Continuous security testing is the practice of continually examining, measuring and improving the effectiveness of security controls, using automated testing tools to quickly identify emerging vulnerabilities and remediate them.
The objective of Continuous Security Testing, also known as Security Performance Testing, using the Cymulate platform, is to see the effectiveness of an organization’s existing security controls, identify new security vulnerabilities as they occur, and significantly reduce and improve the organization’s attack surface.
With automated alerts and reporting, security teams can instantly get the actionable vulnerability assessment they need to take remedial action.
According to recent research by the SANS Institute, ongoing security testing is conducted using automated techniques such as hacking and attack simulators. Currently, 28% of security professionals use BAS to test their security controls.
Advantages / Benefits of Regular Security Testing
Echoing the general shift from just-in-time binary security solutions to a more continuous and adaptive approach to implementing an information security strategy, an ongoing assessment of cyber risks has emerged, given the reality of IT environments that are in constant motion.
Along with threats, and require increased attention and resources for early detection and response, not just protection primarily (see Gartner’s LETTER template).
By implementing Cymulate Continuous Security Performance Testing (BAS), organizations can better address the following challenges:
New types of attacks appear daily – New ransomware variants, Trojans, cryptography writers and cryptography hardeners appear every day, requiring preventative controls to be kept up to date with the latest breach data (IoC).
Manually checking that IPS can block the latest phishing sites, infection points, C2 servers, etc. it is time-consuming and impractical for large organizations with distributed security control. Continuous IoC modeling of the latest threat types means security teams can respond to them faster.
Sophisticated Stealth Technologies - Proactive IoC-based controls are useless against unsigned and fileless attacks, making behavior-based detection tools such as spoofers, EDRs, and EUBA tools important for detection.
But how do you know if your device and AI solutions are effective against these threats? By constantly testing their effectiveness against simulated cyberattacks, organizations can continually adjust these tools’ settings to ensure they are detected faster.
Frequent changes in the IT environment. IT environments change every day, whether it be intentional changes in network policy, use of hidden IT infrastructure, departure of new employees or company employees, or introduction of new software, hardware or virtual environments.
Early assessment of the impact of these changes on an organization’s security posture eliminates blind spots that can become unpleasant surprises.
Limited work and budget resources. Ongoing security performance testing helps you make the most of your limited budget and resources. By constantly identifying vulnerabilities and prioritizing remediation according to where the vulnerability is greatest, security teams can increase security with fewer resources.
Additionally, by using the tools and knowledge to improve security, organizations can begin to reduce their reliance on manual testing by limiting it to detection detection or compliance testing.
State citizens to threats. Dozens of APT groups have been found working on behalf of states for financial, political and military gain.These groups have the money, time, and skills to carry out complex, ongoing attacks.By constantly improving security measures against the methods these groups have already used, organizations can better and timely detect these threats.
External touchpoints and supply chain attacks. Consumer-facing portals, health information sharing (HIE), financial services through payment and ACH gateways, and companies using shared collaboration tools are all threats to enterprise security.
Configuration testing, including testing of controls such as WAF (CapitalOne-style Hacking Prevention), email gateways, infrastructure controls that limit lateral movement, and others, are critical to mitigating the cyber risks posed by these touchpoints and preventing attacks on supply chains.
How it works
So how do you get a cyber risk rating? Using Cymulate’s automated intrusion and attack simulation, security teams:
Simulation of cyber attacks at all stages of hacking (kill chain).
Evaluate controls based on identified weaknesses.
Fix impacts using actionable assessment.
Repeat hourly, weekly, daily, or whatever frequency you specify.
Continuous Testing against Persistent Threats
The latest ransomware, business email compromises and government APT campaigns require a change in cybersecurity strategy. With the help of the Cymulate platform, by continuously improving security controls, identifying their vulnerabilities and tuning them for better performance, security teams can continuously reduce their attacks and improve the organization’s overall security posture.
The article was prepared by Softprom, official distributor of Cymulate, with which you can request a free consultation about the product.
And on our platform you can learn more about Cymulate BAS, implementation results and competitive products.
