The protection of applications against cyber threats is paramount. With hackers becoming increasingly sophisticated, organizations must prioritize robust security testing practices. In this informative session, we will unveil a comprehensive security testing checklist designed to fortify your applications against potential vulnerabilities and attacks.

1. Definitive Security Testing
Checklist: Shielding Your
Applications against
Cyber Threats
Ankur Thakur
Senior Software Consultant

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3. 1. What is Security Testing?
2. Need for Security Testing?
3. Understanding the Threat Landscape
4. The Security Testing Checklist
• Vulnerability Assessment
• Penetration Testing
• Code Review
• Security Scanning
• Access Control Testing
• Data Protection Testing
5. Remediation Techniques for Security
Testing
6. Continuous Security

4. What is Security Testing?
• Security testing is a systematic and structured process designed to assess the
security of a software application, system, or network.
• Its primary purpose is to identify vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and potential
security threats that could be exploited by malicious actors.
• Security testing simulates real-world attacks and uses various techniques to
evaluate the effectiveness of security measures and controls in place.
• The goal is to ensure that the tested entity (e.g., a website, software
application, or network) is resistant to unauthorized access, data breaches, and
other security risks.

5. Need for Security Testing?
• Risk Mitigation: Identifies vulnerabilities before cyberattacks occur.
• Reputation Protection: Prevents damage to an organization's image and
customer trust.
• Legal Compliance: Ensures adherence to data protection regulations.
• Financial Risk Reduction: Minimizes the financial impact of security incidents.
• Competitive Edge: Demonstrates commitment to data security, attracting
clients.
• Trust Building: Builds and maintains trust with customers and stakeholders.
• Preventive Measure: Addresses vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
• Integral to Strategy: An essential part of a comprehensive cybersecurity
strategy.

6. Common Cyber Threats
and Their Impact
Real-world Example:
Recent Cyber Attack
Current Cybersecurity
Landscape
• Threat actors are highly skilled,
organized, and well-funded.
• The attack surface has
expanded with more digital
devices and IoT.
• Ransomware attacks have
surged, causing disruption and
financial losses.
• Supply chain attacks
compromise trusted software
and hardware.
• Phishing and social engineering
remain prevalent.
• Malware compromises systems
and steals data.
• Phishing deceives users into
revealing sensitive information.
• Ransomware encrypts data and
demands payment.
• SQL injection manipulates
databases and leads to data
leaks.
• DDoS attacks render systems
inaccessible.
• Insider threats pose risks from
within organizations.
• SolarWinds suffered a supply
chain attack in 2020.
• The attack compromised
thousands of organizations
globally.
• It was attributed to a Russian
state-sponsored group.
• The incident exposed
vulnerabilities in software supply
chains.
• Robust security testing is crucial
for detecting and mitigating
such threats.
Understanding the Threat Landscape

7. The Security Testing Checklist
01 02
03
05 06
04
Identifies and assesses
vulnerabilities and
weaknesses in a system or
application.
Vulnerability Assessment:
Examines application source
code to identify security flaws
and coding errors.
Code Review
Evaluates access controls to
ensure only authorized users
have appropriate permissions.
Access Control Testing
Simulates real-world attacks to
uncover vulnerabilities and
assess the security posture.
Penetration Testing
Utilizes automated tools to
scan and analyze applications
for known vulnerabilities and
issues.
Security Scanning
Verifies the encryption,
storage, and handling of
sensitive data to prevent
breaches.
Data Protection Testing

8. Vulnerability Assessment
• Identifying Vulnerabilities: The primary purpose
of vulnerability assessment is to identify
weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and potential entry
points in an organization's systems, applications,
and network infrastructure.
• Risk Mitigation: By discovering vulnerabilities,
organizations can assess and prioritize risks,
allowing them to take proactive steps to mitigate
potential threats before they are exploited by
attackers.
• Compliance: Vulnerability assessments often play
a crucial role in meeting regulatory and compliance
requirements, which mandate regular security
evaluations to protect sensitive data.

9. Penetration Testing:
• Identifying Vulnerabilities: The primary purpose
of penetration testing is to simulate real-world
cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities, weaknesses,
and security gaps in an organization's systems,
applications, and network infrastructure.
• Validation of Security Measures: It validates the
effectiveness of an organization's security
measures, including firewalls, intrusion detection
systems, and access controls, by attempting to
circumvent them.
• Risk Assessment: Pen testing helps organizations
assess the potential risks they face from
sophisticated attackers and prioritize actions to
mitigate those risks.

