing processes are crucial for maintaining security. 

AI and Quantum-Resistant Hashing: Preparing for the Future 

With the arrival of quantum computing, traditional cryptographic hashing methods face even greater threats. Quantum computers have the potential to break common hashing algorithms much faster tha classical computers, putting the sensitive data at risk. 

AI is already being positioned to develop quantum-resistant hashing algorithms, capable of withstanding the computational power of quantum machines. These AI-Powered algorithms use complex mathematical models to create hash functions that are resistant to quantum attacks. The most advanced AI systems are being used to simulate quantum computing environments and anticipate how future cyberattacks might exploit quantum computing environments and predict how future cyberattacks may exploit quantum technologies, enabling researchers to design more secure hashing methods. 

Example: AI-Driven Quantum-Resistant Hashing in Cryptocurrency 

One notable application of AI-Powered, quantum-resistant hashing is in the world of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Cryptocurrency platforms are highly dependent on hashing for transaction validation and security; however, the rise of quantum computing poses a major threat to the integrity of these systems. AI is being used to develop post-quantum cryptographic solutions, ensuring that cryptocurrency networks remain secure in the future where quantum attacks become feasible. 

The Importance of Hashing in Zero Trust Architectures

As there is a tremendous growth in the adoption of Zero Trust Security Models, hashing plays a crucial role in verifying identities and ensuring data integrity. In a Zero Trust architecture, every access request is treated as if it originated from an untrusted source, meaning regular authentication and validation are required. 

AI-enhanced hashing can improve the effectiveness of Zero Trust models by dynamically validating user identities and ensuring that data integrity checks are performed in real-time. This enables businesses to enforce the security protocols without any leakage in performance or user experience. 

The Role of AI-Powered Hashing in Compliance

For organizations operating in strictly regulated industries, like finance, healthcare, and eCommerce, maintaining compliance with data protection standards is crucial. Regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS need organizations to use encryption and hashing to protect sensitive data.  

AI-Powered hashing algorithms offer an extra layer of security, assisting businesses to maintain compliance by automatically adjusting to the latest cybersecurity threats. This makes sure that organizations can stay ahead of attackers while meeting their regulatory obligations.  

How Tx Can Help You Implement AI-Powered Hashing for Cybersecurity

At Tx, we understand the evolving nature of cybersecurity and the importance of using AI-driven technologies to protect sensitive data. Through our Tx-Accelerator platform, we assist businesses implement AI-Powered hashing algorithms that accelerate security, improve efficiency, and maintain compliance with industry standards.  

Our cybersecurity advisory services pay attention to helping businesses stay ahead of emerging threats. Be it upgrading your existing encryption protocols, securing your blockchain infrastructure, or adopting a Zero Trust model, we have the expertise to guide you through the process. 

Conclusion: Embracing the Future of Hashing with AI 

With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, traditional hashing methods are no longer enough to protect sensitive data. AI-Powered hashing represents the future of encryption, offering automated, adaptive, and quantum-resistance solutions that keep businesses secure in a complex digital landscape.  

By embracing AI-enhanced hashing techniques, organizations can safeguard their data, comply with industry standards, and stay ahead of the recent threats. Ready to upgrade your cybersecurity infrastructure with AI-Powered solutions? Get in touch with Tx to learn how we can help you stay secure in the dynamic world.

The post Hashing in Cybersecurity: How AI is Shaping the Next Wave of Encryption  first appeared on TestingXperts.

1. Glimpse of recent cybersecurity attacks in 2020
2. Major Impacts for Businesses due to Cybersecurity Breaches
3. Some of the cybersecurity threats amid Covid-19 pandemic are
4. Cybersecurity Challenges for WFH employees during Covid-19
5. Cybersecurity Challenges for Healthcare, Financial, Telecom, and E-learning Systems during Covid-19
6. How can WFH employees and other Business Sectors overcome these Cyber Threats and Attacks?
7. The need for businesses to leverage security testing to prevent cyber threats
8. Conclusion

Remarkably, now as the world grapples with an unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, the cyber-attackers and hackers are trying to take complete advantage of the rapid changes happening across various industries due to the ever-changing digital landscape, and thus, these cyber-attacks are becoming WFH employees:
more rampant these days.

