Full Stack Testing, 2nd Edition

Chapter 7. Security Testing

Figure 7-1. Recent news headlines demonstrate that security is a global concern

We are more susceptible than ever to cybercrimes—illegal activities performed with a computer and a network, including financial theft, theft of private assets (such as sales documents and research reports), and exploitation of sensitive information. Cybersecurity experts estimate that the annual global cost of cybercrime (including both direct and indirect costs to its victims) will reach 12.2 trillion USD by 2031, up from an estimated 10.5 trillion USD in 2025. These numbers imply that cybercrimes are far more prevalent than you might imagine. As Figure 7-1 illustrates, flight booking and adult dating sites get attacked just as often as banking or social media sites—and the rapid rush to adopt AI accelerates the problem. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Cybersecurity Outlook survey , 66% of organizations anticipate that AI will have the most significant impact on their cybersecurity in the coming year. However, only 37% reported having a process in place to assess the security of AI tools before deployment! So how can software teams protect our applications from such attacks?

To build a strong, secure system, build your defenses in depth—that is, build security measures into multiple layers of the application, rather than focusing on a single solid ...