Why is security testing important?

The need for software is growing extensively across the globe for varied industries, simply because a software application can do a humungous amount of work in a streamlined and productive manner. In fact, there are many organizations that are highly dependent on software applications, because a huge chunk of business data and information lies in it. Now, for any reason, if this important data or information is stolen due to a weak security implementation strategy, then the losses can negatively impact the business growth. Hence, the implementation of security testing in the software development process is not only considered to be a strategic move but, eventually, it will prove to be rewarding. In this article, you will get to know the significance of security testing. 

What is security testing?

It is a testing method where vulnerabilities of the system are uncovered. It ensures that the resources and data of the system are protected from possible intruders. It is applied in the software development process to ensure that the software application that is being built does not have any security loopholes.

The significance of security testing:

Organizations have clearly understood the value of their business data and information and the need for securing it at any cost. If there is any security flaw, chances are the organization might have to bear the losses. So, companies in order to protect their websites and software products/applications must take a planned move and implement security testing strategies.

Following are three important reasons that justify the importance of security testing:

1. Code reviews as a strategic measure: Code reviews contain code issues and relevant suggestions pertaining to code improvement for better security. Common vulnerabilities can be removed such as buffer overflows, format string exploits, and memory leaks that will help in further improving the security testing process. Code reviews ensure fixing and finding software vulnerabilities in the development cycle. 

It also benefits payment applications that are sold by software vendors where code is reviewed and released. It is susceptible to various types of attacks such as cross-site request forgery, cross-site scripting, SQL injection etc. Applications must be reviewed in accordance with Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) guidelines. 

2. The relevance of penetration testing:  It is also known as pen testing and is more focused on testing the security weaknesses, through which access to data is gained. The overall security parameters in line with the software application are properly assessed. 

A penetration tester must prepare an in-depth report detailing the computing resources that have been tested in line with security protocols. The report has to be meticulously developed by the pen tester so that there is a clear idea about the extent to which security testing activities have taken place and the outcomes that can be expected out of it.  

3. Threat modeling acts as a potential security protocol: System or software vulnerability can be exploited by potential sources. Threat modeling is implemented to find flaws in the security and thus helps testers to proactively involve themselves in the software application development process and analyze if there are any security setbacks or challenges that need to be addressed and worked upon. 

High risks are identified so that security-related decisions can be taken in a more thoughtful manner. Threat modeling is a continuous iterative process that involves prioritizing and identifying the potential threats and then documenting the actions that have been taken in each case.