7 Tips to Select an Application Security Testing Vendor

The growing specter of cybercrime has made enterprises, not to speak of law enforcement agencies, sit up and take a hard look at their cybersecurity testing measures. According to statistics on data breaches, the damage accrued to organizations due to cybercrime is likely to touch a whopping figure of $6 trillion annually by 2021. Also, the World Economic Forum states that cyberattacks are ranked first when it is about the risks caused by humans. And by 2021, cybercrime is projected to cost the world a whopping $11.4 million every minute (Source: Cybersecurity Ventures).

These alarming statistics are testimony to the need for employing application security testing services by business enterprises across domains and geographies. In other words, if maintaining an in-house software security apparatus is a costly proposition for small and medium scale organizations, it is better to choose a vendor for application security testing. However, the million-dollar question is how to choose such a vendor and secure the organization from threats such as ransomware, social engineering, DDoS attacks, viruses and trojans, and others.

Key tips to choose an application security testing vendor

When it is about selecting a vendor to test your apps and IT systems and mitigate any security risks, there are a plethora of factors to consider. It calls for making an informed decision on deploying/integrating a software security testing vendor in the SDLC. However, before deciding on the vendor, you must be clear about what the third-party vendor is expected to achieve.

l If your organization does not release frequent applications or updates, you can just do with a compliance certificate.

l Based on the security understanding of your developers, you may just require vulnerability reports or support to mitigate such vulnerabilities.

Do you need to set up security automation in your CI/CD pipeline?

If you are clear about the tasks to be performed or the security objectives to be met by third-party application security testing services, here are the seven best vendor selection tips.

#1 Assess the vendor's accomplishments: A vendor can be considered competent in cybersecurity testing if it has proprietary tools and technologies, is well-known in the cybersecurity community or domain, has published any case studies, articles, or research papers on penetration testing or other types of web application security testing, or has made vulnerability disclosures for a variety of web applications.

#2 Not just certifications: Although certifications from regulatory agencies do prove the competence and experience of a vendor in providing cybersecurity, they are not the be-all and end-all of cybersecurity. Since penetration testing has not yet reached any consensus on validating a security testing strategy, focusing more on certifications can leave a lot of knowledgeable vendors in the cold. So, put more value on individual knowledge and skills rather than on industry certifications.

Testing mode: automated vs. manual: Automated testing is performed using tools and scanners, which, even though they can provide speed and better coverage, can lack depth. Manual testing, on the other hand, can ensure depth but takes too long a time to complete testing, which can impair the release cycle of software applications. Hence, it is better to follow a hybrid testing approach that brings the best of both worlds. Here, automation in the initial stages, namely, recon, mapping, and discovery can be followed with manual testing in the latter half to achieve depth in testing without sacrificing coverage. Find out if the security testing vendor in question follows an automated, manual, or hybrid model of cybersecurity testing. The vendor, by applying automated, manual, or hybrid testing, can identify the built-in business logic vulnerabilities that are unique to every application.

Reporting and analysis: Developers approach any application from a functional standpoint, which often makes it difficult for them to fix security vulnerabilities. The vendor should provide proper reports and the steps to be taken for remediation. Writing reams explaining the vulnerabilities can frustrate developers, who may end up spending hours understanding the issues and fixing them. The report should refer to the exact page number and parameter to identify the vulnerability, preferably using screenshots, and the exact steps to resolve them.

Evaluate vendor’s trustworthiness: Since the vendor will gain entry into the systems and get access to sensitive and confidential business and customer information, ensure that it is trustworthy. Find out its previous clients and ask them about their experience with the vendor - both positive and negative. Further, talk to the vendor about the security policy of its organization, insurance, indemnity clause, and hiring process, among others.

Scalability: Check with the vendor if it can scale up the pace of testing if there is a requirement. Find out the peak capacity of the vendor and whether its infrastructure and resources are able to support your peak requirements. Will it be able to conduct simultaneous testing in parallel if the need arises

Conclusion

Since the security of applications has become critical for their success in the market, they should be subjected to rigorous security testing by hiring the services of an experienced and trustworthy security testing vendor. However, the selection process should be sound enough to weed out the unsuitable ones.

James Daniel is a software Tech enthusiastic & works at Cigniti Technologies I'm having a great understanding of today's software testing quality