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How to lace security testing in your custom software development cycle

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Sourabh Nagar
How to lace security testing in your custom software development cycle

 

 

A well-strategized custom software development project involves developing and building software following the custom software development cycle process. Developing software involves the toils and hard work and mostly tedious work process flow. With the blitz of cyber attacks and security gaps, the creation of the software is not the only goal. Rather now a new aspect in the entire cycle is infusing security measures which the managers and coordinators have to proactively ensure that every aspect of their software development. 

 

Data breaches have to be encountered

 

Over the past few years, we have seen rising cases of Data breaches. Facebook last year opened up about its inability to protect the passwords of 600 million users. Microsoft also admitted their company email accounts were hacked. Now when the biggest names have encountered this, the issue at hand is a serious one! Statista also has highlighted that it cost about $2 trillion to organizations to undo the consequences of cyberattacks. 

 

Software testing companies also acknowledge that it is crucial to implement security concerns at every stage of the cycle. The benefits of embedding security measures have highlighted the need to excel at every stage. Looking at the chart below, we have seen that businesses marked in red have been targeted for a long time in comparison to a lot more other domains. 




Traceability is the key

 

In the entire SDLC, process traceability has assumed greater significance in the sense that all the security requirements should be traceable in all the stages of the custom software development cycle in order to prevent roadblocks. In the beginning if clear objectives and goals are set client acceptance increases without the need to sacrifice the quality. 

It is imperative that we see how security measures can be injected into the custom development process, but it is important to see the entire cycle and how it is done. 



Source: Key ideas Infotech



The process as is seen has 6 important layers. Within each layer, there are several other processes, but analyzing and planning form a crucial part mainly because based on the requirement gathering and documentation now, other stages will be handled and taken ahead. 

 

How to lace and integrate security features

 

  1. The first step points out to understand the exact needs of the client. One has to seek answers to relevant questions like

 

 

  • What is the base and boundary of the project be like?
  • Who are the people who will be involved in the project? And 
  • What could be the likely project gaps?

 

 

Once this picture is clear enough to perceive, software development companies craft custom-made security strategies that describe the scope and the requirements of the project. Relevant questions that need to be asked are

 

What does the software intend to achieve?

What are the requisite resources needed to build the software?

Based on the current availability, what other resources are needed?

 

When you have answers to these questions you will be able to see clearly a lot of weaknesses exposed in the early stages itself. In the designing stage, security issues should be prioritized in small portions. The design stage should cover threat modeling and also should have in-built properties to predict when the system might be attacked and what the consequences could be for the same. Considerable time should be allowed for the process even if it means superficial delays. 

 

Requirement gathering should be security focussed

 

In the initial stages, software testing companies gather requirements which talks about the need for the envisioned custom software development process. Right at this stage, it is important to highlight how important security is by glorifying abuse and misuse cases to carry out a risk analysis. When requirement gathering speaks the language of security it will necessarily have a contagion effect on the entire stages. 

 

Development stage

 

Without a doubt, this is the most important stage of the custom software development cycle. It includes coding and building the software. In this stage, coding errors can be identified with tools like static and dynamic application security testing that enables companies to understand where coding has floundered. This, in turn, exposes the plausible security weaknesses treating the issues in real-time. A secure code review will go a long way in improving the quality of the code and also will ensure that it helps developers to create required codes for the project. 

 

Testing

 

A very important process of the custom software development cycle is the testing process. Security measures are beyond identifying bugs and companies have to let specialized programmers test for security escapes. Internal security experts or the outsourced team or security agents will add to the testing process in the custom software development cycle. 

 

Penetration testing or the Pentest

 

Pentest means that a simulated cyber attack on the system will be initialized to check the functioning of the software. This testing is important because it will help companies to manage many misuses like logic errors, authorization bypasses and other non-adherence to protocols. 

Create a Software Security Group

A software security group ensures software security is deeply engraved into the SDLC. It is a great way to gauge, train, educate and apply noted security measures throughout the process. This will help the team to manage risks effectively. SSG will act as the facilitators for software security by conducting 3’rd party security evaluations in the most important stages of the custom software development cycle. 

Post-implementation 

A pre-decided incident response plan should be outlined so that issues can be addressed when they come least-expected. In the implementation stage, security monitoring is important and cannot be ceased. User feedback will prove to be the biggest fuel for change because here end-users will review and give their feedback. You can take the help of software security analysts who analyze the software as a service and point out flaws. 

Conclusion

The custom software development cycle is extremely well-adjusted and explicitly expressed. By defining them in stages, it ensures that every stage can be pre-planned effectively. All the processes can be consolidated further augmenting your software further. 

 

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