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Application Security Testing Best Practices
What is Application Security Testing and Why is it Important for Your Organization?
Application security testing is the process of evaluating and assessing the security of an application or software system to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious attackers. It involves a series of techniques and methodologies, including: code reviews, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and security assessments, among others.
Application security testing is essential for organizations to ensure the security and protection of their valuable data and assets. As technology advances, more and more business operations and services are delivered through applications, making them the primary targets for cyber-attacks. These attacks can lead to data breaches, system crashes, financial losses, and reputational damage, among other consequences.
Best Practices for Application Security Testing
01. Implement a Comprehensive Security Testing Strategy
Develop a comprehensive security testing strategy that covers all stages of the software development lifecycle. This strategy should include a combination of automated and manual testing techniques, such as static analysis, dynamic analysis, and penetration testing.
02. Involve Security Experts Early On
Involve security experts early on in the development process to ensure that security is baked into the application from the start. This will help to identify potential vulnerabilities and address them before they become more difficult and expensive to fix. This is also particularly applicable if your organization is considering or beginning a digital transformation initiative like SAP S/4HANA or SAP RISE.
03. Use Multiple Testing Techniques
Use a variety of testing techniques, such as black-box, white-box, and gray-box testing, to identify different types of vulnerabilities. This will provide a more comprehensive view of the security posture of the application.
04. Test for Common Vulnerabilities
Test for common vulnerabilities, such as injection attacks, cross-site scripting, and cross-site request forgery, as these are among the most commonly exploited vulnerabilities by attackers.
05. Conduct Regular Testing
Conduct regular security testing throughout the software development lifecycle to identify and address new vulnerabilities as they are introduced. This will help to ensure that the application remains secure as new features and functionality are added.
06. Integrate Testing into the Development Process
Integrate security testing into the development process using tools such as continuous integration and continuous testing. This will help to identify vulnerabilities early on and reduce the risk of security issues being introduced into the application.
07. Prioritize Vulnerabilities
Prioritize vulnerabilities based on their severity and potential impact on the application and the organization. This will help to focus resources on the most critical vulnerabilities first.
08. Test Third-Party Components
Test third-party components and libraries used in the application to ensure that they are free of vulnerabilities and do not introduce new security risks.
09. Perform Regular Updates and Patching
Perform regular updates and patching of the application and its components to address newly discovered vulnerabilities and ensure that the application remains secure.
10. Document and Communicate Findings
Document and communicate the findings of security testing to all stakeholders, including developers, management, and security teams. This will help to ensure that vulnerabilities are addressed and that everyone is aware of the security posture of the application.
Types of Application Security Testing
There are several types of application security testing techniques that organizations can use to identify vulnerabilities and ensure the security of their applications. Here are some of the most common types of application security testing:
Characteristics of End-to-End
Application Security Testing
End-to-end application security testing refers to the comprehensive testing of an application’s security throughout its entire lifecycle, from design and development to deployment and operation. Here are some characteristics of end-to-end application security testing:
Comprehensive
End-to-end application security testing involves testing every aspect of an application’s security, including its architecture, design, source code, and runtime environment. This ensures that vulnerabilities are identified and addressed at every stage of the application’s lifecycle.
Continuous
End-to-end application security testing is an ongoing process that should be integrated into the development and deployment pipeline. This ensures that security issues are identified and addressed as soon as they arise, reducing the risk of attackers exploiting vulnerabilities.
Collaborative
End-to-end application security testing involves collaboration between developers, security teams, and other stakeholders. This ensures that everyone is aware of potential security risks and that security is incorporated into every aspect of the application’s development and deployment.
Automated
End-to-end application security testing relies heavily on automation to identify vulnerabilities and ensure consistent testing across all stages of the application’s lifecycle. Automated testing tools can be used to test for common vulnerabilities and provide feedback to developers in real-time.
Risk-Based
End-to-end application security testing is risk-based, meaning that vulnerabilities are prioritized based on their severity and potential impact on the application and the organization. This ensures that resources are focused on addressing the most critical vulnerabilities first.
Scalable
End-to-end application security testing is scalable, meaning that it can be adapted to suit the needs of applications of all sizes and complexity levels. This ensures that even large and complex applications can be thoroughly tested for security vulnerabilities.
Documented
End-to-end application security testing involves documenting all findings and ensuring that stakeholders are aware of the application’s security posture. This helps to ensure that vulnerabilities are addressed and that everyone involved in the application’s development and deployment is aware of potential security risks.
Onapsis Control for Application
Security Testing
Powered by research and insights from the Onapsis Research Labs, Onapsis Control provides automated application security testing for SAP applications, enabling organizations to build security into development processes to find and fix issues as quickly as possible.
Reduce time spent on code reviews: Enable automated code scanning assessments and eliminate manual processes to identify vulnerabilities quickly and accurately. Faster remediation leverages step-by-step instructions.
Reduce costly errors in production: More visibility into transports allows you to block or mitigate transport errors. Critical issues in code and transports are prevented from getting into production systems, saving you money.
Prioritize code issue resolution based on impact: Predefined test cases allow you to scan millions of lines of code in minutes, including but not limited to: security, compliance, data loss prevention, code performance, robustness, and maintainability. Mitigation can be prioritized using impact and probability ratings.
One-click resolution for common code errors: Code review cycles are accelerated by leveraging automated code identification and remediation tools to find and fix common errors in bulk code.
Further Reading
Want a more in-depth exploration? Start with these related pieces, then visit our Resources page for more.
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