Last updated on April 7th, 2024 at 11:01 am

Security is one of the most important aspects to be considered when testing applications. It means that authorized access is granted to critical data and restrictions are placed for unauthorized access. Web and mobile apps are not only used for marketing and entertainment purposes but to support various business needs across multiple industry verticals. Security testing services include validating that a system meets the security requirements and identifies security vulnerabilities within the system. From a business perspective, the purpose of security testing is to reduce the overall project costs, conform with regulatory requirements, and build an organization’s brand image. 

A security testing strategy ensures that a system protects data and maintains the functionality as per customer expectations. top QA testers automate some parts of the testing processes and focus on other aspects of software quality assurance. Organizations adopt DevOps practices to achieve speed and quality simultaneously. Following are 5 best tips for the DevOps team to ensure that their apps are tested for security:

Start Security Testing in Early Stages of the Development Process

Testers should begin security testing in the early stages of the development process to ensure data privacy and other security-related factors. However, security testing should be a part of the complete development process. It is essential that DevOps teams work on testing each component one by one, everything should not be tested at once because it will take more time to resolve the issues and security vulnerabilities once the app development process is complete. 

Security Testing Experts 

Although QA teams perform security checks during the normal testing process, yet they are not enough due to the increasing security breaches. So, organizations need to ensure that they have security testing experts to keep an eye on the security vulnerabilities in their system. Many companies perceive that it is a waste of time to invest in security testing services, but this does not hold true in the current era where attackers are coming up with more sophisticated attacks. 

Thus, organizations should create security roles that are assigned to specific individuals to ensure that they use the best security practices. They should be able to monitor how each team implements security testing in their processes. 

Define Access Controls

QA teams should ensure that sensitive information like API tokens account credentials and SSH keys are secure. They should not allow unrestricted access to their cloud-based systems and implement strict access control protocols. Only authorized persons should be able to access sensitive data. Thus, testers should set-up multi-factor authentication processes for cloud-based accounts.  As all DevOps processes are interconnected, a successful breach into a single activity can lead to exposing other areas of the project. So it is important to closely monitor all these factors and restrict the access points. 

Secure All Networks

Since DevOps development tools work together within different networks, it is a huge concern for security teams. If an attacker is successful in breaching a single network, he can also have access to the other networks. Thus, organizations should segment all their networks and ensure that there are no security vulnerabilities. 

During security testing services, testers should secure jump servers when users need to access files or data stored in other networks. They should also monitor each session to ensure that they do not leave access to sensitive data. 

Automate Security Systems 

Analyzing code and managing other security factors without automated tools can be time-consuming. It also leaves many security vulnerabilities undetected. But when testing teams use automation tools, there will be low chances of errors and they will be confident about the checks placed to enhance security. It also helps QA teams to speed up their development process. They can use automated tools to test the code and identify potential issues that can create security weaknesses in the system. 

Conclusion 

The above security tips can be helpful for DevOps teams to ensure that they are rolling out secure apps. With the help of security testing services, enterprises focus on securing the weaknesses in their apps, networks, and apps. As attackers are developing more sophisticated ways of attacking businesses, companies have to be more vigilant in these matters. Testers need to think like an attacker and check their apps for all possible weaknesses in their apps.