Application Pen Testing: Point-In-Time vs Ongoing Approaches Explained

In the fast-paced digital landscape, modern applications often store and transmit sensitive data, making them a prime target for cybercriminals. With more than 56% of the largest incidents in the last five years tied to web application security issues, and an average of 464 custom applications deployed across an enterprise’s environment, the need for application security testing is undeniable.

Penetration testing, which exposes weaknesses in an application’s code, architecture, or third-party integrations so they can be addressed, is a best practice for keeping applications secure. However, there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach for conducting these assessments. For example, at Bishop Fox, we deliver traditional point-in-time testing, as well as ongoing testing engagements. Determining the best approach for an organization requires understanding their goals, objectives, resources, and timelines.

This blog will explore the core components of application penetration testing and share key considerations for choosing the best approach for your organization.

Fighting Fire with Fire: The Need for In-Depth Testing with a Hacker Mindset

Cyberattacks become more sophisticated every year, and criminals are exploiting internet-exposed vulnerabilities faster than ever. With the majority of ethical hackers (a conservative proxy for real-world adversaries) reporting that they can find an exploitable web application vulnerability in less than 10 hours, waiting too long to find and address security issues is a risky proposition. In addition, insecure applications can have catastrophic effects on businesses that extend far beyond the application at hand.

To thoroughly assess an application’s security, it’s essential to rely on skilled penetration testers who understand how to exploit vulnerabilities as a real attacker would. This goes beyond automated vulnerability scanning; it requires manual, creative testing, by humans, that simulates how a malicious actor would approach the application.

Expert testers approach your application like a cybercriminal would, finding and exploiting standard vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and broken access controls, but also more subtle flaws in the application’s business logic. This manual approach ensures they find the high-impact vulnerabilities that automated tools miss.

Point-in-Time or Ongoing Testing: How to Decide?

So, we’ve established that expert, in-depth penetration testing is the best way to evaluate your application’s security posture. But should you test using an ongoing approach, or is a traditional point-in-time test sufficient for your needs? There is no hard-and-fast rule for choosing one over the other, but there are some rules of thumb most organizations follow.

Point-in-Time

Many organizations choose a traditional Application Penetration Test when they need a focused, comprehensive evaluation, delivered in a short time period. For example, conducting due diligence for mergers and acquisitions or undergoing a compliance audit often calls for point-in-time test. This approach is effective in discovering and resolving vulnerabilities before the application goes live or to meet compliance requirements.

At Bishop Fox, application pen test clients have their defenses tested against the highest caliber of modern web application attacks. Not only do our experts identify potential vulnerabilities, they also manually validate all findings, eliminate false positives, and identify additional high-impact vulnerabilities that automated scanners can’t pick up. At the end of the engagement, the client receives a report detailing the findings, a clear description of the impact of each finding, and recommendations for remediation. The organization can then come back to Bishop Fox within 90 days to ask for an expert review to ensure that the vulnerabilities have been successfully addressed and the fixes cannot be bypassed.

Ongoing Testing

While traditional application pen testing is the common approach everyone is familiar with, the concept of ongoing testing is quickly gaining momentum as organizations want additional coverage for their business-critical applications.

Bishop Fox launched a new service, Cosmos Application Penetration Testing (CAPT), in early 2024 to meet this need, delivering the same high-quality penetration testing found in a traditional engagement, but over the course of a year or more. This has become a popular option for organizations that want an increased level of support in securing their applications.

Most customers who choose CAPT over point-in-time do so because they want expanded testing beyond the initial assessment, with experts revisiting risky areas of their applications and testing new vulnerability classes that may emerge. Other key considerations include having live access to our testers throughout the subscription, and increased flexibility when remediating vulnerabilities – because clients can request retesting at any point during their subscription. Also, because CAPT is delivered through our Cosmos portal, clients can view test findings as they happen, in near-real time.

Some typical scenarios that lend themselves to CAPT include:

• Complex or Frequently Changing Environment: A complex application has a larger attack surface, but also one that takes longer to fully understand. The increased timeline of a CAPT engagement allows more testers to cover more ground.
• Early-Stage Security Testing Program: It often takes time to get a new security testing program up to speed. CAPT provides unparalleled access to your testing team and unbeatable flexibility in remediation retesting, allowing you to focus on getting your application shipped securely.
• Extension of Cosmos Attack Surface Management (CASM): Organizations subscribed to Bishop Fox’s CASM managed service enjoy the efficiency, ease-of-use, and streamlined process of selecting CASM-discovered applications for CAPT right from their Cosmos portal.

Bishop Fox: Your Partner in Application Security

At Bishop Fox, we understand that different applications require different levels of security. Whether you need a one-time, in-depth application penetration test, or the ongoing coverage through CAPT, we’re here to help.

With more than 7,000 application security assessments performed, and partnerships with 25% of the Fortune 100, Bishop Fox has become a trusted leader in offensive security. Our expert-led testing rigorously validates vulnerabilities and prioritizes remediation based on the actual impact on your business.

Ready to take control of your application security? Contact us today to learn more about how our application pen test and CAPT services can protect your most critical assets.