Penetration testing is an essential part of developing secure applications; it helps find vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, provides web application resiliency, and helps organizations identify and thwart potential threats.

That said, not all pen testing approaches are created equal. Whether you use the traditional waterfall development method, the more flexible agile approach, or always-on continuous development (CI/CD), your penetration testing schedule should reflect your specific needs.

Pen test in a waterfall development environment

Waterfall development is ideal for well-defined software development projects where all functionality can be planned in advance. The development process happens sequentially, with each stage being completed before the next can begin.

Waterfall development is more rigid than agile and continuous development approaches, making it difficult to shift gears mid-project. It is best suited for apps that are limited in scope, likely won’t be updated often, and aren’t intended for customers.

With its highly structured approach and well-defined deadlines, Waterfall development facilitates the integration of penetration testing. In this case, the penetration tests can be limited in time or carried out once the project has been deployed.

This penetration testing program is sometimes referred to as traditional penetration testing.

Pen test in an agile development environment

Agile development, on the other hand, emphasizes speed and flexibility. This approach is ideal for complex, customer-facing applications that require frequent updates.

Time-limited penetration testing is always an option, although the frequency should match each release cycle. Developers use short sprints to rapidly develop, test, and deploy new features. Penetration testing should therefore be performed more frequently.

For example, if you are on a bi-weekly release cycle, you should also do penetration testing every two weeks.

The downside to this approach is both cost and speed; Frequent penetration testing is expensive to run and the penetration testing cycle must be completed before the next sprint can begin.

However, if you want the most optimal security coverage with minimal disruption to the development process, you’re better off using a continuous pen test approach.

Pen test in a continuous development environment

Continuous development is a relatively new approach to web application development. It is based on continuous delivery of tiny updates rather than traditional methods like waterfall and agile that focus on delivering the entire project or a large feature set at once.

DevOps and CI/CD Automation has become a key technology for teams to keep their applications secure, stable, and always up to date.

Continuous delivery is ideal for mission-critical web applications with complex functionality and frequent updates. This approach allows developers to quickly deploy new features as soon as they are ready without waiting for other features to be completed.

The penetration testing strategy must correspond to this new style of development. In short, using a continuous development approach requires continuous penetration testing. This means that pen tests should be done every time the code is released to production.

An ongoing penetration testing service is the only real way to get the most out of your security testing process with this type of development approach.

Continuous or traditional pen tests

Whether you use waterfall, agile, or continuous development, regular penetration testing is essential for any organization that wants to ensure the security of its web applications. Traditional pen testing is usually done when a project is finished, while continuous pen testing is done throughout the development process.

Traditional penetration testing is usually time-bound or done once the project is deployed, which means it only happens at certain points in the development process. Unfortunately, this approach can lead to gaps in security coverage, leaving applications vulnerable between penetration tests.

As organizations shift to continuous development and roll out new features and updates more frequently, traditional penetration testing may no longer be sufficient to ensure security.

Continuous pen test, on the other hand, provides continuous security coverage at all stages of the application lifecycle. This approach is best suited for customer-facing applications with complex functionality and frequent updates, ensuring that any changes or new functionality will be secure.

Continuous Pen Testing as a Service (PTaaS)

For companies looking to reduce web application risk at all times, the lack of internal resources and expertise can be a challenge. This is where Pen Testing as a Service (PTaaS) between.

PTaaS is a cloud-based approach that combines automated and manual testing. By using PTaaS, organizations can rest assured that their web applications are secure as they make updates and deploy new features.

A PTaaS model provides an ongoing approach that allows organizations to continuously test their web applications, before and after deployment and whenever updates or changes are released. This ensures that vulnerabilities are identified and addressed in real time, keeping application vulnerabilities under control.

Whether your organization uses waterfall, agile or continuous development, Outpost24 PTaaS is the ideal solution for those who wish to ensure continuous evaluation of their applications. With automated and expert manual testing, organizations can be assured that their web applications are secure at all stages of development.

Sponsored and written by Outpost24