How to conduct regular security audits

To ensure your software remains secure, you should hire a professional third-party firm to perform a "penetration test" at least once a year or after every major update. This process involves ethical hackers attempting to find and exploit weaknesses in your system in a controlled environment, allowing you to fix security gaps before they can be exploited by malicious actors.

Understanding security audits and penetration testing

While you might perform your own internal checks, a third-party security audit provides an unbiased, expert perspective. In the UK, this usually takes the form of a penetration test (or "pen test"). The goal is to simulate a real-world cyberattack to see how your application, servers, and data storage hold up under pressure.

Steps to complete a security audit

1. Define the scope: Decide exactly what needs testing. Is it just your web application, or does it include your mobile app and cloud infrastructure? Clear boundaries prevent the project from becoming too expensive and ensure the most critical areas are covered.
2. Find a reputable provider: Look for firms that are CREST-accredited. CREST is the gold standard for cyber security providers in the UK. Using an accredited firm ensures the testers are highly skilled and follow a strict code of ethics.
3. Schedule the test: Arrange the audit during a period where your development team has the capacity to review the results. Avoid scheduling tests during major product launches or high-traffic periods.
4. Review the report: Once the audit is complete, you will receive a detailed report. This usually categorises vulnerabilities into levels of risk (e.g., Critical, High, Medium, Low).
5. Remediate and re-test: Your developers should prioritise and fix the "Critical" and "High" issues immediately. Most audit firms offer a follow-up "re-test" to confirm that your fixes have successfully closed the vulnerabilities.

Choosing the right approach

Depending on your budget and the maturity of your software, you might choose different types of testing:

Tips for success

• Don't be defensive: It can be hard to hear that your code has flaws, but finding them now is much better than discovering them after a data breach.
• Keep a paper trail: Save your audit reports. If you ever pitch to enterprise clients or apply for cyber insurance, they will often ask for proof of your latest penetration test.
• Budget early: Security audits are an investment. In the UK, a basic penetration test for a small SaaS application can cost anywhere from £2,000 to £7,000 depending on complexity.

Action Point: If you have already launched your MVP, reach out to three CREST-accredited security firms this week to request a quote for a baseline web application penetration test.