App Security Testing: Exploring The Pros & Cons Of Different Approaches

Uploaded on 2024-08-05 in FREE TO VIEW, BUSINESS-Services-IT & Telecoms

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Application security testing is becoming a crucial part of enterprise cybersecurity across different sectors, from finance firms to government operations. As digitalization makes it inevitable that every organization be dependent on apps to conduct everyday business, and as more organizations build their own software tools, there is an increasing need to pay serious attention to app security.

Organizations experimenting with relatively new technologies like custom cloud-native apps and containerization understand the need to boost security in response to the new attack surfaces created by the use of more apps. Some tend to view app cybersecurity as an afterthought, with one survey showing that over 40% of business leaders do not understand the risks that come with emerging technologies.

However, there is consensus that organizations need to thoroughly understand and address this aspect of enterprise cybersecurity. To get started, it helps to become familiar with the different application security approaches and testing tool stacks.

The application security testing market is projected to grow steadily at a CAGR of 14.14% for the period 2024 to 2031, according to a June report from SkyQuest. This is modest growth relative to other cybersecurity subcategories, but it reflects the reality of app threats becoming unignorable as cyber attack frequency increases.

The question is, which types of application security tools should organizations pick? What testing methods work the best? It is important to be familiar with the different approaches in app security to choose the right solutions.

Different Shades Of App Security Testing

There are three main types of application security tests: black box, white box and gray box.

The black box approach entails testing wherein the party conducting the best is an outsider who does not have access to the internals of the app being tested. White box application security testing, on the other hand, is the opposite of black box, with the testing party having access to the app’s code and internal mechanisms. Meanwhile, gray box testing is a combination of black and white. The testing party is granted some degree of access or privileges to the app, but they also have to exhaustively explore the app’s security weaknesses as an outsider.

Comparable to red team penetration testing, black box tests involve vulnerability scanning to spot misconfigurations, outdated software components, and other compromises that can be detected in an app by an attacker who has no access to the app’s code. Fuzzing or fuzz testing may also be conducted to identify input handling vulnerabilities by overwhelming an app with large amounts of data, or introducing random inputs that may trigger an abnormal or potentially harmful response in the application.

Examples of black box testing subcategories include Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Web Application Security Testing (WAST), and Mobile Application Security Testing (MAST).

White box security testing is like blue teaming, with the test conducted by the owner of the application or someone from the internal security team. This means the testing party has access to the codebase and all privileges in using and configuring the application. These tests can uncover code quality problems, business logic weaknesses, misconfigurations, and other insecurities in the code.

The test can be undertaken during the production stage of an application. Some of the established methods for conducting white box app security testing are Software Composition Analysis (SCA), Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP), database security scanning, Cloud-Native Application Security Testing (CNAST) and API Security Testing.

Gray box security testing combines black and white testing, although there are usually constraints on the permissions granted into the internals of the app being tested. The testing party can conduct full black box testing but with limited white box capabilities. Gray testing aims to simulate instances of insider attacks or successful attack penetrations that elevate privileges or exploit other vulnerabilities.

Gray testing can involve combinations of different black and white testing methods such as partial code review with targeted dynamic testing or DAST with tests for configurations, third-party integrations, and session management. Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) is often deemed the “poster child” for gray box testing, because it brings together SAST and DAST functions and techniques.

Which Testing Type Is The Best?

The best testing approach depends on the specific goals for a particular test. As such, it would be out of place to hail any specific approach as the best for every situation. There are pros and cons for every testing method.

Black box testing is a cost-efficient and quick option for quick vulnerability reconnaissance. It provides the insights needed to determine the weak points of an app from the perspective of threat actors. It is good for testing the potential of real-world attacks to breach defenses, which could be enough if an organization is already confident in its secure coding practices and deployment of app defenses.

White box testing is a more meticulous process that requires access to the source code. It focuses on what the security team can do to protect an application, which means it has minimal or no regard for an attacker’s perspective.

Many would likely agree that gray testing is the best approach to ensuring application security, because it combines the advantages of both black and white approaches. It infuses an attacker’s perspective into the establishment of app defenses while also lending defensive insights to black box tests.

To be clear, though, gray testing does not mean conducting black and white tests together. It is its own hybrid process that is applicable when there is some level of access to the internals of an app. It is not conducted by the owner of the application itself or the security team working with the DevOps team.

Organizations can optimally protect their applications if they embrace DevSecOps, wherein security is factored in throughout the life cycle of an app, and conduct gray box testing to spot security weaknesses and conduct targeted vulnerability evaluations. This means adopting a layered security testing approach that involves several testing methods used at different stages of an application’s development cycle.

Specific methods may be used to achieve specific security testing goals, but for the overall cybersecurity of the apps in an organization, it’s a no-brainer to utilize a blended strategy to cover the broadest range of vulnerabilities and threats.

The Testing Approach For You

No single testing model or method would be enough to bring to light all of the vulnerabilities in applications. Ideally, organizations should perform all black and white box security testing together and use gray testing for targeted tests. Doing so can be extremely resource-intensive, though.

As such, organizations need to carefully assess their requirements to focus on areas where specific testing methods can provide the best outcomes.

A carefully planned, layered approach that takes into account the specific conditions and security testing strengths and weaknesses of an organization is advisable.

Image: Ideogam

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