This article will help you on basic checks of Security Testing

By Prasanth V — “Be Calm I’m a Security Tester”

Security Testing is a type of Software Testing that uncovers vulnerabilities, threats, and risks in a software application and prevents malicious attacks from intruders. The purpose of Security Tests is to identify all possible loopholes and weaknesses of the software system which might result in a loss of information, revenue, and reputation at the hands of the employees or outsiders of the Organization.

Why Security Testing?

Security testing is important because it helps to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities in software applications, systems, and networks. As technology becomes more advanced, security threats also become more sophisticated, and as a result, the need for effective security testing has become increasingly important.

1. Protecting sensitive data: Security testing helps to identify vulnerabilities in software applications and networks, which can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, such as personal information, financial data, or intellectual property.
2. Compliance with regulations: Security testing is often required by regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, and DSS, which mandate organizations to implement adequate security measures to protect sensitive data.
3. Avoiding financial losses: Security breaches can result in significant financial losses for organizations, including the cost of remediation, loss of revenue, and damage to reputation.
4. Maintaining customer trust: A security breach can have a devastating impact on an organization’s reputation and erode customer trust. Security testing helps to identify vulnerabilities and allows organizations to take proactive measures to protect their customers’ data.
5. Legal liability: Organizations can be held legally liable for security breaches that result in the loss or theft of sensitive data. Security testing can help to minimize legal risk by identifying vulnerabilities and mitigating them before an attack occurs.

In summary, security testing is essential to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities in software applications, systems, and networks. It helps organizations to protect sensitive data, comply with regulations, avoid financial losses, maintain customer trust, and minimize legal liability.

How Security Testing done

Security testing involves a variety of techniques and tools that are used to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities in software applications, systems, and networks. Here are some common methods used in security testing

1. Vulnerability scanning: This involves using automated tools to scan networks, systems, and applications for known vulnerabilities, such as unpatched software, weak passwords, or misconfigured servers.
2. Penetration testing: Also known as pen testing, this involves attempting to exploit vulnerabilities in a controlled manner to identify potential security weaknesses. Pen testing can be conducted manually or using automated tools.
3. Code review: This involves analysing the source code of an application or system to identify potential security vulnerabilities. Code review can be conducted manually or using automated tools.
4. Risk assessment: This involves identifying potential security risks and assessing their likelihood and impact. A risk assessment can help to prioritise security testing efforts and ensure that the most critical vulnerabilities are addressed first.
5. Social engineering: This involves attempting to exploit human weaknesses, such as trust or lack of awareness, to gain unauthorized access to systems or data. Social engineering can include techniques such as phishing, pretexting, or baiting.

Tools Used for Security Testing:

1. Kali Linux
2. Burp Suite
3. Nexus

Benefits of Security Testing?

1. Identification of security vulnerabilities: Security testing helps to identify security vulnerabilities in software applications, systems, and networks. This allows organizations to take proactive measures to mitigate these vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers.
2. Improved security posture: By identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities, organizations can improve their overall security posture. This can help to reduce the likelihood and impact of security breaches and increase customer trust.
3. Reduced risk of data breaches: By identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities, organizations can reduce the risk of data breaches. This can help to protect sensitive data, such as customer information, financial data, or intellectual property.
4. Cost savings: Security breaches can result in significant financial losses, including the cost of remediation, lost revenue, and damage to reputation. By identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities, organizations can reduce the likelihood and impact of security breaches, resulting in cost savings.
5. Increased customer trust: By taking proactive measures to protect sensitive data, organizations can increase customer trust. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and revenue.

Example of Security Attack:

1. Phishing Attack
2. Bypass(Manipulate the response)
3. ClickJacking Attack
4. SQL Injection

Overview of Hacking

1. Reconnaissance: This is the first phase of hacking where we collect all sorts of info.

• Active reconnaissance is looking for information about the target network system, server, or application to increase the chances of the hacker being detected in the system. It is very risky for the attacker.
• Passive reconnaissance is the stealthier way of gaining information about the target. This is focused on information gathering about the company’s key members, essential facts about the company, finding out its IP addresses, and looking for other types of critical information about the company.

2. Scanning: The second phase in an ethical hacker’s strategy is the scanning phase. This step involves using all the information obtained in the reconnaissance phase and applying it to look for vulnerabilities in the targeted area.

• There are different types of scans done by ethical hackers. They can scan for open ports or different services that are running unprotected in the organization.
• Ethical hackers can also perform vulnerability scans to find weaknesses in the company servers, which can be exploited.

3. Gaining Access: This is where the ethical hacker does the actual hacking. uses all the information obtained and analyzed from the previous two phases to launch a full-fledged attack on the system or network the ethical hacker is trying to infiltrate.

• Exploits all the exposed vulnerabilities and gains control of the system he has hacked.
• Now the hacker can steal all the data he has available on hand, corrupt the systems, add viruses or other malicious entities, or manipulate it to his/her benefit.

4. Maintaining Access: The ethical hacker has to maintain his access to the server until he fulfills his goal. Ethical hackers usually Trojans and other backdoors or rootkits accomplish this phase. They can also use this maintaining access phase to launch several other attacks to inflict more damage to the organization.

5. Clearing Tracks: This is the final step to complete the entire ethical hacking process. If this phase is completed successfully, the ethical hacker has managed to hack into a system or network.

• He/she could inflict as much damage as possible and has managed to leave the system without a trace.
• They need to cover their tracks throughout to avoid detection while entering and leaving the network or server.
• The security systems in place should not be able to identify the attacker.
• The sign of a successful simulated cyber attack is if the security system never realized that an attack took place altogether.

6. Reporting: This is the documentation part of ethical hacking, in this, we have to report the vulnerabilities found, their threats and risks, exploitation, etc.

• The report should be proper, understandable & reproducible.
• There should be a proper focus on the Impact and also submit proper Proof of Concept(PoCs).
• A PoC can be a screenshot or a Screen recorded Video.

Meet The Team!!

Author

Prasanth V

Editor

Seema Jain

We at CaratLane are solving some of the most intriguing challenges to make our mark in the relatively uncharted omnichannel jewellery industry. If you are interested in tackling such obstacles, feel free to drop your updated resume/CV to careers@caratlane.com!