Invariably, the cyber-attackers are using this pandemic situation as a way of spreading malicious campaigns that include spam emails,  malware, ransomware, banking malware, malicious websites, malicious domains, DDoS attacks, etc. The U.N. disarmament chief has warned that cybercrime is on the rise, with a 600% increase in malicious emails during the COVID-19 pandemic. The high representative for disarmament affairs said, growing digital dependency has increased the vulnerability to cyber-attacks, and it is estimated that one such attack takes place every 39 seconds.

Many organizations across the globe have encountered huge economic losses and even many brands had their businesses hit due to these rapidly growing cyber-attacks during these pandemic times, some of which have been detailed below.

Glimpse of recent cybersecurity attacks in 2020

◘ Another cybersecurity report states that the ransomware attacks are estimated to cost $6 trillion annually by 2021

◘  According to Cybercrime Magazine, cybercrime is likely to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025

◘  Twitter hackers who targeted Elon Musk and others, received $121,000 in Bitcoin in a recent cyber attack

◘  67% of financial institutions reported an increase in cyber-attacks over the past year of 2019

◘  The world’s largest cruise line operator reported a data breach due to a ransomware attack in August 2020 wherein hackers stole confidential information of customers, employees, and crew members

◘  500,000 stolen Zoom passwords were available for sale in dark web crime forums

◘  Many healthcare organizations were struck by ransomware attacks and data breaches, stating that millions of their patient’s data were exposed

◘ 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses

Let us also know some of the major impacts businesses face due to these cybersecurity breaches. Typically, each organization is unique in terms of the impact of the breach or cyber-attack which also depends on the timing and duration of the attack and also the industry involved. Specifically, if it is a financial industry the impact could be more rather than for manufacturing industry when these both industries are compared with respect to being affected due to these cyber attacks.

Major Impacts for Businesses due to Cybersecurity Breaches

Brand reputation loss:

Customer data and Intellectual Property theft:

Financial loss & business disruption:

Fine payment and legal consequences:

Some of the cybersecurity threats amid Covid-19 pandemic are: 

Cybersecurity Challenges for WFH employees during Covid-19

With the Work From Home (WFH) option still continuing for almost all corporate IT employees, their remote settings bring in more susceptibility to cybersecurity threats. The remote access, use of collaboration tools by employees, availability of enterprise data on endpoint devices, lack of physical oversight of IT infrastructure, continue to be some of the major grey areas for organizations and their WFH employees to be more susceptible to these cyber-attacks.

Cybersecurity Challenges for Healthcare, Financial, Telecom, and E-learning Systems during Covid-19

Healthcare systems:

Almost all modern-day healthcare systems are based upon ICT apps and these e-healthcare systems include e-pharmacy, telemedicine, virtual consultations using various apps, etc. In recent times, during this pandemic, these systems have become more vulnerable and have become more targeted systems for hackers.

Many of the healthcare systems across the globe have been attacked by various forms of cyber-attacks thus either causing business disruption or causing data theft of patient records.

Financial services:

For the financial sector, hacking and malware continue to be the primary cause of data breaches. 71% of all data breaches are financially motivated and typically the cost of cyberattacks in the banking industry reached $18.3 million annually per company, according to a recent report.

Alarmingly, 8 out of 10 US citizens fear that businesses are not able to secure their financial information and this financial report also states that 92% of ATMs are vulnerable to hacks. Thus, financial services organizations need to leverage effective measures and best security testing practices to safeguard customer data from possible threats.

Telecom systems:

According to a Deloitte report, telecom companies are a big target for cyber-attacks, as they build, control, and operate critical infrastructure that is being widely used to store large amounts of customer sensitive data. Cybercriminals or insiders are looking to blackmail customers, or even conduct identity theft, or launch furthermore attacks.

There are more risks involved even with the leased infrastructure equipment such as routers from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and once it is compromised, then hackers use it to steal data, launch anonymous attacks, and many more which could lead to significant revenue loss to these telecom companies.

