Vulnerability testing is an assessment used to evaluate application security by identifying, diagnosing, and triaging application vulnerabilities. The entire process requires application security (AppSec) teams to plan vulnerability tests and analyse results. Effective analysis of an application’s vulnerabilities requires frequent testing and a team of highly skilled professionals like The Cyber Cell to peruse results and make decisions as to which ones deserve attention and which do not.

The Steps Of Vulnerability Testing

Vulnerability testing typically incorporates four main steps, which include:

1. Establish a Plan

The first step in any vulnerability assessment is to establish this type of testing method’s goals and scope. This will enable the tester to evaluate the rules of engagement. This planning step of the process identifies all relevant information and necessary resources available to the tester.

2. Gather Information

Once a clear, detailed plan has been outlined, the next step in vulnerability testing involves gathering any pertinent information about a given web or mobile application and its infrastructure. This could include business logic, privilege requirements, and any other data that could be of use during the actual testing step.

3. Identify Vulnerabilities

Once you’ve collected all relevant information, you should seek to uncover any existing weaknesses in your system. This part of the process can be accomplished through the use of both manual and automated processes. Should complex issues be found, it is highly recommended that penetration testing be performed in tandem with vulnerability testing.

4. Compile a Report

This is perhaps the most important phase of vulnerability testing. All your work will be utterly useless unless you prepare a detailed, comprehensive report that explains what weaknesses your IT infrastructure contains and that offers solutions about how they can be addressed in order to mitigate risks. Your cybersecurity personnel can then use this information to improve your organisation’s infrastructure.