Exploring the Key Types of Cybersecurity Testing

TYPES
TYPES
OF
OF
TESTING
TESTING
B O S T O N I N S T I T U T E O F A N A Y T I C S

1. Vulnerability Testing
This test looks for possible security flaws
by scanning a system or network asset,
such as servers, routers, and endpoints. It
is an essential first step in network
security. It is typically done to make sure
the security feature is deployed to
address the vulnerability before applying
a countermeasure or control.
During a vulnerability scan, a treasure
box's possible exposure will be reported
along with any malware, weak passwords,
and missing security patches.
Depending on the company, this kind of
automatic scanning might be scheduled
on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis.
SISA is a PSI SSC Qualified Security
Assessor (QSA) who offers automation
solutions for vulnerability assessments
and organizational security.

2. Security Testing
A methodical way to identify security holes in
a computer, network, or application is called
network security scanning. Analyzing the
network, operating systems, apps, and even
web servers is part of this kind of scanning.
Typically, security scanning entails
identifying system and network
vulnerabilities and devising mitigation
strategies. This is carried out during both
automatic and manual scanning. When
conducting network security scanning, keep
the following things in mind:
Both test and live data should be used for
security testing. Having a different set of IP
addresses for the test environment is the
best method to accomplish this.
Tests ought to be conducted on a frequent
basis, contingent upon the risk factor in
question.

3. Penetration Testing
One kind of security testing called
penetration testing, or pen testing, looks for
and seeks to take advantage of potential
weaknesses in the system. The Payment Card
Industry Data Security Standard is the main
authority requiring it (PCI-DSS). This exercise
simulates an attack by a malevolent hacker to
check for any potential dangers.
A penetration test's objectives extend
beyond only identifying the presence of
certain vulnerabilities in a system to include
assessing the degree of danger these flaws
provide. As a result, a penetration test
carried out by experts in security should
identify all potential dangers and provide
countermeasures.

4. Risk Assessment
A method for determining and ranking
possible hazards to a project or
organization is risk assessment. The
process of risk assessment involves
detecting potential hazards to the
project's success.
Threat modeling is one technique that
may be used to assess an operation's risk
and find out how well a threat can exploit
flaws in the environment. After that, this
information can be utilized to either
accept residual risk from less likely
threats or prevent or mitigate against the
most likely ones.

5.Security Audit
An extensive examination of an
organization's information security
safeguards is known as an internal security
audit. For instance, a business that
conducts security audits will shield its
systems from dangerous code and
safeguard data from hacking.
Regular audits can help guarantee that
security vulnerabilities are quickly found
and fixed. Among the potential techniques
are:
Code review is the process of going over the
code line by line and manually looking for
security flaws such buffer overflows, SQL
injections, cryptographic weaknesses, etc.
Fuzz testing is the process of injecting
random data into a system to try and
identify flaws such as crypto weakness or
SQL injection.
Penetration testing is the process of
simulating an external threat and
attempting to get access through attack
channels like DDoS attacks and brute force
login attempts, among others.

6.Ethical Hacking
Ethical hacking is another kind of security
testing tool. Since it is impossible to discover
every vulnerability in a system through
technical or manual testing alone, the job of
the ethical hacker is crucial. A system must
be reviewed by a new set of eyes before
going live, and hackers are a solid bet to take
advantage of any vulnerabilities they find.
Malicious hacking is used by the attackers to
alter the system's database or steal
confidential user information. In contrast,
ethical hacking—also referred to as "white hat
hacking"—does not aim to harm or destroy
anything. Rather than stealing or exposing
data, ethical hackers deliberately break into
computer systems to reveal vulnerabilities.

7. Assessment of Posture
An analysis of the state of an organization's
security controls at the moment is done through
a security posture assessment. The assessment
can also assist in identifying current risk areas
and offer modifications or enhancements that
will raise the level of protection for covered
assets as a whole.
The breadth and complexity of assessments vary,
and external security or IT specialists typically
carry them out. They may come with a few
hundred or many thousand dollars in price. An
organization's first step in enhancing its security
is to examine its security posture. In order to
improve the security strategy, this assessment
examines the organization's present security
standards, finds any holes, and recommends
necessary measures.

8.API Security Testing
The use of Application Programming
Interface (API) targeting the cloud has
expanded as the IT sector has moved toward
the cloud, posing new hazards to
enterprises. These threats to APIs include
improper setup, taking advantage of
authentication systems, and abusing APIs to
carry out attacks.
Because of this, API security testing is
essential. It carries out a number of tasks
that aid in locating any anomalies in an API.
API includes network security functions as
well. They help developers identify
vulnerabilities so that the current flaws can
be fixed. Hackers can take full advantage of
the interfaces' provision of sensitive and
valuable data.

9.Mobile Application Security
Hacker-tested mobile applications are
included in mobile application security.
Knowing the application's goal and the kind of
data it handles is the first thing this kind of
security focuses on. Then, using specialized
technologies, a comprehensive and dynamic
study aids in evaluating the current
shortcomings.
The following are a few steps in the security
testing of mobile applications:
recognizing the characteristics of the
application and how it sends, stores, and
gathers data.
To access to the heart of the program, the
testing decrypts the encrypted data.
Static analysis is another component of the
test that identifies the app's shortcomings.

10.Network Security Testing
Network security testing is a critical component
of a comprehensive information security
program. It is a broad means of testing network
security controls across a network to identify
and demonstrate vulnerabilities and determine
risks. The testing medium can vary like wireless,
IoT, ethernet, hardware, phishing emails,
physical access, Dropbox placement, etc.
Network mapping involves creating a visual
representation of the network infrastructure
and its relationship to each user on the network.
This can include identifying unknown devices on
the web, analyzing traffic flow, and identifying
potential weak points in the system
There are three main tools used to strengthen
network security:
A] Physcial Network Security Testing
B] Technical Network Security Testing
C]Administrative Network Security

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