E-learning systems:

With schools closed for in person study, online learning environments have become the target for cyber attackers. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has warned that attackers could take advantage of COVID-19 by increasingly targeting virtual environments, including those utilized by school districts. The education sector has already been a prime target for ransomware attacks during these pandemic times. Another report from a leading Security firm said that many educational organizations are at risk of data security incidents during the current period of working from home and virtual learning on the go.

How can WFH employees and other Business Sectors overcome these Cyber Threats and Attacks?

Undoubtedly, cyber attackers have become smart in their moves and tactics but to defend systems from these attacks, businesses and organizations need to become even smarter by ensuring some best practices. Below mentioned are some of the best practices to adopt and protect their systems, applications and infrastructure from cyber-attacks.

Best practices to be followed:

Organizations should increase awareness among their employees, and educate them to identify potential risks, and stay away from any unsolicited emails, links, and messages, or malicious domains.

Both the employer and employees should ensure below mentioned best practices:

◘  Employees should be advised not to open up emails from unknown senders or from people who often do not communicate directly with them

◘  Employees should be advised not to click on links, or malicious domains if it comes from an unknown sender

◘  A corporate-approved anti-phishing filter or corporate-approved anti-virus must be installed by IT team to protect the company’s data from any possible cyber threats on each system

◘  Employees should maximize the usage of virtual private networks (VPNs), cloud interfaces, etc. to keep data safe and secure

◘  Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) should be made necessary for all employees to access critical applications

◘  Password authentication should be followed and also ensure to keep their software updated

The need for businesses to leverage security testing to prevent cyber threats:

Organizations need to leverage security testing of their applications, systems, and infrastructure to safeguard them from any possible threats and vulnerabilities. Security testing is the key solution for preventing the organization’s apps, systems, and infrastructure from cyber-threats and vulnerabilities. Security testing is a rigorous testing process performed by using various open-source and commercial automation security testing tools to help identify any weaknesses, or vulnerabilities in the systems, applications, or networks.

The security testing process consists of security scanning, vulnerability scanning, security review, security auditing, penetration testing, etc. The ultimate objective of security testing is to identify vulnerabilities and threats in the organization and to properly safeguard systems.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, cybersecurity is an uprising issue, especially during these unprecedented pandemic times. Many businesses have turned towards digital solutions to ensure the longevity of their businesses. But, inevitably,  with the usage of these digital solutions, many organizations are more prone to cybersecurity attacks. Hence, brands must leverage effective security testing services from next-gen security testing services provider to safeguard their systems, apps, data, and IT infrastructure from cyber threats and vulnerabilities.

How can TestingXperts help in preventing your organization from cyber-attacks?

We have a team of Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH) who can help you to ensure that your application is secure from any vulnerabilities and that it meets the essential security requirements like confidentiality, authorization, authentication, availability, and integrity.

We are one of the best security testing companies that have expertise in assessing a wide range of applications for security threats and we ensure that your application is rigorously tested for all possible threats and vulnerabilities. We also perform vulnerability testing and pen testing to safeguard your systems, apps, and infrastructure from any possible security threats.

We primarily follow the OWASP (Open Web Security Project) guidelines in our security testing services along with PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, WAHH, OSSTM, WASC, and NIST Standards as per the application-specific requirements.

The post Why Cybersecurity Matters the Most in COVID-19 Pandemic? first appeared on TestingXperts.

According to a survey, most companies’ compliance departments (61%) believe that staying up to date regarding regulatory changes must be the top priority for business. And this is a reasonable opinion. Just imagine a scenario: someone from a company’s admin department receives an email from their CEO explaining that they are not logged in to one of the company’s databases. The domain name is legit, and the email ID is authentic (although the email came from a personal ID, it has the CEO’s signature). Nothing alarming here to report. What would a normal person do?

The same incident happened with Belgian Banl Crelan, costing them $75.8 million. Lack of employee training and insufficient security measures were the leading causes of this incident. Not having proper security compliance management can severely impact IT infrastructure, causing breaches, attacks, and more.

Security Compliance Management and its Key Components

Cyber Security compliance management involves monitoring and ensuring that the software, network, and devices operate securely and comply with regulatory standards. It controls the security controls and policies to ensure adherence to the latest regulatory standards. The enterprise security teams implement several security measures, such as incident response, network surveillance, risk assessment, etc., to protect their infrastructure against security threats.

