Testing system security is a crucial task for any systems manager, but it can also pose risks and challenges if not done properly. How can you ensure that your security audits and tests do not interfere with normal operations, damage data, or expose vulnerabilities? Here are some tips and best practices to help you plan and execute effective and safe security tests.
Before you start any security test, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you want to avoid. Define the scope of your test, such as the systems, networks, applications, or data that you want to evaluate. Also, define the goals of your test, such as the types of attacks, threats, or scenarios that you want to simulate or detect. Make sure that your scope and goals are aligned with your security policies, standards, and regulations, and that you have the necessary permissions and approvals to conduct the test.
Depending on your scope and goals, you may need to use different tools and methods to test your system security. Some common tools and methods include vulnerability scanners, penetration testing, code analysis, configuration audits, and log analysis. Choose the tools and methods that are suitable for your test objectives, your system architecture, and your level of expertise. Also, make sure that you use the tools and methods in a responsible and ethical manner, following the guidelines and best practices of the security community.
Before you run any security test, you need to prepare your environment and backup your data. Preparing your environment means ensuring that your system is stable, updated, and isolated from other systems or networks that are not part of the test. You may need to use a sandbox, a virtual machine, or a separate test network to create a safe and controlled environment for your test. Backing up your data means creating copies of your files, databases, or configurations that you can restore in case of any damage or loss during the test. You may need to use encryption, compression, or cloud storage to secure and store your backups.
During your security test, you need to monitor and document your actions and results. Monitoring your test means keeping track of your system performance, activity, and status, using tools such as dashboards, alerts, or reports. You may need to adjust your test parameters, pause your test, or stop your test if you notice any abnormal or unexpected behavior or outcome. Documenting your test means recording your test steps, inputs, outputs, and findings, using tools such as logs, screenshots, or notes. You may need to use a standard format, template, or tool to organize and store your documentation.
After your security test, you need to analyze and report your findings. Analyzing your findings means reviewing your documentation, identifying any issues, gaps, or weaknesses in your system security, and evaluating the impact and severity of your findings. You may need to use tools such as charts, graphs, or tables to visualize and summarize your findings. Reporting your findings means communicating your findings to the relevant stakeholders, such as your managers, clients, or auditors, and providing recommendations, solutions, or action plans to improve your system security. You may need to use tools such as presentations, reports, or emails to deliver and share your findings.
Follow the BCP/DR plan and have regular drilling from table top exercises to a full interruption test. Next have a VA/PT policy based on your business needs were you will be tested based on a methodology without hampering your prod environment. Have things like High Availability, Load Balancing, Fault Tolerance, Resilience in your environment.These things will keep your business intact in cases of any test or any real incident.
If possible, take snapshot of the systems and and create an isolated environment with snapshots, and run the tests on the snapshots, not the real environment. Depending on the findings, advise the necessary changes, and retest it on the snapshot after changes are made and compare the results with previous test. Some updates may while fixing some can create other vulnerabilities. And when sequential tests show the accomplishment in the change, advise the same changes to the actual systems.