Why CISOs Must Continuously Test Their Security Controls and How to Go About it
In today’s challenging business environment, where ransomware attacks have already hit record highs in 2021, CISOs need to stay ahead of cyber threats by implementing new technologies. But that’s just half the battle. Without continuously testing and inspecting their security controls and procedures, these security measures can become so ineffective and unreliable that they could potentially compromise the entire network security of a company’s asset line. So for any CISO whose security controls playbook is devoid of Continuous Testing, consider this your call to action.
Why You Need Continuous Testing
As vendors and regulators worldwide continue to monitor and test the security status of applications, the likelihood of bad actors exploiting any hole in your system becomes all the more likely. Sometimes these holes are so obscure that even the company’s top security practitioners can’t figure them out. For this very reason it becomes vital to incorporate Continuous Testing in your security strategy. While 99.9% availability is a lofty goal, CT can offer better ways to improve your overall security posture and lower your operating costs.
The Benefits of Continuous Testing
Continuous Testing has become one of the best practices in the field of software development and here’s why:
- It enables companies to get to a secure development stage as early as possible.
- It allows testers to perform many test steps without breaks, which will save time. If you work in a manual or waterfall method, you will find that testing time and effort doubles if you have 30 or 60 tests on one build.
- It reduces testing time drastically. You’ll also be able to obtain better test coverage, which will help in detecting hidden vulnerabilities.
- It ensures that the user experience is always a priority by adapting to changing customer requirements. Constant updates are made to the application based on customer feedback, which can be used to effectively write test cases.
Cross Industry Values
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Beyond the obvious benefits that it affords, CSIOs must realize how valuable it is for any organization, regardless of industry. Continuous Testing proposes two key cross-industry values:
- It enhances your security analytics. Integrating all the different data sources into a unified view, helps you gain visibility into the entire threat landscape, threats to your business, and security controls that have been or are actively being used.
- It helps you establish and manage security standards for mobile and cloud applications. The agility of a modern business, combined with the rapidly changing user expectations, make it critical for CISOs to understand how current security capabilities meet evolving needs.
How to Conduct Continuous Testing
It might seem obvious, but Continuous Testing should be designed and practiced in the same way a production line is assembled for a new product. This means that the security controls for the whole system are evaluated and put through the test loop.
Such a test scenario needs to include at least one aspect that every security feature must face. A scenario will also need to include any type of critical vulnerability or intrusion, which can happen in a split second.
The key is that the tests must be repeatable to give you a sense of the effects on the system. This assures you that the automated test has been run enough times to get to the conclusion.
Conclusion — Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gunfight
A CISO who thinks they don’t need Continuous Testing may be in for a rude awakening when they finally realize that’s the only way to secure their assets. The ever daunting cyber threat landscape dictates that effective CISO security investments be critical to the modern enterprise. The good news is that the need for Continuous Testing and analysis will allow security teams to identify issues before they turn into breaches, giving them enough time to create a formidable security plan.
How confident are you of your security posture? Take it for a test drive using Cymulate with its Continuous Security Validation. It will challenge, assess and optimize your security posture against threat evolutions, saving your company time, money while giving you peace of mind and preventing loss.