From a security point of view, security compliance management is a critical process for protecting critical information and ensuring secure and smooth business operations. It also mandates prioritizing the remediation of security issues with immediate effect. Its key components include:

Policy Development:

Developing comprehensive policies and procedures that align with business objectives and address identified risks. The policies also include steps to ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Companies must regularly review and update their policies and procedures to keep up with industry standards and threat landscape changes.

Incident Response:

Establishing measures for detecting, responding to, and recovering from security incidents. The security teams must develop and maintain a robust incident response plan to address any cyber threat issue.

Risk Assessment:

Identifying and mitigating external threats (such as cyberattacks) and internal vulnerabilities (such as outdated software). Companies must regularly assess risk factors to determine the effectiveness of security controls. They must have a detailed plan to address identified risks and areas of improvement.

Security Controls:

Implementing strong security controls like 2FA, encryption, tokenization, access control, and malware protection software to address risks and protect data.

Importance of Security Compliance

Security compliance is necessary for various reasons, including maintaining data integrity, trust factors, safety, and brand reputation. It also affects the business’s bottom line. Compliance has been noticed as one of the leading factors in data breaches. The average data breach cost in 2024 was $4.88 million. Why? When an organization is non-compliant, its breach costs will multiply due to fines, lawsuits, and penalties. Due to this, every industry, including energy, telecom, finance, healthcare, etc., needs to be highly regulated, making security compliance management a top priority. Adhering to security compliance can benefit businesses by:

• Preventing unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber threats and strengthening resilience against insider and external threats.

• Ensuring compliance with industry standards like SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc., and helping businesses maintain operational continuity.

• Building confidence among stakeholders and customers, giving a competitive edge with responsible business practices.

Common Security Compliance Standards

The software compliance regulatory ecosystem depends upon various key industry standards that protect data privacy and security across multiple domains. It is a complex framework that businesses must understand and implement to protect critical data. Let’s take a quick look at some common security compliance standards:

CCPA:

The California Consumer Privacy Act offers data protection for California residents with a primary focus on consumer rights to access, update, delete, and opt out of the sale of their personal information. It applies to organizations doing business with California citizens (even if the organization does not physically exist in California).

GDPR:

The General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union mandates strict data privacy and handling requirements for any business providing services to European citizens. Under this law, every company must protect personal data from unauthorized data collection, loss, damage, or processing.

HIPAA:

The US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act protects sensitive patient data in healthcare. It mandates healthcare providers to keep digital health data confidential and secure during transmission or storage. They must implement measures to prevent threats, misuse of health data, and security breaches.

PCI DSS:

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is for organizations handling credit card information. It outlines critical security protocols for protecting sensitive cardholder data. Under this mandate, businesses must comply with 12 requirements, such as firewall configuration, data encryption, managing security policies, and restricting access to credit/debit card details.

ISO/IEC 27001:

It is an international standard that ensures an organization complies with every level of the technological environment, including users, processes, systems, and tools. It aims to ensure the integrity and safety of customer personal data at every level.

Best Practices for Security Compliance Management

Enterprises on top of security compliance always have good data management practices in place. Having a set of best security compliance management practices enables such organizations to keep things under control. Conducting regular regulatory audits helps identify risks and vulnerabilities to keep compliance measures up to date. These audits assess the organization’s infrastructure security posture, identify gaps, and implement remediation measures before the issue escalates.

Automated compliance monitoring is another way to streamline security management practices. It helps continuously monitor risks, flag anomalies, and generate real-time reports related to incidents. Human error will also be reduced while improving the efficiency of security protocols and ensuring businesses stay in sync with any regulatory update. These days, compliance monitoring tools are powered by AI and ML, enabling potential compliance risk prediction and proactive mitigation processes.

Companies must have a security incident response team to handle compliance violations and breaches efficiently. They must also develop and regularly update their incident response plans to ensure their readiness for any security issues.

How can Tx Assist with Security Compliance Management?

