Network Security Testing Approaches | CSSLP Exam Preparation

Network Security Testing Approaches

Question

Maria has been recently appointed as a Network Administrator in Gentech Inc.

She has been tasked to perform network security testing to find out the vulnerabilities and shortcomings of the present network infrastructure.

Which of the following testing approaches will she apply to accomplish this task?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

location and extent of the systems before commencing their analysis.

This testing technique is costly and time consuming.

Answer: B is incorrect.

White box.

Maria is new for this organization and she does not have any idea regarding the present infrastructure.

Therefore, black box testing is best suited for her.

Blackbox testing is a technique in which the testing team has no knowledge about the infrastructure of the organization.

The testers must first determine the testing, also known as Clear box or Glass box testing, takes into account the internal mechanism of a system or application.

The connotations of "Clear box" and "Glass box" indicate that a tester has full visibility of the internal workings of the system.

It uses knowledge of the internal structure of an application.

It is applicable at the unit, integration, and system levels of the software testing process.

It consists of the following testing methods: Control flow-based testing Create a graph from source code.

Describe the flow of control through the control flow graph.

Design test cases to cover certain elements of the graph.

Data flow-based testing Test connections between variable definitions.

Check variation of the control flow graph.

Set DEF (n) contains variables that are defined at node n.

Set engineer is equipped with the knowledge of system and designs test cases or test data based on system knowledge.

The security tester typically performs application is tested separately.

During unit testing, a developer takes the smallest unit of an application, isolates it from the rest of the application code, and tests it to determine whether it works as expected.

Unit testing is performed before integrating these independent units into modules.

The most common approach to unit testing requires drivers and stubs to be written.

Drivers and stubs are programs.

A driver simulates a calling unit, and a stub simulates a called unit.

Maria, as a Network Administrator in Gentech Inc., has been assigned the task of performing network security testing to identify vulnerabilities and shortcomings in the current network infrastructure. To accomplish this task, she needs to select a suitable testing approach.

There are different types of testing approaches, such as black-box testing, white-box testing, gray-box testing, and unit testing. Each testing approach has its unique characteristics, benefits, and limitations. Therefore, selecting a suitable testing approach depends on the testing objectives, the scope of testing, the nature of the system under test, and the available resources.

Black-box testing is a testing approach that evaluates the functionality of a system without considering its internal structure or implementation details. Testers use the system's inputs and outputs to identify defects and determine whether the system meets its functional requirements. Black-box testing is suitable when the system is complex, and the tester has limited knowledge about its internal structure or implementation details.

White-box testing is a testing approach that evaluates the internal structure and implementation details of a system. Testers use their knowledge of the system's code, architecture, and design to identify defects and evaluate the system's functionality, performance, and security. White-box testing is suitable when the tester has comprehensive knowledge of the system's internal structure and implementation details.

Gray-box testing is a testing approach that combines the features of black-box testing and white-box testing. Testers have limited knowledge of the system's internal structure and implementation details, but they have access to some system information that helps them understand the system's behavior and functionality. Gray-box testing is suitable when the tester has some knowledge of the system's internal structure or implementation details, but not enough to perform white-box testing.

Unit testing is a testing approach that evaluates individual software components, such as modules, functions, or classes. Testers use automated test cases to verify that each software component works as intended and meets its functional requirements. Unit testing is suitable when the system's components are independent and can be tested separately.

Therefore, considering the testing objectives, the scope of testing, and the nature of the system under test, Maria should choose the gray-box testing approach. This approach will allow her to evaluate the network infrastructure's functionality, performance, and security while taking into account the limited knowledge she has about its internal structure or implementation details.