Historically, when a security test has been performed on your application or system, it has consisted of three layers. Pen testing has been part of the second layer. This layer also brings human interaction to the testing process. It often requires several experts to work together with a wide variety of tools to look for weaknesses in a system. Next, they want to determine if they can use the weaknesses to penetrate the system. From there, they put a solution in place to protect the weaknesses.
However, there is a more modern way to achieve this result. PtaaS has made an appearance to give testers an alternative solution. Pentest Taxonomy provides users the ability to function in agile development with access to on-demand pen testing. This process has been favorably and quickly adopted in the software industry.
Pentest Taxonomy
PtaaS is an improvement on the traditional type of testing that you may be used to doing. This replaces the human involvement of pen testing by automating the testing process. It can reduce the number of specialists needed to handle the testing. The testing programs are cloud-based software that is customizable to fit the unique needs of each user. There is continuous monitoring with automated pen tests. This process creates reports for users, giving them the ability to review the results in real time.
PtaaS Expectations
It is not surprising that businesses are turning to PtaaS to help them with their vulnerability testing. It is easy to administer, affordable, and convenient. There are specific criteria that should be considered when it comes to assessing PtaaS as a solution. You should expect PtaaS to provide a quick turnaround, which is usually less than 24 hours when it comes to human-led testing. You will have continuous monitoring with automated capabilities. You receive reports in real-time that alert users of a problem as soon as it occurs. In addition, PtaaS allows users to access to retesting in a seamless manner. There should be no gaps between problem identification and mitigation. Users get a higher level of accuracy and data because of the increased intelligence that is available with this type of testing.
Pentest as a Service Process
1.) Discovery – the customer identifies the attack surface areas. Penetration testers are chosen based on their particular skill set. It is important the testers skills match to your tech stack.
2.) Plan – set start and end dates, set clear expectations and deliverables, determine the type of testing, and provide necessary documentation.
3.) Test – your pentester identifies vulnerabilities to improve your company’s security.
4.) Remediate – findings of the pentest are reported in real-time as they are discovered. This allows for immediate fixes by your security team.
5.) Report – the pentester submits findings regarding the vulnerabilities found and remain onboard to confim the fixes are successful.
6.) Analyze – results of the pentest are used to plan and prioritize steps towards security improvement.
There are some differences associated with PtaaS because it heavily emphasizes services that are automated. PtaaS can give users the best of both worlds by combining human and automated services. Even though PtaaS is new and does not have a large set of expectations when compared with older types of testing, such as the SaaS model. Users of the SaaS model is that users know exactly what to expect with these services, which is not always true with PtaaS services.
