3 Hidden Costs Of Application Penetration Testing That You Didn’t Know About

In today’s interconnected world, application security is not just a priority; it’s a lifeline. Cyber-attacks occur at an alarming rate, with a new threat emerging every 14 seconds. The security of your digital assets is no longer something you can leave to chance.

Understanding application penetration testing and its growing importance

It is well-established that your most critical asset is your data. However, mobile apps and web platforms serve as potential gateways to your business data, which includes both your own and your customer’s information. Even a minor security vulnerability can result in severe consequences such as data breaches, financial losses, and harm to your reputation.

A solution that can effectively protect your business from such unpredictable threats is application penetration testing. You can think of it as a ‘security stress test’ for your organisation’s IT infrastructure. It involves looking for weak spots in your digital ecosystem that clever intruders might exploit, including bad passwords, unprotected data, and questionable app permissions. 

But here’s the catch: While application penetration testing is a foundational aspect of data security, there’s an often overlooked side to this essential practice: the concealed costs that are lurking in the shadows. The initial estimates – in terms of time and money – don’t always tell the whole story. In this blog, we’ll discuss the real expenses of application penetration testing and those sneaky hidden costs so you know how to manage these extra expenses and keep your organisation’s budget in check.

Cracking the costs associated with application penetration testing

Applications come in all sizes, which implies that there’s a wide range of costs for penetration testing. Surprisingly, even seemingly simple apps can turn out to be the most expensive. Why? Often, it’s due to their multiple user roles and basic form fields, which impact the price more than you’d realise.

So, when it comes to figuring out the cost, the smart move is to get price quotes from different penetration-testing vendors. Globally, the price for testing a web application can vary massively, running from $15,000 to over $100,000 for one test.

Mentioned below are some factors that affect how much you’ll pay while enlisting application penetration testing services:

User Roles

In a penetration test, one key factor is the number of user roles in your app. The more the number of user roles, the longer it takes for testing teams to check who can access what. Each role needs to be looked at carefully to make sure they can only do what they’re allowed to. This checking is manual since there is a chance automated tools might miss things. So, the more roles you have, the more the testing will cost.

Multi-tenant apps complicate things further. You may need to double-check the user roles to assess access control across tenants. Testers will look for issues that could let someone from one tenant access data or actions from another. This is a big concern in multi-tenant apps and should be a top priority in your test.

Dynamic Pages

Dynamic pages, which accept user input, are fertile ground for vulnerabilities like injection and data manipulation. These issues have long been a top concern in web app security.

The more dynamic pages your app has, the longer manual testing takes. This directly affects the cost of your penetration test. Each dynamic page is a potential security risk, emphasising the need for thorough testing to uncover and address vulnerabilities that could put your app at risk.

Mobile Variation

Many web applications have a mobile app counterpart that shares the same user roles, and database. To save on costs and ensure thorough security, it’s advisable to test both the web and mobile applications simultaneously. Usually, testing a web app is simpler and less expensive than testing a mobile app. So, by combining the testing, you save on penetration testing costs for the mobile app. It’s like getting two tests for the price of one.

Web testing often proves more straightforward than testing on mobile devices, resulting in cost efficiencies for the mobile application. While hourly rates typically remain consistent across industries, the primary cost driver for application penetration testing hinges on factors like complexity, user roles, and dynamic pages.

What are the hidden costs of application penetration testing?

Testing costs

The core testing phase can be a substantial expense, particularly when engaging third-party testing companies. The total cost depends on how complex your business systems are and how thorough the testing needs to be.

The rates fluctuate depending on your VAPT service provider’s skill set and the quality of service delivered. While cost considerations are undeniably significant when choosing a supplier, it is extremely crucial to ensure that you are receiving genuine value for your investment. In the decision-making process, it’s vital to keep the bigger picture in mind and not be unduly swayed by the day rate alone.

Remediation costs

Once the testing phase is completed, your next step should be to fix the vulnerabilities that have been identified. This process can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, involving tasks like software updates, applying patches, and making necessary reconfigurations.

Rectifying vulnerabilities after an attack requires a significant investment in terms of both human effort and technology. However, it can come with a significant price tag, which may also involve a follow-up test to confirm that all the identified issues have been successfully resolved. If the testing and remediation processes are poorly planned, they can inadvertently result in periods of downtime, negatively affecting daily operations and revenue.

Certification

Several industries require organisations to secure certifications for their systems from external experts, incurring additional costs for testing, documentation, and continuous compliance evaluations. Obtaining certification after the initial testing can also result in additional expenses.

Conclusion

In a world where digital threats keep changing, safeguarding your organisation’s data and systems requires more than a casual effort. It means having a complete understanding of the expenses related to application penetration testing. By thoroughly considering the costs for preparation, testing, fixing issues, downtime, training, and certification, you empower yourself to select a provider that not only fits your budget but also provides real value and security.