Cybersecurity Mistakes to Avoid in a Testing Environment
Mistakes are bound to happen when creating and developing new software in your testing environment, but some mistakes can lead to a vulnerability in your software that makes it susceptible to several forms of cybersecurity threat, including but not limited to: ransomware attacks, DDoS attacks, SQL injection, and malware attacks.
The World Economic Forum conducted a survey that concluded that up to 95% of cybersecurity breaches were due to human error, so while you’re performing quality tests for your software, maintain the utmost caution and diligence in detecting bugs.
Keep reading for our insight into some of the mistakes you should avoid at all costs when testing your software.
Poor Security in your Testing Environment
Although seemingly one of the most obvious, it’s vital to maintain strict security when developing software, and it can be devastating to overlook.
Backdoor accounts are often used by developers to test software, and while testing this is a perfectly fine practice, but when you forget to remove these backdoor accounts they can cause significant problems. Should a cybercriminal gain a hint of access to one of these, you could be putting your software at risk for a massive cyberattack.
Several examples of backdoor accounts being used as a stepping stone for cyberattacks include an attack conducted on Project Basecamp, who mentioned that countless administrator accounts and logins were in the firmware, and an incident that Cisco experienced that was discovered to have been due to leftover backdoor accounts.
Another security concern is passwords. Security breaches can easily be caused by common, weak, or hardcoded passwords in software, making proper password discipline an important practice in the security of any development.
Training staff in cybersecurity is essential. With a proper, high quality of cyber awareness training and cyber incident response training, key members in your business can practice better cybersecurity and do their part in protecting the organization and its crucial or sensitive assets.
Overlooking Penetration Testing
A common misconception is that your company will only be victimized by cybercriminals if it handles credit card information or the personal credentials of staff and customers, but this simply isn’t true. Any data or assets that an adversary can potentially get their hands on is at risk of being compromised, which is why you should never skimp out on penetration testing.
Penetration testing is a practice that allows you to assess compliance gaps, software security, and the consequences of data breach in your testing environment before a cyber attacker can get their hands on it, and this process enables developers to discover loopholes in their system and fix them accordingly to prevent potential attacks.
Third-Party Coding
It can be incredibly time-consuming to develop a software from scratch, so it isn’t an uncommon practice to use pre-existing third-party tools to help create them.
However, many third parties have their own security breaches, and when you use them in the building process of your own software, you’re inheriting the very same issues that can be present in the final product. Though it can be tiresome, this is why it’s paramount to conduct testing and have developers learn the code – accurately – before it’s used in your own software, in addition to checking whether or not the third-party tools are tested and verified before usage.
Though these mistakes are apt to happen to uninformed companies, some of the worst of them can be avoided. Our experts at Arruda Group provide insight into the industry, both techniques and concepts, that you might not otherwise encounter. If you’d like more great tips like this article, look no further.
