Cyberspace is an incredible place for businesses; look at how far we’ve got. Today, companies generate $1.2 million worth of revenue every 30 seconds, 500 online hotel bookings happen every minute, and about 140,000 websites are created every hour.
But, there is another side to the story too.
There is a hacker attack every 39 seconds , 230,000 new malware samples are produced every day, and companies take more than 6 months to detect a breach.
Unfortunately, the tremendous opportunity to grow online is also an invitation for malicious activities. As companies focus on acquiring customers, they often overlook what a potential breach or even a hint of it could do. Take a look at one of our posts on how breaches affect companies.
While drafting an online security model takes time and dedicated staff, we’ve always maintained that penetration testing tools are one of the best places to start.
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Hackers use automated tools to scan websites and apps before manually trying to exploit security loopholes. As the first step towards securing assets, you should do the same- only with better resources and before them.
We’ve already talked about what penetration testing is , and in this post, we’re giving out some valuable suggestions on selecting and optimizing the testing tool for your business.
Contents
1. Look for more than just automated testing 2. Application Logic Mappingis critical 4. Ask for a testing plan 5. Look at the reporting module 6. See if you’re getting severity insights 7. Ask for remediation support 8. Check for WAF compatibility 1. Look for more than just automated testingAs you search for tools to test a website, a dozen would appear. Believe us when we say that most of them are not thorough penetration testing instruments.
Pen testing is more than just running a machine to look for predefined problems with the website or an application . Yes, it is a part of the process but it requires a critical understanding of how hackers think and react, something which only a human tester can provide.
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Before you pay for a tool or even test it, ensure that it is not just a bot.
2. Application Logic Mappingis criticalSmart hackers understand that most successful online businesses have already covered the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. They thus analyze the business logic behind the application and try to exploit loopholes that a typical bot or an inexperienced tester would overlook.
Here are some of the basic examples of such vulnerabilities:
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If you’re pen testing for a predefined list of 10-20 vulnerabilities, the process is incomplete and inefficient.
3. Malware coverageGoogle and other search engines are serious about infected websites. They are quick to blacklist any web resource that can harm users. Often penetration testing tools do not cover infected code. Check with the vendor to see if they offer the service.
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4. Ask for a testing plan
Security vendors that understand the risks diligently convey the testing phases, exact dates, and follow-up procedure of the tests. Often testing involves documentation and credentials, along with descriptions of the web assets. As you can sense, it’s a process- not something you can request today and get the report by tomorrow morning.
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Vendors that do not follow a testing methodology are often inexperienced and unlikely to deliver thorough reports.
5. Look at the reporting moduleReporting is everything. What’s the use of a report that doesn’t convey information efficiently? While a security vendor might have a brilliant testing team, it all boils down to how they put it together for you to act upon.
Here are a few things to look for in penetration testing sample reports:
Defined reports Consistency in reporting vulnerabilities Understandable No signs of data manipulation/ unbiased Tester’s advice/observation/notes Decision-making valueImage may be NSFW.
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Next-generation security assessment products likeAppTrana offer live dashboards with graphical representations of the data. There are even options to download/export reports.
6. See if you’re getting severity insightsWhen talking about reports, security admins would unconditionally want the severity security metric. This offers a quick view of what resources are open to attacks and what kinds of risks the business faces in its current state.
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Risk severity of each vulnerability will help you prioritize remediation action.
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7. Ask for remediation support
Any company would agree that an assessment is just the first step toward securing your business. Your penetration testing tool report likely contains a list of vulnerabilities that need to be fixed according to priority.
Top pen testing tool vendors provide guidance on how to get rid of the reported security issues. There are multiple reasons why this support will prove vital-
Difficulty in understanding the nature of the vulnerability No experience in fixing a certain issue Lack of experienced staffImage may be NSFW.
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8. Check for WAF compatibility
If vulnerability detection is the first step in web security, protection would be the second. A web application firewall means instant protection.
Over the years, several surveys have shown th