How does Interactive Application Security Testing improve your software

The spectre of cybercrime is spreading thick and fast with companies and individuals being defrauded of sensitive personal and business information and money on a humongous scale. It is estimated that by 2020, the world shall witness an annual outgo of $5 trillion because of cybercrime (Source: www.cyberdefensemagazine.com). Strands of malware, ransomware, viruses, and trojans are wreaking havoc worldwide with around 31% of organizations having experienced cyber-attacks on their IT architecture and IoT facing attacks to the tune of 600% in 2017 alone (Source: Symantec.)

The only way to address the alarming situation is by increasing the security budget and adopting the best cyber security practices. First and foremost, businesses should ensure their software architecture conforms to the regulatory protocols such as PCI DSS, GLBA, SOX, and HIPPA among others. Furthermore, they should ensure any software application being developed to undergo rigorous application security testing. To ensure the same, it is about time businesses embraced Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) instead of the dated Static and Dynamic Analysis (SAST and DAST).

IAST is being hailed as the next big thing in the arsenal of cyber security testing for its plethora of benefits including an expansive test coverage. It has emerged as a potent disrupter in the world of application security testing with an innate capability to elicit information from an application undergoing QA. The information may comprise data flow, stack trace, libraries, runtime requests, and control flow among others. Let us understand IAST better in the following segment.

What is IAST?

As the code of an application is run by an automated test tool or human tester (manual testing) to test its functionality, the IAST or Interactive Application Security Testing analyzes the code for any built-in security vulnerability by using agents or sensors. IAST doesn’t include testing the entire software application but only the codes that are being part of the functional test. Needless to state, IAST is best leveraged when the QA environment encompasses an automated functional test. In addition to monitoring the existing security vulnerabilities in an application, IAST can verify them and declare them as potential threats. Thereupon, IAST can produce a vulnerability test report with the suggested course of action needed to fix the same. The report and its attendant guidelines enable the development team to fix the issues on priority. Typically, IAST is implemented shift-left in the SDLC resulting in early identification of runtime vulnerabilities. This pre-empts delays and mitigates the risk of breaches leading to cost savings.

What are the benefits of IAST?

IAST offers a host of benefits as listed below to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen the security framework of applications.

• There is no process disruption in executing IAST as it can run concurrently (and transparently) with existing software security testing. Since there is a premium on testing time due to a business’s obsession with time-to-market, IAST offers no disruptions or checkpoints. This is due to the fact that an IAST technique executes application security testing by leveraging activities that are already running.

• There is no need to rewrite the test scripts as IAST can be run by reusing the existing ones. This results in savings on time, effort, and money.

• Provides integration with analytics tools such as Software Composition Analysis (SCA) to scan open source components in third party applications or binary files.

• Since static and dynamic analysis does not include the testing of frameworks or libraries, a vast section of the application remains unchecked of vulnerabilities. On the other hand, since IAST validates the entire application from inside while the same is being run, there is better test coverage of the entire codebase.

• IAST does not need customization, finetuning, or configuration during its implementation. It simply runs alongside the software application security testing process automatically and on a continuous basis.

• IAST offers instant feedback assuring developers that the code being developed is clean. This can eliminate procedural delays in validating glitches thus saving time and money.

• Security tools can generate false error reports, which can engage the attention of testers and lead to the stretching of their workload. Moreover, this increased workload can let testers spend less time in identifying the critical flaws. However, with IAST, there is more access to data resulting in better error findings.

Conclusion

Web applications are increasingly being threatened by hackers to steal sensitive personal data, critical intellectual property, and other info. The existing methods or techniques for security vulnerability testing are not uniform and differ in the way they scan and test. Since not all tools are similar in their effectiveness, businesses have their task cut out while choosing the best one. However, the shift-left testing in IAST helps to identify and address the vulnerabilities early and prevents delays and cost overruns.

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How can Performance Testing lead to business excellence

Performance Testing

The digital world is driven by myriad software applications that run on both modern and legacy systems and are backed by a plethora of platforms, frameworks, operating systems, and networks. And unless these applications perform to their optimal levels with all features and functionalities working in tandem, the stated business objectives will not be achieved. Each software application can have built-in glitches, which, if not dealt with earnestly during performance testing (and other types of testing,) can render the application to suffer from inadequacies. Since the functioning of the digital environment is underpinned on achieving customer satisfaction, the inadequacies can impact the business negatively. Moreover, the advent of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Blockchain, and Cloud Computing has added to the complexities of building and operating software applications. And if the growing incidences of cyber securities issues are taken into account, then the cocktail of complexities becomes even more stark.

To address the technological challenges that software applications have to grapple with, they need to undergo performance testing. It ensures software robustness, operational readiness, and error handling capacity. The test can come in handy during business critical situations when glitches or the lack of error handling capacity of the software can make things to go haywire. For example, airlines reservation systems should account for an extra rush of passengers during holidays. And unless the systems go through the process of application performance testing, they can lead to latency or downtime when subjected to stress. Also, eCommerce sites experience loads during events such as Black Friday, Thanksgiving etc., which can lead to issues such as shopping cart abandonment, poor conversion rates, and a decreased order value. These factors combinedly can bring down the value proposition of the brand in the eyes of customers. However, all such outcomes can be prevented should the software applications and the hardware running them are validated for quality by the performance testing services.

Repercussions of not carrying out performance testing

Software applications can function seamlessly in normal operational conditions. However, the moment they are subjected to stress, they can behave erratically or erroneously. It is only by adopting a proper performance testing methodology that such behaviour can be pre-empted. Let us understand the repercussions of not executing performance testing.