Tx assists in handling the complexities of security compliance by offering comprehensive security testing services. Our services are tailored to industry regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and ISO 27001. With cutting-edge tools and industry expertise, we ensure your IT infrastructure maintains compliance while strengthening the core security posture.

Our security testing accelerator – Tx-Secure, streamlines the compliance process by integrating best practices, checklists, and automated security assessments. We leverage next-gen tools and frameworks to identify vulnerabilities, assess risks, and ensure your applications and networks meet regulatory standards.

Summary

Security Compliance Management ensures businesses follow regulatory standards to protect data and prevent cyber threats. It involves risk assessments, security controls, and compliance with industry regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Effective management includes audits, automated monitoring, and employee training. Partnering with Tx helps businesses achieve compliance with advanced security testing, risk assessments, and automated compliance solutions. Contact our experts now to learn how Tx can assist with security compliance management.

The post Security Compliance Management: Your Survival Guide in an Era of Cyber Threats first appeared on TestingXperts.

Content

1. An overview of DevOps CI/CD pipeline
2. Different stages of the DevOps CI/CD pipeline
3. How is security testing embedded at each stage of the DevOps CI/CD pipeline?
4. Significance of embedding security testing into DevOps CI/CD pipeline
5. Major security testing types businesses should leverage
6. Conclusion
7. How can TestingXperts (Tx) help?

An overview of DevOps CI/CD pipeline

DevOps is an evolution from agile methodology and is a software development approach that brings software development and operations teams together. Its main aim is to break the traditional silos between cross-functional teams. This methodology promotes collaboration between teams and ensures faster, and quality releases are delivered to the customer. DevOps CI/CD pipeline stages include:

Continuous Integration (CI):

In this stage, the developer frequently commits changes to the source code. The new code that supports the latest functionalities is continuously integrated with the source code.

Continuous Delivery (CD):

It is an extension of CI, where the software delivery process is automated to ensure reliable and easy deployment into production at any time.

Continuous Testing:

In this phase, the developed software is continuously tested for bugs leveraging automation testing tools such as TestNG, Selenium, JUnit, UiPath Test Suite, etc.

Continuous Monitoring:

In this phase, the software is continuously monitored to ensure its seamless functioning, leveraging continuous monitoring tools such as Nagios, Splunk, Sensio, etc.

Different stages of the DevOps CI/CD pipeline

Planning phase:

In this stage, requirements and feedback are gathered from the stakeholders and customers to build a product roadmap for product development. This step also involves deciding on the best practices and policies that should be followed for a successful DevOps process.

Coding phase:

Developers are involved in this stage and are responsible for writing the code and building the product. In this phase, tasks are divided among the developers, and they write the code according to their tasks.

Build phase:

Developers commit their code to the shared code repository at this stage. Integration issues are resolved by continuously checking the code changes, and this stage also includes running builds and tests.

Testing phase:

Once the build succeeds, the software is thoroughly tested. If any new feature or functionality is added, the software is again tested using the regression testing method to ensure its proper functioning.

Release phase:

The build is ready for deployment to the production environment at this stage. Depending on the DevOps maturity, an organization can choose an automated deployment technique.

Deployment phase:

The build is released into the production environment in this deployment phase, and various tools are leveraged to automate the deployment process.

Operations phase:

In this stage, operations teams ensure the build is running smoothly. Also, customer feedback is taken up to shape the product’s future development.

Monitoring phase:

It is the final stage of DevOps, where the DevOps pipeline is monitored. Monitoring is done to ensure the software build works well in the production environment and there are no bottlenecks that affect the software functioning or performance.

DevOps CI/CD pipeline helps teams release software faster, but the security aspect of the software should be monitored closely. Therefore, it is essential to embed security testing at each stage of DevOps CI/CD to ensure quality and secure releases.

How is security testing embedded at each stage of the DevOps CI/CD pipeline?

