Why Continuous Security Testing is On The Rise For Organisations

The global cyber security market is flourishing. Experts at Gartner predict that the end-user spending for the information security and risk management market will grow from $172.5 billion in 2022 to $267.3 billion in 2026.

One big area of spending includes the art of putting cyber security defences under pressure, commonly known as security testing. MarketsandMarkets forecasts the global penetration testing market size is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.7% from 2022 to 2027. However, the costs and limitations involved in carrying out a penetration test are already hindering the market growth, and consequently, many cyber security teams are making moves to find an alternative solution.

Continuous security testing is a dynamic way to identify and counter the risks that exist in the digital world and may put the organisation’s data and safety at significant risk, compromising brand integrity and client trust. Continuous Security Testing is believed to be the best possible approach to take when it comes to any organisation’s security strategy. Adu Ansere, Principal Consultant Via Resource explores how continuous security testing can help you deal with a multitude of security challenges that you may be currently facing or may encounter in the future:

Evolving cyber threats

Every day, we hear about companies and large organisations that suffer from successful cyber attacks that compromise their data security and integrity. As technology continues to progress, attackers are finding new and improved ways to counter even the most advanced security measures, exploiting the smallest windows to sneak into a protected system and wreak havoc. Continuous security testing is arguably one of the most effective counter to the question of these ever-evolving cyber risks.

Improved bug fixing

Most of the currently available tools only give you a limited picture of the current security operations at your organisation. Your operations and the makeup of your infrastructure will change regularly, whether there is a change in policy, the introduction of new technology, or a change in staff. Not accounting for the evolving IT environment will create gaps and blind spots that expose the organisation to risks and threats. With continuous security testing, you can acquire a more complete and reliable idea of the current security status of your organisation as it is highly dynamic and provides information in real time.

Secure agile development

If your organisation operates with an agile approach, continuous security testing becomes something of a necessity. With every change you make to your applications throughout the product life cycle, you can perform simultaneous testing to detect emerging vulnerabilities and nip them in the bud before they potentially go unnoticed and create post-deployment problems.

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Reduce costs

While security is undoubtedly a critical part of your company’s strategy, you do not want to spend half of your budget in this regard. Typical penetration testing practices tend to be quite straining on the budget and end up using most of the resources without providing many benefits in return. The goal is to maximise the ROI with the tools you choose to use for this purpose. Continuous security testing allows you to do exactly that, letting you identify risks early in the process that helps you extract maximum information in a quick time.

Combining the advantages

While continuous pen testing offers a host of benefits, it should not replace an organisation’s existing pen testing schedule. The best results are gained through a combination of both approaches, with the two types of tests complementing each other. Continuous penetration testing helps to reduce the volume and severity of issues identified by annual pen tests, giving you a more complete picture of your security posture.

Meet regulatory compliance more effectively

Organisations are under pressure to comply with a huge range of compliance standards and regulations relating to information security. In many cases, pen testing is required – either specified directly within the standard or implied by a need to build audit or assessment processes to mitigate cyber risk. Continuous pen testing can help companies achieve this by providing more up-to-date and specific evidence at a specific point in time.

While continuous security testing provides consistency, organisation’s aversion to accepting and adopting any automated procedure can make sense on some levels. However, security is essential for any business. With continuous security testing in place, the result is indisputably greater overall security with significantly less manual effort.

As a result, organisations that embrace continuous security testing will not only be safer but will also have an advantage over the market’s ever-increasing competitors.

Adu has been recruiting solely in the cyber security sector since 2014 whilst working for Via Resource since October 2020. Adu focuses exclusively on penetration testing working with an array of national and international testing teams. Adu has nurtured numerous consultants in their search for new roles and has focused on positions ranging from entry level roles through to strategic leadership roles whilst working with a number of industry renowned subject matter experts.

Adu AnserePrincipal Consultant