Application Security Testing: Agility meets security

Application Security Testing: Agility meets security

In today’s fast-paced, digital world, delivering new applications is vital to successful business operations. Be it for the customer experience, product enhancements, or employee satisfaction, the rapid release of new applications is pivotal. However, this demand for speed means that security is often on the back foot.

Recent research from Ponemon found that 87% of organizations think they are likely to suffer a cyber-attack due to poorly secured IoT devices or applications over the next two years. Cybercriminals are aware of the rapid delivery cycle of applications and that they are prone to vulnerabilities. Combine this with the fact that these sources tend to contain sensitive customer and enterprise data, and applications quickly climb the list as a top target for cybercriminals.

There is a need for a more constant, proactive approach to application security testing. To meet this demand, more automated options are being developed specifically for application security, referred to as AST (Application Security Testing). These solutions combine dynamic and static security testing technologies with in-depth expertise in software testing. They provide optimal protection and enable targeted companies to consolidate any potential breach and contain threats before they can damage their reputation or turnover.

What does a successful application security testing program look like?

In an era when security specialists are increasingly hard to find, and budgets are stretched thin, scalable, on-demand AST is becoming an appealing solution. It’s important, however, that AST is not an afterthought. Performing tests downstream, once the application’s development is completed, is far from sufficient and does not yield satisfactory software quality results.

Security must be introduced from the outset and the application re-tested gradually throughout its development to make any corrective action much faster to undertake. By combining automated processes and human expertise in effective and relevant solutions, it is possible to reveal critical vulnerabilities, uncover false positives embedded in the code and enforce the compliance of open source licenses.

Regular audits are also essential. These enable application breaches to be precisely located, weaknesses to be effectively targeted and the surface open to potential attacks to be reduced. This method can be implemented in-house or in partnership with a service provider with industrial capacity and the expertise required. By monitoring applications continuously, identifying threats, and protecting itself against malicious acts, an organization considerably limits the opportunities for hackers to attack.

Intelligent AST enables companies to make their application security systematic. Capgemini’s service is on-demand and does not require any upfront investment, expertise, or specific level of technical sophistication. Through a dedicated, secure portal, customers can upload their source code or provide the URL of the application they wish to protect, and they are then given a concise overview of their security posture. This gives organizations the ability to start tests on-demand and access different reports with comprehensive instructions for prioritizing patches, ensuring the overall remediation strategy.

Security on demand

To evade attacks on precious data, AST is a must across the development process. But it should not just be seen as a defensive move: it is also a positive differentiator. With more confidence in application security, organizations can foster innovation and exploit new opportunities. By protecting applications better across the lifecycle, they can create a culture of digital trust and, ultimately, confidence, resulting in increased collaboration and bolder solutions.

Capgemini’s Application Security Testing is a platform-based, on-demand, pay-per-use service. It’s an easy, accurate way to meet application security targets, guide security decisions, and cost-efficiently support the business.

The AST service is a core element of our overarching, end-to-end offerings in cybersecurity. We can deliver advisory services addressing the full range of cybersecurity strategy, assessment, and deployment needs, as well as Managed Security Services covering your applications, networks, endpoints, data, end-users, infrastructure, cloud.

Click here to learn more about our uniquely effective Application Security Testing service.

Author

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Jean-Alain Julie

Head of Application Security Testing