Swarmnetics: A Novel Hybrid Software Testing Model
In a world immersed in digitalization, it is onerous to point out a business that does not employ sophisticated software applications to streamline their business operations. Today, software-driven solutions have become the driving force of every industry, helping organizations establish a competitive advantage in an ever-changing business world. That being said, there is no denying to the fact that software can also be susceptible to cyber attacks. The root cause of these vulnerabilities is the errors (bugs) present in the software codes that serve as an access door to cyber attackers. And, more often than not, it is cumbersome for any programmer to manually detect these errors among the copious lines of codes he/she writes. This impediment often leads businesses to catastrophic failures. In the wake of such adverse happenings, Swarmnetics, leading software testing solution provider, is helping organizations find security weaknesses by harnessing the expertise of the global white hat (ethical hackers) community.
“Cruising upon the efficient discovery of software vulnerabilities, Swarmnetics is meticulously hand-picking white hats globally to provide real and authentic expertise in testing our clients’ systems,” says, Wei Chieh Lim, Founder and CEO of Swarmnetics. Unlike other outsourced security vendors where white hats are selected based on the companies they have worked for and the number of certifications they hold, Swarmnetics selects white hats based on the number of vulnerabilities they have published (CVEs) and their ranking on renowned bug bounty platforms. The company also validates each of their white hat’s identity using an accredited background screening service provider. Eventually, a white hat is inducted into the “Swarm” (white hat team) and they are entitled to abide by the rules of testing engagement and the company’s vulnerability scoring and reporting standards.
The software testing company has also developed a distinguished hybrid delivery model that incorporates typical penetration testing in tandem with private bug bounty programs, which exhibits their deep and diverse software testing expertise.
“Cruising upon the efficient discovery of software vulnerabilities, Swarmnetics is meticulously hand-picking white hats globally to provide real and authentic expertise in testing our clients’ systems,” says, Wei Chieh Lim, Founder and CEO of Swarmnetics. Unlike other outsourced security vendors where white hats are selected based on the companies they have worked for and the number of certifications they hold, Swarmnetics selects white hats based on the number of vulnerabilities they have published (CVEs) and their ranking on renowned bug bounty platforms. The company also validates each of their white hat’s identity using an accredited background screening service provider. Eventually, a white hat is inducted into the “Swarm” (white hat team) and they are entitled to abide by the rules of testing engagement and the company’s vulnerability scoring and reporting standards.
The software testing company has also developed a distinguished hybrid delivery model that incorporates typical penetration testing in tandem with private bug bounty programs, which exhibits their deep and diverse software testing expertise.
“Our engagement model adopts a hybrid penetration testing and bug bounty approach that allows businesses to bring greater effectiveness and efficiency to their vulnerability discovery process,” says Lim. The working of the hybrid model is simple yet ingenious. Initially, 2-3 members of the core team run an industry-accepted typical penetration test, following which, 20-30 members of the Swarm work deep through the system to find additional vulnerabilities that were not detected from the initial test. This approach helps in detecting an additional 20-50 percent of vulnerabilities.
Furthermore, all testing activities are routed through the company’s Swarm Rally Point system, which enables businesses to check testing activities from a single IP address. This allows businesses to differentiate between legitimate testing and actual malicious attacks. That being said, the hybrid model continuously tests the system and provides a report whenever it detects high- or medium-rated vulnerabilities on its clients’ web or mobile applications. Further, Swarmnetics permits this data to be visualized by the clients via a dashboard, which provides clients the insights that include white hat participants involved, their location, types of vulnerability tests being performed, and the targets that are being actively tested. This enables the clients to refine their software programs for better performance. Alongside, the software testing firm offers a cost-effective payment model that allows businesses to pay only for the vulnerability discovered and not a fixed fee for a complete penetration test.
By enabling a pay-by-performance service and developing a distinguished hybrid software testing model, the company indeed stands ahead of its peers. Presently leveraging the expertise of more than 70 white hats from around the world, Swarmnetics is poised to take the software testing arena by storm.
Furthermore, all testing activities are routed through the company’s Swarm Rally Point system, which enables businesses to check testing activities from a single IP address. This allows businesses to differentiate between legitimate testing and actual malicious attacks. That being said, the hybrid model continuously tests the system and provides a report whenever it detects high- or medium-rated vulnerabilities on its clients’ web or mobile applications. Further, Swarmnetics permits this data to be visualized by the clients via a dashboard, which provides clients the insights that include white hat participants involved, their location, types of vulnerability tests being performed, and the targets that are being actively tested. This enables the clients to refine their software programs for better performance. Alongside, the software testing firm offers a cost-effective payment model that allows businesses to pay only for the vulnerability discovered and not a fixed fee for a complete penetration test.By enabling a pay-by-performance service and developing a distinguished hybrid software testing model, the company indeed stands ahead of its peers. Presently leveraging the expertise of more than 70 white hats from around the world, Swarmnetics is poised to take the software testing arena by storm.
