Penetration Test Case Prioritization via Threat and Impact Scoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current penetration testing methods are costly and time-consuming due to their complexity, as they often provide individual results and do not effectively identify vulnerabilities, human errors, or business impacts, leading to inefficient resource allocation and customer dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that identify specific test cases for penetration testing by determining threat, vulnerability, human error, business impact, and popularity scores, using predefined weightage values and techniques to calculate severity levels, thereby focusing testing efforts on critical areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If comprehensive penetration testing is performed on the entire application, then security coverage is improved, but cost and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the application into multiple components and identifies specific test cases for each component based on threat severity and business impact. Instead of testing the entire application uniformly, the system divides testing efforts into targeted segments, reducing overall testing time while maintaining comprehensive security coverage for critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different testing depths and approaches to different parts of the application based on their specific risk profiles. High-risk areas receive more rigorous testing while low-risk areas receive minimal testing, optimizing the balance between security coverage and resource consumption.
2Reliability
If comprehensive penetration testing is performed on the entire application, then security coverage is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments testing resources and allocates them based on calculated risk priorities. By identifying and focusing resources on high-severity test cases, the system achieves comprehensive security coverage for critical areas while reducing costs associated with testing low-priority areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of testing by introducing dynamic priority levels and severity classifications. This allows the system to adjust testing intensity and resource allocation based on quantified risk parameters, optimizing cost-effectiveness while maintaining security coverage.
3Measurement precision
If traditional penetration testing methods are used, then individual security aspects are tested, but overall security picture and resource allocation efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual security assessments into a unified framework that evaluates threats, vulnerabilities, and business impacts together. By combining these previously separate analyses into an integrated system, the patent achieves both precise security measurement and efficient resource allocation through centralized priority-based management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal testing framework that handles multiple security assessment functions simultaneously. The same platform performs threat analysis, vulnerability assessment, business impact evaluation, and resource allocation optimization, improving both measurement precision and productivity through multi-functionality.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for identifying one or more test cases for penetration testing of an application associated with an entity. An application testing system receives data related to application from one or more data sources and uses the data to determine threat score, vulnerability score, human error score, business impact score and popularity score. Further, application testing system identifies threat quantifier value based on threat score, vulnerability score and human error score. The application testing system also determines impact quantifier value based on business score and popularity score. The application testing system then determines threat severity level and impact severity level based on threat quantifier value and impact quantifier value. Based on the determined threat severity level and the impact severity level, the application testing system identifies the one or more test cases for performing penetration testing of the application.