Security Testing and Its types
Security testing is the process of validating the security of an organization's IT environment to identify vulnerabilities and minimize risk. It is a critical part of any software development and deployment process as it helps ensure the protection of an organization’s assets from unauthorized access, malicious activity, and data breaches.
There are several types of security testing that organizations can use to validate the effectiveness of their security systems.
Network scanning: Network scans are used to detect and report any weak points in the network and can identify open ports, malware, and unauthorized access. Network scanning is the process of examining a network for active services, open ports, and other sensitive information. It involves sending packets on the network to potentially vulnerable services to detect active services, open ports, operating systems, and applications running on them. Network scanning is commonly used by penetration testers to detect security flaws in a network and by system administrators to audit their networks for potential security threats.
Penetration testing: Penetration testing is a simulated attack on the system with the aim of accessing sensitive information or exploiting security flaws. It is an important security testing process to verify the effectiveness of organizations’ defence mechanisms.
Penetration testing, also known as pen testing, is a simulated real-world attack that is used to test the security of a computer system, network, application, or other IT infrastructure component. The objective of penetration testing is to identify vulnerabilities that can be exploited by attackers.
Web application security testing: Web application security testing assesses the security of web applications by checking for vulnerable points such as SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).
Wireless security testing: Wireless security testing assesses the security of a wireless network by verifying the encryption capabilities, authentication, and access controls. Wireless security testing consists of a combination of different techniques, tools, and processes that are used to evaluate the security of a wireless network.
Social engineering: This type of security testing focuses on how much information can be obtained by an attacker via social engineering techniques. These techniques include phishing emails, man-in-the-middle attacks, and impersonating a legitimate user.
Security auditing: Security auditing is the process of evaluating the systems, services, and processes to ensure they are secure. It includes inspecting the system for patches, logging activities, manual audits, and the use of automated tools to identify vulnerabilities.
Malware analysis: Malware analysis is used to detect and analyse malicious code and evaluate the potential impact it could have on the system.
Ethical hacking: Ethical hacking is the practice of attempting to gain access to computer systems and networks with the permission of the owner. A person who engages in this practice is known as an ethical hacker, and their aim is to detect weaknesses in an organization's security system in order to help their employer make improvements to protect sensitive data.
Security testing helps organizations identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities and minimize the risk of data breaches. It is important to ensure that all these testing processes are regularly performed and that the organization’s security policies are up-to-date. By implementing these testing processes, organizations can protect their valuable assets and ensure the security of their IT infrastructure.