• The application may fail during peak times leading to customer dissatisfaction.
• Any rework later can be challenging, time consuming, and costly.
• Should the software go LIVE without the users getting any prior hands-on experience, there can be problems in handling performance issues that may crop up in the actual operating environment.
• Check if the features and functionalities of software deliver outcomes that are expected.

Applying performance engineering

In the DevOps scheme of ensuring Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD,) the focus is on identifying and eliminating glitches in the initial stages of software development. This calls for incorporating performance engineering, wherein each segment of the software is designed to achieve operational excellence. This leads to the quick delivery of efficient and responsive systems that enhance productivity, reduce waste, improve efficiency, and boost revenue.

Suitable performance testing strategy for your business

Get information on the type and quantum of load: First and foremost, it is crucial to understand the kind of load the system is going to expect. This will help you to figure out the kind of response time needed to handle the load. Thus, run tests when the load is significantly high to evaluate the response time. To enable the same, use an appropriate test automation tool to create any number of virtual users to mimic the real load across channels, branches, and geographies. While executing the test, record the minimum, maximum, and average response time of the system.

Carry out stress test: By executing a stress test, you can figure out the behaviour of software when subjected to extreme stress conditions. This way, the breaking point of software can be ascertained.

Elasticity and scalability: The testing includes understanding whether the performance of the software is on expected lines and can be scaled up to the desired level should the need arise.

Conclusion

In an increasingly digitized environment where business outcomes hinge on achieving customer satisfaction, the performance of software applications becomes paramount. By chalking out a suitable performance testing strategy, both the customers and business deliverables can be handled effectively.

Diya works for Cigniti Technologies, which is the world’s first Independent Software Testing Company to be appraised at CMMI-SVC v1.3, Maturity Level 5, and is also ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 27001:2013 certified.

Factors determining the Digital Transformation Test Strategy – Any 7

Digital Transformation Services

Digital transformation implies connecting each and every system and processes of an enterprise to achieve a slew of outcomes including quicker decision making. This has come about as a result of increased internet connectivity and a proliferation of digital technologies. Digital transformation has spawned many new age companies that are agile, lean, focused and result oriented. To compete with such newbies, enterprises saddled with legacy systems and used to the traditional ways of doing things need to transform themselves.

                   

Although Digital transformation services aim at reorienting the systems, processes, and stakeholders in an organization, they are prone to risks as well. These risks can be manifold – from having vulnerabilities in systems, processes, networks, and products to dealing with untrained resources. Moreover, since digital transformation services aim at accelerating the time to market as far as the products and services are concerned, quality is often given a short shrift. This often leads to the failure of products in meeting customers’ expectations. When enterprise digital transformation initiatives do not yield the stated business objectives, the need for digital quality assurance becomes critical.

Why digital quality assurance?

• To identify and eliminate glitches present in the systems, processes, networks, products and services.

• To meet the rising customer expectations for better quality products/services.

• To stay in competition by delivering quality products/services with reduced lead times.

• To accelerate the time to market with better products by using Agile and DevOps methodologies. 

• To adhere to quality and security regulations.

• To prevent hackers from exploiting the systems, products or services.

• To ensure brand loyalty among customers. 

• To achieve business objectives and ROI.

A robust digital testing strategy requires incorporating the shift-left approach. This is mainly to pre-empt the creation of glitches by testing the product during the development phase itself. With Agile and DevOps paradigms becoming the benchmarks for a digital testing strategy, how can test automation stay behind? Digital QA through test automation helps businesses to future proof their systems, products or services. It does so by increasing the test coverage area and carrying out repetitive functional and non-functional testing seamlessly. 

7 factors influencing a digital transformation test strategy

#1 Security: Security is arguably the biggest factor influencing the digital software testing of products. It involves aspects like vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, risk assessment, and security auditing among others. Here, testers identify the weaknesses in a system or product by using an automated software. Also, a simulated attack is carried out a la penetration testing to check for potential vulnerabilities, which when removed, can prevent the system or product from external or internal hacking.

# 2 Cost: This can have two different connotations. On the one side, the cost incurred by the business when a product fails to live up to the users’ expectations is taken into account. While on the other hand, the cost of implementing manual/test automation is considered. In the case of choosing a test automation software, the need for an open source or licensed software is decided based on the overall cost and the type of tests to be carried out.

#3 Presence of legacy systems: Digital QA involves the testing of a software product across devices, networks, platforms, frameworks, browsers, and operating systems. This requires faster systems with the latest test software. However, if an enterprise is beset with legacy systems then the test strategy needs to be looked at afresh. This is done by considering the capability of such systems and the cost of replacing the same.

#4 Reliability: The software systems that enable digital transformation should be tested to know the extent to which certain functions of these can perform on a continuous basis. This includes feature testing, load testing and regression testing.

#5 Scalability: The changing dynamics of business requires an enterprise to be flexible. The flexibility should be in terms of expanding the capacity of its systems and processes to meet any future demand. The test strategy chosen should check the scalability aspect of the systems.

#6 Interoperability: An enterprise will have a number of software programs running its digital transformation initiative. These programs should have a better interface with each other to achieve the overall business objectives. Hence, the test strategy should check the programs’ interoperability.

#7 Skillset: The success of a test strategy depends on the expertise of the test team. The test strategy should consider this aspect along with the need and cost of training.

Conclusion

The success of digital transformation initiatives by a business enterprise is critical for its sustenance. The systems enabling this transformation should be rigorously tested based on the factors mentioned above. 

This Article is originally published at Medium.com, 7 factors influencing your Digital Transformation Test strategy.