Planning phase:

• The planning stage involves threat modeling and preparation of security policies

• DevSecOps teams identify the security requirements, potential security threats, and vulnerabilities, quantify threats and prioritize remediation methods

• It also involves the preparation of security policies to improve the cyber-security readiness of an organization

Coding phase:

• This stage involves coding of the software, and in-depth code reviews are conducted to ensure the correctness of the code

• Best practices and guidelines of software development are followed to ensure the robustness of the software build

Build phase:

• This stage involves source code management in which Static Analysis of the source code or Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and dependency scanning are performed

• The main aim of integrating these tests into the CI/CD pipeline is to ensure there are no security issues while the software components are being developed and integrated

• During this stage, isolated changes are immediately tested, reported, and then added to a central repository

Testing phase:

• During this stage, the application is deployed to test servers or QA environment

• At this stage, dynamic scanning or Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST), and Penetration tests are conducted.

• During this stage, the DevSecOps teams create automated security testing attacks for penetration testing or API testing to ensure application and the infrastructure are free from vulnerabilities

• Continuous testing of the software at this stage ensures identification and removal of all new or missed vulnerabilities

Release phase:

• During this stage, the completely developed and tested application is deployed to servers

• At this stage, compliance, and validation of software are checked against all necessary guidelines, best practices, policies, and protocols.

• It ensures software does not violate any security policies and ensures continuous testing to remove all possible software bugs

Operations phase:

• At this stage, security testing is integrated by implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and Secret management processes

• IaC ensures managing and provisioning of infrastructure through code instead of doing it manually, which ultimately eliminates the chances of human-prone errors and ensures the security

Monitoring phase:

• This is the last stage in which failure or automatic error recovery process is set up to ensure if failures are overcome such that productivity does not go down

• It also involves the use of logging and alerting methods, threat intelligence methods, and vulnerability disclosure methods to ensure robust security

• If any error is discovered at this stage, it should be treated as a normal run-down failure and must be rolled back to the previous versions to ensure users are not impacted

Significance of embedding security testing into DevOps CI/CD pipeline

Protects from cyber-attacks:

Security testing at each stage of the DevOps CI/CD pipeline ensures the removal of security loopholes or vulnerabilities from software that could otherwise be exploited by cyber attackers if left unidentified.

Ensures compliance into the delivery pipeline:

Security testing involves checking bugs, compliance, policies, and best practices to ensure successful DevOps implementation.

Enables DevOps teams to respond quickly:

Security testing at each stage of the DevOps lifecycle gives teams the ability to respond to changes quickly.

Ensures transparency:

Security testing in DevOps ensures openness and transparency as software issues are shared across teams with close stakeholders collaboration.

Reduces expenses and increases delivery rate:

Integrating security testing into the delivery pipeline helps identify and remove security defects, which ultimately reduces overall expenses. It also improves the delivery rate as robust software verification ensures faster bug fixes and rapid delivery.

Major security testing types businesses should leverage

Static Application Security Testing (SAST):

It is a white box software testing technique that involves the process of examining source code for security defects. In this process, security issues or vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated early in the DevSecOps process.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST):

It is a black box software testing method that involves testing the application as it is running to find vulnerabilities that a cyber-attacker could exploit.

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST):

IAST is a software testing method in which software instruments are used to assess an application in real-time. In IAST, agents and sensors are run to continuously analyze the application performance during automated, manual, or both situations. Further, this security testing method seamlessly integrates into the DevOps CI/CD pipelines.

Software Component Analysis (SCA):

It is the process of automating the visibility into Open-Source Software (OSS) use for risk management, security, and licenses compliance. It involves integrating OS security and license scans in the DevOps environment to scan code and identify dependencies in the built environment.

Vulnerability scanning:

It is the process of identifying and rectifying weaknesses or flaws present in the software. Some of the common software vulnerabilities that can be rectified with this testing type include missing data encryption, authentication for critical functions, buffer overflows, insecure interactions between the software components, etc.

A risk assessment or risk-based testing:

Risk assessment is the process of identifying and prioritizing probable risks associated with the software. The DevSecOps teams prioritize the tests of features and functions in software based on certain factors such as the risk of failure, the function importance, or the impact of failure.

Penetration testing or ethical hacking:

A professional and authorized ethical hacker tries to simulate cyberattacks in this software testing technique. The main purpose of this test is to identify the security loopholes present in the system, which can otherwise be exploited by cyber-attackers if left unidentified or unresolved.

Security review:

It is the process of safeguarding the entire DevOps environment by ensuring stringent security policies, strategies, best practices, processes, and technology.

