The security of your business’s data is of utmost importance, and it is essential that you perform security testing regularly to ensure that your systems are safe. In this blog post, we will discuss what security testing is, why it is important, and how to pick the right security testing software for your needs. We will also take a look at some of the best security testing software available in the current market.
What is Security Testing?
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The practice of security testing is the examination of a computer system or application’s security. Security testers look for flaws that might be used by attackers to access sensitive data or disrupt business operations. Security testing can be performed manually or with the help of specialized security testing software.
Why is Security Testing Required?
With so much of our lives and businesses taking place online, attackers have more opportunities than ever to exploit vulnerabilities and steal data. Security testing software helps identify potential security risks so they can be addressed before attackers have a chance to take advantage of them.
What is a Security Testing Software?
A security testing software is a tool that helps security testers automate the security testing process. Security testing software can be used to scan for vulnerabilities, simulate attacks, and monitor systems for suspicious activity.
Security Testing: Different Approaches
There are seven different approaches to security testing:
- Vulnerability Scanning: This is accomplished through automated software that searches a system for known vulnerability signatures.
- Security Scanning: It entails detecting network and system vulnerabilities, as well as resolving any potential hazards.
- Penetration testing: This is a form of testing that resembles a hacker’s assault. This entails studying a specific system to see whether there are any potential security holes that might be exploited by an external hacking attempt.
- Risk Assessment: This testing includes an analysis of the organization’s security concerns. Low, medium and high risks are identified. This test identifies controls and procedures that may be used to reduce risk.
- Security Auditing: It’s a thorough internal evaluation of apps and operating systems for security holes. Line-by-line examination of the code may also be used to perform an audit. Additionally, it’s important to tokenize sensitive data is an essential practice during security auditing to protect confidential information.
- Ethical Hacking: Hacking a company’s software systems is what it’s all about. Unlike malicious hackers, who steal for personal gain, ethical hackers try to discover security flaws in order to help people.
- Posture Assessment: This approach incorporates Security Scans, Ethical Hacking, and Risk Assessments to provide a company’s security posture as a whole.
Best Security Testing Software Tools in the Current Market
There are many security testing software products available in the market, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here is a list of some of the best security testing software products available:
Astra Security
The Network Security Solution from Astra Security is a one-of-a-kind product developed by Astra Security, a leading provider of network security services. It can help you discover and repair security vulnerabilities on your network. Astra’s solution aids in the identification of network security holes and the filling of those gaps.
The solution examines and verifies your network to detect network devices, ports, and protocols that are vulnerable to attacks.
Nmap
Nmap or Network Mapper was created to rapidly scan huge networks but may also be used on single machines. Nmap employs non-standard IP packet patterns in innovative ways to identify which hosts are accessible on the network, what services (application name and version) they provide, what operating systems (and OS versions) they run, and a wide range of other information.
OpenVAS
OpenVAS is a network vulnerability scanning software that can perform a complete security assessment of the network infrastructure. The OpenVAS project is worldwide cooperation that has been utilized by numerous organizations all around the world. It’s available for no charge and may be utilized with commercial solutions.
Greenbone Software is the creator of OpenVAS, which is a free and open-source vulnerability scanning tool. Greenbone Security feed is the paid version, while the Greenbone Community feed is the free one.
Things to Consider Before Selecting a Security Testing Software
Do Your Research
There are several tools to select from, and each one comes with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. For example, a certain tool may produce reports rapidly but also cause too many false alarms. Another one might have excellent capabilities but be difficult to use. You want to pick a solution that has the appropriate combination of functionality, speed, accuracy, and user-friendliness for your organization.
Fewer the false positives the better
When an automated vulnerability scanner signals a problem that isn’t a security concern or doesn’t exist, it’s known as a false positive. Because they engage knowledge workers in a pointless search for no reason, false positives are very difficult to handle. It involves the needless expenditure of time and resources. You’ll need some software to sort potential false positives into another category.
A savvy tool may help you save a lot of time
With each usage, a machine learning-based security testing software that learns more about your network with time and gets increasingly efficient should be on your radar. When there’s an update to the web application you’re using it on, an automated security testing tool should be able to perform a scan. There are minor features such as integration with CI/CD tools or scanning after login that might make a big difference in terms of user experience and efficiency.
A detailed vulnerability report
You want your vulnerability report to be comprehensive, thorough, and easy to comprehend. It should correctly identify the flaws based on their severity and CVSS scores. It should provide guidance for security improvements. If you hire a pentesting service, the report should include extensive developer guidelines for reproducing an exploit and fixing it. The tool should be able to assign vulnerabilities to developers if necessary.
A legitimate certificate
If you’re undergoing a penetration test, you’ll get a freely verifiable certificate (of course, after you’ve fixed the flaws and rescanned your site). Businesses dealing with consumer data or sensitive information require special security testing certificates. Many industry sectors, therefore, insist on such certifications. You must make certain that the security testing software you’re using issues a publicly verifiable certificate.
Conclusion
Security testing is critical to the security of your apps and systems. There are a variety of alternative tools on the market, some of which may be difficult to choose between. Take into account the criteria listed above while making an educated selection. Do your research and pick a tool that best suits your needs. Whichever security testing software you choose, make sure it meets all of your organization’s requirements. Happy security testing!
