Published: 29 Aug 2017
How DevOps can Boost Security of your Applications
Last Updated: 01 Sep 2022
With the explosion of high-profile hacks, ransomware, and data breaches, it’s common to feel insecure about your organization’s information security these days. As your infrastructure grows and diversifies, you have to protect your organization and its reputation like never before. In this blog, we will display how your organization can follow DevOps testing approach to boost security.
Contents
1. Latest Security Hacks and breaches
2. TestingXperts’ Security Testing Approach: ‘Tx-Secure’ (TestingXperts’ Security Testing Framework)
3. DevOps practices that can help in improving security
Latest Security Hacks and breaches
You don’t have to go far to see the cost of data breaches. In fact, 2017 has been one of the worst years to experience two big ransomware in a row. ‘WannaCry’ and ‘Petya’ are the two most prominent ransomware attacks that shook the entire world.
– WannaCry swept Asia and Europe rapidly, locking up critical systems such as the UK’s National Health Service, a huge telecom company in Spain, and other such businesses and institutions around the world, all in the fastest time. If reports are to be believed, the motive of WannaCry ransomware was not to make money but to produce a random disruption across the globe. This massive cyber-attack has hit at least 150 countries and infected 300,000 machines. The victims included universities, hospitals, manufacturers and government agencies in countries like China, Britain, Germany, Russia, and Spain.
– Petya, another recent cyber-attack hit companies across the USA and Europe. Petya was publicized to be more deadly than the ‘WannaCry’ cyber attack. With Petya, the victims were unable to unlock their computers in spite of paying the ransom. Petya attack impacted various services, and industries and Ukraine had turned out to be the epicenter of this attack. The Petya attack impacted companies across all sectors such as pharmaceuticals, shipping, hospitals, law firms and much more.
TestingXperts’ Security Testing Approach: ‘Tx-Secure’ (TestingXperts’ Security Testing Framework)
After all these incidents, it is evident that such attacks will not stop but only grow. Companies and individuals today are under extreme pressure to build software/applications that are thoroughly tested for their security and are, at the same time, competent enough to alert users against any possible cyber-attack. TestingXperts’ homegrown security testing framework ‘Tx-Secure’ has built test accelerators and knowledge repository, using multiple open source and commercial tools, latest industry standards (OWASP, etc.) and proprietary testing methodologies. TestingXperts’ team of security experts recognize the importance of DevOps and takes it as a mindset and not a mere methodology.
DevOps reduces the gap between development and operations to speed up software delivery process and increase business agility and time-to-market. With its origins in the agile practices, DevOps promotes collaboration between teams and diminishes the gap development and operations teams and processes. DevOps as a concept understands the need for better security and ensures security precautions are built early in the cycle. Most of the practices that originate with DevOps, such as automation, collaboration, fast feedback loops, improved visibility, and more, are rich grounds for integrating security as an integrated component of DevOps processes.
DevOps practices that can help in improving security
Given below is a list of the top five DevOps practices that can improve the overall security when integrated directly into your end-to-end continuous integration and continuous delivery pipeline:
– Collaboration
– Configuration and patch management
– Continuous monitoring
– Security test automation
– Identity management
On the Security front, TestingXperts is helping its customers determine the extent of availability and reliability of the application. TestingXperts, a frontrunner in adopting DevOps testing practices and agile methodologies, can help you automate your tests, maintain the security of your application, and achieve timely delivery schedules.