Conclusion

Today’s businesses are rapidly adopting DevOps to deliver faster and quality software to their customers. However, due to the constant pressure to deliver software quickly to customers, QA teams often push security testing to later stages. This delay in the security testing process ultimately delays the delivery process more, as some security issues might be identified at later stages. In order to overcome this challenge, businesses should adopt security testing in the DevOps process.

In DevOps, where every stage or process is continuous, QA teams should ensure continuous security testing by embedding security testing procedures at each stage of the CI/CD pipeline. Security testing in DevOps ensures early identification and removal of security issues at each stage of the DevOps delivery pipeline, and it also speeds up the software delivery process. Thus, integration of security testing is important for businesses and requires an expert DevOps implementation partner such as TestingXperts.

How can TestingXperts (Tx) help?

TestingXperts (Tx), a next-gen QA and software testing services provider, has been at the forefront of enabling security testing services for businesses across industries. With the help of our highly skilled team of security testers and in-house accelerators, we have served several industry-leading clients. Our security testing teams follow a customer-centric approach and evaluate business needs in close collaboration with the client and other stakeholders to deliver secure solutions. Tx has developed an in-house framework: Tx-PEARS that can be leveraged to fulfill all the non-functional testing requirements, including the continuous monitoring of infrastructure in production and lower environments. Speak to our teams for more information on Tx-PEARS

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Businesses and development teams are embracing DevOps with a rapid pace in order to become more agile, provide more value to the customers, and deploy codes rapidly. Hallmarks of DevOps initiatives are supported for flexible provisioning, end to end automation, and cultural support for mutual responsibilities. Due to this, security testing teams have become uncomfortable, and are finding themselves on the receiving end with less power to slow down or stop these changes. However, the shift to DevOps has also opened new doors for security test practice to exercise power to improve the security of applications.

Cyber Security And Devops

Cyber security has always been the critical and most controversial subject of recent times. The idea of being hacked and being driven to bankruptcy has always haunted small and medium enterprises. There has been a persistent need for robust security testing and to bring a change in the world of security.  Gartner has coined a very interesting name keeping in mind the criticality of Application Security aspect in DevOps implementation.

According to a report from Gartner on “Information security architects must integrate security at multiple points into DevOps workflows in a collaborative way that is largely transparent to developers, and preserves the teamwork, agility, and speed of DevOps and agile development environments, delivering “DevSecOps.”” (*)

What is DevSecOps?

Gartner’s new concept of “DevSecOps,” which is a merger of DevOps and security aims in bringing the mindset and culture of DevOps into security testing practices. The DevOps mindset displays that security is everybody’s responsibility. The scarce supply of security skill sets to embed in the value creation process has caused a significant slowdown in business outcomes.

With the growing business demand for Agile, DevOps, and Public Cloud Services, traditional security testing processes have become a major obstruction. Once a system has been designed, its security defects can be identified by security test teams subsequently and corrected by business operators before its actual release. The process designed this way can only work where the pace of business activities is a waterfall, but with DevOps in tow, it seldom works. However, with the introduction of DevSecOps risk reduction can in no way be abandoned by either the security staff or the business operators. Instead, it should be embraced and improved by everyone within the organization. Everyone having a responsibility of being an essential part of this process can contribute with the appropriate knowledge and skills they have

Importance of DevSecOps

Recent Gartner research indicates that 38% of enterprises are now using DevOps, and 50% will be actively using it by the end of 2016. In the same survey, security and audit tools represented the single highest-rated category of tools in terms of importance to an effective and efficient DevOps implementation, and 82% of respondents indicated that they had to deal with one or more regulations in their DevOps initiatives.(*)

Information security professionals have been involved in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Although, it is crucial for QA engineers, software developers, and operating officials to work together, which would result in improving and optimizing the security measures with the help of continuous integration of security measures.

The best way to resolve issues that arise with application security lapses is to invest upfront in security testing.

Role of Security testing

Security testing plays an integral role in forming a company’s business strategy which could consistently be aligned with DevOps. Security testing and its tools are made highly customized to suit the need of the business and integrate effortlessly with the existing DevOps process and agile methodology. This is the primary reason it is important to have a trusted brand for the security testing services.

