Minimising Cyber attacks through Software Security Testing

Security attacks have increased dramatically. Cyber attackers occasionally develop new techniques to access the system without authorisation, where a small loophole can let the hackers break in to steal the confidential data of organisations and customers. Through security testing, this can be significantly reduced, but before moving to that, here are a few stats representing the growing threats of cyber-attacks:?

• By 2023 It is expected that cyber-security breaches will grow to 15.4 million.
• In the U.S., only 50% of businesses have a cybersecurity strategy in place.
• Malware and phishing are the most frequent causes of cyberattacks (22% and 20%, respectively).
• Only 43% of firms feel financially ready to deal with a cyber-attack in 2022, despite the $6.9 billion in costs associated with cybercrime in the United States in 2021.
• According to recent global research of 1,000 CIOs, 82% believe their companies are susceptible to cyberattacks targeting software supply chains.

Stats and trends continue to show that cybercrime is on the rise, and so are the risks for businesses, organisations, and consumers in particular. Some of the common types of cyber-security threats and the significance of security testing include:?

• Malware: Malware is a term used to describe a range of online threats, such as viruses, worms, and trojan horses, that can infect a computer system through email attachments, operating system flaws, and software downloads.
• Phishing: Email attacks may contain a link that directs the user to a fake website intended to steal the user's personal information.
• SQL Injection: It operates by taking advantage of well-known SQL vulnerabilities that let malicious software running on the SQL server and access user data.
• Session hijacking: By obtaining the session ID, an attacker can take control of the session and log in as a legitimate user to access the data on the web server.
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): XSS attack happens by inserting malicious code into a comment or script. The script might run automatically and cause considerable harm to the website by putting the users' information at risk.
• And attackers use denial-of-service (DoS) techniques to bombard a network with large amounts of data or traffic until it gets overloaded and ceases to function.

Companies must realise the importance of security testing to develop secure web and mobile applications, which deserves special attention to tackle the above possible threats.??

The Mobile application security testing strategy includes static and dynamic analysis also pentest to alleviate the areas of risks associated with the mobile app. As a result of a mobile app attack, a malicious attacker can steal intellectual property; apps may be illegally redistributed, the possibility of data getting exposed, and, more importantly, it can cause damage to the reputation of an organisation. Scanning the code to identify potential vulnerabilities through automated solutions can enable the development teams to reduce the security risks before the app is released and is considered one of the best practices to implement earlier in the SDLC lifecycle.

As far as Web applications are concerned, the security testing process involves verification of the information system, protecting the data and maintaining its intended functionality through vigorous investigation of the application for any weaknesses & technical flaws.?

Here are a? few critical security testing techniques that organisations must consider implementing to safeguard their confidential data:?

• Penetration Testing: A type of test that simulates an attack from a malicious hacker. It analyses a system to determine if it has vulnerabilities to external attacks.
• Vulnerability Scanning: Identifying weaknesses in systems using automated software.
• Ethical Hacking: The act of hacking software and systems within an organisation to expose security flaws.
• Risk Assessment: Defining security risks in an organisation is what risk assessment is all about, identifying high, medium, and low-security risks within the organisation; by doing so, it recommends controls & measures to reduce the risk.
• Security Auditing: The internal examination of an application or operating system to look for security flaws, and this audit can also be done through code inspection.

Organisations today lack a team who can focus entirely on performing and covering the security aspects of a product and the technical skills to identify, prevent and respond to various types of cyber threats, like malware, phishing, bugs, Etc. Financial applications are susceptible to substantial security threats needing good layers of complete protection.

At QAonCloud, we have a team dedicated to security auditing, ethical hacking, security scanning, penetration testing, and vulnerability scanning as part of our security testing services. Our team has the hands-on experience to provide customised solutions for the product's security, firewall protection and data compliance to help you stay ahead of your competition, making you feel confident and secure about every product release. Get in touch with us to know more.