10. Code Review:
• Identifying Security Flaws: The primary purpose
of code review is to meticulously examine source
code to identify security vulnerabilities, coding
errors, and weaknesses that could be exploited by
attackers.
• Quality Assurance: Code reviews also serve the
purpose of ensuring the overall quality,
maintainability, and readability of the codebase.
• Early Detection: By identifying issues in the early
stages of development, code review helps prevent
security vulnerabilities from making their way into
production, saving time and resources.

11. Security Scanning:
• Identifying Vulnerabilities: The primary purpose
of security scanning is to automatically and
systematically identify vulnerabilities, weaknesses,
and misconfigurations in applications, systems, and
networks.
• Continuous Monitoring: Security scanning
provides continuous monitoring of an organization's
digital assets, helping to detect vulnerabilities as
they emerge.
• Risk Reduction: By identifying vulnerabilities in a
timely manner, security scanning helps
organizations reduce the risk of security breaches
and data compromises.

12. Access Control Testing:
• Evaluating Permissions: The primary purpose of
access control testing is to evaluate the
effectiveness of access control mechanisms in
place, ensuring that users and systems have
appropriate permissions and restrictions.
• Identifying Weaknesses: Access control testing
aims to identify weaknesses, misconfigurations, and
vulnerabilities that could lead to unauthorized
access or data breaches.
• Compliance Verification: It helps organizations
ensure compliance with security policies,
regulations, and data protection standards related
to access control.

13. Data Protection Testing:
• Data Security Assessment: The primary purpose
of data protection testing is to assess the
effectiveness of security measures and controls in
place for safeguarding sensitive data.
• Vulnerability Identification: It aims to identify
vulnerabilities, weaknesses, or misconfigurations in
data storage, transmission, and access
mechanisms.
• Data Compliance: Data protection testing helps
organizations ensure compliance with data
protection laws, regulations, and industry
standards.

14. Remediation Techniques for Security Testing
• Patch and Update Software:
• Apply security patches and updates for the operating system, web server, application server, and
all dependencies.
• Keep software and libraries up-to-date to address known vulnerabilities.
• Code Fixes:
• Fix coding errors and vulnerabilities identified during code reviews and static analysis.
• Implement secure coding practices to prevent future vulnerabilities.
• Access Control:
• Review and update access control lists (ACLs) and permissions to ensure that only authorized
users have access to resources.
• Implement role-based access control (RBAC) to manage user privileges.
• Authentication and Authorization:
• Strengthen password policies, enforce password complexity, and encourage multi-factor
authentication (MFA).
• Implement proper authorization mechanisms to restrict user actions based on roles and
permissions.

15. Remediation Techniques for Security Testing
• Data Encryption:
• Encrypt sensitive data both at rest and in transit using strong encryption algorithms.
• Secure key management to protect encryption keys.
Secure Configuration:
• Review and adjust server and application configurations to minimize exposure to potential
threats.
• Disable unnecessary services and features.
• Error Handling and Input Validation:
• Improve error handling to prevent the exposure of sensitive information in error messages.
• Implement thorough input validation to prevent injection attacks (e.g., SQL injection, XSS).
• Firewall and Intrusion Detection:
• Configure firewalls to filter malicious traffic.
• Implement intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) to monitor for suspicious
activities.

16. Remediation Techniques for Security Testing
• Secure APIs:
• Ensure that API endpoints are properly secured with authentication and authorization
mechanisms.
• Implement rate limiting and access controls to protect against abuse.
• Data Backup and Recovery:
• Regularly back up data and verify the backup and restore process.
• Develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan.
• Security Awareness Training:
• Provide security training and awareness programs to educate employees about security
risks and best practices.
• Incident Response Plan:
• Develop and test an incident response plan to effectively respond to security incidents
when they occur.

17. Remediation Techniques for Security Testing
• Vulnerability Management:
• Establish a process for continuous vulnerability scanning and assessment.
• Prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities based on their severity and impact.
• Third-party Assessments:
• Regularly assess and validate the security of third-party services and components
used in your application.
• Regular Security Audits:
• Conduct regular security audits to assess the effectiveness of security measures and
make necessary adjustments.
• Security Monitoring and Logging:
• Implement robust logging and monitoring solutions to detect and respond to security
incidents in real-time.

18. Continuous Security
(DevSecOps)
 DevSecOps is a set of practices and
principles that integrates security into the
DevOps (Development and Operations)
process. It shifts security from being a
separate, post-development activity to
an integral part of the development
pipeline.

19. Integrating Security into Development
S
D
e
e
v
c
Security as Code: Security
policies are treated as code and
integrated into the development
pipeline.
Continuous Monitoring:
Ongoing, real-time security
monitoring with automated
feedback.
Automation: Security tests are
automated and run continuously
throughout development.
Shift Left: Security is
integrated from the very
beginning of development.
Collaboration: Teams work
together to ensure security at
every stage.

21. Q&A