Definition
Security Testing is the process of planning, performing and evaluating activities intended to determine whether a system, application or infrastructure meets defined security requirements.
Human Explanation
An organisation checks whether its implemented safeguards and security properties actually work as intended.
Why it Matters
Regular testing reveals weaknesses and provides evidence about the effectiveness of protection mechanisms.
Conceptual Boundary
Security Testing is an umbrella process rather than one individual technique. It may coordinate complementary methods such as SAST, DAST, Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing.
Practical Perspective
The strongest evidence comes from selecting different testing methods for the risks, system state and lifecycle stage being examined.