How can Cybersecurity Testing Safeguard Your Data in 5 Ways

The world around us is riding the digital wave. Digital-first has become the mantra enterprises want to embrace to attain competitive advantage and deliver high-value products to their customers. There is no industry that has not been impacted by digitization, as it has assisted scores of companies, individuals, entities, and economies in remaining operational while the pandemic loomed. There is no denying that the World Wide Web has bound everyone together by a common thread, whether as entrepreneurs, service providers, or end customers, to achieve a common goal of convenience, speed, and excellence.

However, with every milestone being reached by digital technologies, namely, IoT, AI, ML, cloud computing, and automated botnets, among others, there is the lurking fear of cybercrime as well. With the digital footprint being expanded in every sphere and the confidential information of individuals and entities riding the digital wave, cybercriminals are bent upon raking in the moolah by causing data breaches and other nefarious activities. According to statistics, cybercrime is expected to cost $10.5 trillion by 2025 (Source: Cybersecurity Ventures). As if on cue, global spending on cybersecurity is going to exceed $1.75 trillion between 2021 and 2025 (Source: Cybersecurity Ventures). This calls for leveraging cybersecurity testing services and shoring up the defenses of enterprises from any emanating threats.

Cybercriminals are targeting companies and their supply chains to cause a single breach and harvest a treasure trove of valuable data. So, how do companies prevent such outcomes even when seemingly secure digital ecosystems do not appear to be secure anymore? The answer lies in implementing stringent cybersecurity testing across the value chain and keeping it updated in view of the rapidly emerging attack vectors such as ransomware, trojans, worms, and viruses, among others. Also, it is imperative to conduct cybersecurity risk assessments regularly and back them up with the use of powerful software tools or firewalls

Types of attack vectors used by cybercriminals

The list of attack vectors is growing by the day, and in most cases, the vectors target the human user, especially taking advantage of his or her ignorance, greed, or curiosity through social engineering tools. The various types of attack vectors let loose on unsuspecting users by cybercriminals are:

Malware: It comes in the form of viruses, trojans, and worms that are introduced into the system through email attachments and software downloads, among others.

Phishing: It is executed through emails containing fraudulent links and seeks to steal users’ confidential information by guiding them to click on the links.

SQL Injection: It exploits known SQL vulnerabilities wherein the SQL server runs malicious code to access confidential information of the users.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Here, the cybercriminal injects a malicious code into a script or comment that runs automatically and can damage the website.

Denial-of-Service (Dos): The attacker sends a high volume of traffic through the network until it gets overwhelmed and stops functioning.

Types of cybersecurity techniques

Business enterprises employ multiple cybersecurity techniques to keep their critical data and information safe from the prying eyes of cybercriminals.

Penetration or Pen testing: Penetration testing subjects the system to a simulated attack to understand any potential vulnerabilities and then fixes them before the real attacker hits.

Ethical hacking: It involves hacking an enterprise’s IT systems to understand the security flaws or vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability scanning: Here, an automated software scans the system to identify any vulnerabilities.

Risk assessment: Here, an enterprise’s security risks are identified and categorized as low, medium, or high. It recommends measures to reduce the risks.

Security audit: The IT systems comprising applications, operating systems, networks, and others are inspected internally to identify security flaws.

5 ways cybersecurity testing can safeguard enterprises

Robust application security testing can safeguard the IT assets of an enterprise in the following ways:

1. Adaptable to the enterprise: Cybersecurity testing can be tailor-made to suit the unique requirements of the enterprise. It can protect the enterprise from internal and external networks and secure its web and mobile applications, and/or wireless systems. For instance, in the DevSecOps scheme of things, a code will never be accepted in the repository unless it is found to be safe. So, the developer ought to fix any security issues before moving on to the next code.
2. Identifies different types of threats: Cybersecurity testing can use many methods to reveal threats facing the enterprise. One of these methods, called social engineering, can reveal sensitive information about the users or enterprises using email phishing. This way, the employees of the enterprise can be sensitized about cybersecurity threats.
3. Satisfies compliance requirements: The industry has many regulations to safeguard the interests of the users. With software security testing, the enterprise can be assured of adhering to the compliance requirements. These regulations can be in the form of PCI data security standards and/or HIPAA (for medical devices), among others.
4. Safeguards stored credit card data: Cybersecurity testing is important for companies involved in storing credit card data, using payment processing of any kind, or acting as a PCI service provider for a third party. The testing will validate the process of collecting and storing credit card data and prevent any breach.
5. Generates critical information: The cybersecurity testing report should meet the needs of various departments in an enterprise, namely, IT, management, and auditors (internal or external), among others. It defines the scope of testing, the methodology used, the vulnerabilities found, and the recommendations to address any adverse findings.

Conclusion

Although no amount of security testing practice can give foolproof security against potential cyber-attacks, it can more or less create for the enterprise a robust security umbrella to prevent its valuable or critical data and assets from falling into the hands of cybercriminals.

James Daniel is a software Tech enthusiastic & works at Cigniti Technologies. I'm having a great understanding of today's software testing quality that yields strong results and always happy to create valuable content & share thoughts.