Over these years, TestingXperts has built capabilities, test accelerators, and knowledge repository leveraging over 250 engagements using the latest industry standards such as OWASP, tools, and methodologies. Our team of experts understands that DevOps is a cultural change and a mindset, bringing resources from development and operations into an ongoing process.

Conclusion

TestingXperts offers exhaustive security analysis supported by comprehensive dashboards and reports, along with curative measures for all issues found. Our profound expertise in security testing of mobile applications, web applications, web services and software products makes us the industry leaders in the QA and software testing industry.

Source (*): DevSecOps: How to Seamlessly Integrate Security into DevOps, 30 September 2016, Neil MacDonald, Ian Head
https://www.scmagazine.com

The post DevSecOps: The Smarter Way to Ensure Security first appeared on TestingXperts.

With the explosion of high-profile hacks, ransomware, and data breaches, it’s common to feel insecure about your organization’s information security these days. As your infrastructure grows and diversifies, you have to protect your organization and its reputation like never before. In this blog, we will display how your organization can follow DevOps testing approach to boost security.

1. Latest Security Hacks and breaches
2. TestingXperts’ Security Testing Approach: ‘Tx-Secure’ (TestingXperts’ Security Testing Framework)
3. DevOps practices that can help in improving security

Latest Security Hacks and breaches

You don’t have to go far to see the cost of data breaches. In fact, 2017 has been one of the worst years to experience two big ransomware in a row. ‘WannaCry’ and ‘Petya’ are the two most prominent ransomware attacks that shook the entire world.

– WannaCry swept Asia and Europe rapidly, locking up critical systems such as the UK’s National Health Service, a huge telecom company in Spain, and other such businesses and institutions around the world, all in the fastest time. If reports are to be believed, the motive of WannaCry ransomware was not to make money but to produce a random disruption across the globe. This massive cyber-attack has hit at least 150 countries and infected 300,000 machines. The victims included universities, hospitals, manufacturers and government agencies in countries like China, Britain, Germany, Russia, and Spain.

– Petya, another recent cyber-attack hit companies across the USA and Europe. Petya was publicized to be more deadly than the ‘WannaCry’ cyber attack. With Petya, the victims were unable to unlock their computers in spite of paying the ransom. Petya attack impacted various services, and industries and Ukraine had turned out to be the epicenter of this attack. The Petya attack impacted companies across all sectors such as pharmaceuticals, shipping, hospitals, law firms and much more.

TestingXperts’ Security Testing Approach: ‘Tx-Secure’ (TestingXperts’ Security Testing Framework)

After all these incidents, it is evident that such attacks will not stop but only grow.  Companies and individuals today are under extreme pressure to build software/applications that are thoroughly tested for their security and are, at the same time, competent enough to alert users against any possible cyber-attack. TestingXperts’ homegrown security testing framework ‘Tx-Secure’ has built test accelerators and knowledge repository, using multiple open source and commercial tools, latest industry standards (OWASP, etc.) and proprietary testing methodologies. TestingXperts’ team of security experts recognize the importance of DevOps and takes it as a mindset and not a mere methodology.

DevOps reduces the gap between development and operations to speed up software delivery process and increase business agility and time-to-market. With its origins in the agile practices, DevOps promotes collaboration between teams and diminishes the gap development and operations teams and processes. DevOps as a concept understands the need for better security and ensures security precautions are built early in the cycle. Most of the practices that originate with DevOps, such as automation, collaboration, fast feedback loops, improved visibility, and more, are rich grounds for integrating security as an integrated component of DevOps processes.

DevOps practices that can help in improving security

Given below is a list of the top five DevOps practices that can improve the overall security when integrated directly into your end-to-end continuous integration and continuous delivery pipeline:

– Collaboration
– Configuration and patch management
– Continuous monitoring
– Security test automation
– Identity management

On the Security front, TestingXperts is helping its customers determine the extent of availability and reliability of the application. TestingXperts, a frontrunner in adopting DevOps testing practices and agile methodologies, can help you automate your tests, maintain the security of your application, and achieve timely delivery schedules.

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