In 2023, Ireland’s data regulators imposed a hefty fine of €345 million on TikTok for failing to comply with children’s privacy regulations set forth by the GDPR. Certain features of the app were seen as being unsafe for usage by children, leading to this consequence.
That’s right—even giants like TikTok, Amazon, and Meta aren’t immune! Thus, such a hefty fine underscores the critical importance of complying with data protection regulations.
Moreover, with techniques like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and man-in-the-middle attacks hackers can intercept and manipulate your sensitive information. As such, a website security audit certificate helps demonstrate a professional assessment and strengthen stakeholders’ trust.
Types of Website Security Audit Certifications
1. VAPT Certificate
A VAPT certificate attests to the fact that your application has been thoroughly tested for vulnerabilities and that any identified issues have been rectified. This is crucial for ensuring the security of your systems and protecting sensitive user data.
How to Obtain It
Find a VAPT service provider to assess your website using automated scanning and pentesting. Automated scanning involves tools that scan your application for common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and insecure password storage.
This is followed by penetration testing, where ethical hackers attempt to exploit vulnerabilities and gain unauthorized access to your systems, mimicking real-world attacker methods.
Who Issues It and Who Needs It
Any reliable VAPT vendor can issue the certificate. It’s perfect for businesses of all sizes that handle sensitive data or want to achieve data privacy compliance and build customer trust.
Cost & Timeline
Costs can vary depending on the complexity of your application, the chosen provider, and the scope of the assessment. Ballpark figures typically range from $1,000 to $10,000, with timelines generally between a few days to a few weeks. You can directly download and verify your VAPT certificate within the service provider’s dashboard.
2. Safe to Host Certificate
The Safe to Host certificate, an X.509 certificate, assures secure communication between clients and servers. This is particularly important for hosting companies that manage sensitive information on behalf of their customers.
How to Obtain It
Hosting companies can acquire this certificate by submitting a formal request to a Certificate Authority or a credible security service provider. To qualify, you’ll need to undergo a Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) that focuses on the security of your hosting environment.
The VAPT will identify weaknesses like misconfigured server software, weak encryption, and insufficient access controls. The certificate is issued once all critical, high, and medium-severity vulnerabilities have been resolved.
Who Issues It and Who Needs It
CAs and accredited security service providers issue this certificate, which is primarily for hosting companies to ensure secure client-server communication.
Cost & Timeline
Costs depend on the chosen provider and the scale of your hosting environment. Expect a ballpark range of $1,500 to $5,000. The timeline typically involves a VAPT followed by certificate issuance within a few weeks to a month.
What Makes Astra the Best VAPT Solution?
- We’re the only company that combines automated & manual pentest to create a one-of-a-kind pentest platform.
- The Astra Vulnerability Scanner runs 10,000+ tests to uncover every single vulnerability
- Vetted scans ensure zero false positives.
- Our intelligent vulnerability scanner emulates hacker behavior & evolves with every pentest.
- Astra’s scanner helps you shift left by integrating with your CI/CD.
- Our platform helps you uncover, manage & fix vulnerabilities in one place.
- Trusted by the brands you trust like Agora, Spicejet, Muthoot, Dream11, etc.
3. HIPAA Compliance
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a 1996 US legislation requiring healthcare providers to uphold secure data security practices to protect patient information. HIPAA compliance is essential for safeguarding sensitive medical data in the healthcare sector.
How to Obtain It
Healthcare facilities in the US must undergo a security risk assessment and implement necessary safeguards to achieve HIPAA compliance. Qualified security providers can assist healthcare organizations in this process. The assessment looks for vulnerabilities like a lack of employee training, poor physical security measures, and outdated security protocols.
Cost & Timeline
Costs depend on the size and complexity of the healthcare facility and the chosen security provider. The costs to ensure compliance with all the different conditions can range from $5,000 to $20,000.
Since HIPAA is an ongoing process rather than a single certificate, there’s no specific timeline, but a HIPAA-centric pentest can typically take 4-6 weeks on average.
4. CERT-IN Certificate
CERT-IN (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is an Indian government body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It is a nodal agency that handles cybersecurity incidents, issues alerts and advisories, collects data and analyzes cyber incidents.
How to Obtain It
You can proclaim a CERT-IN certificate by getting security testing from a CERT-empanelled security service provider. They assess your IT systems for weaknesses and suggest ways to patch any vulnerabilities. Once you’ve addressed the issues and followed CERT-IN’s guidelines, your CERT-IN vendor can recommend you for the certificate.
Who Issues It and Who Needs It
This certificate, issued by CERT-IN, is a gold standard for Indian businesses that deal with sensitive information or are considered critical infrastructure, like power plants or hospitals. It proves they’re taking cybersecurity seriously and can boost trust with customers and partners.
Cost & Timeline
The price tag can vary depending on the size and complexity of your IT setup, but ballpark figures are somewhere between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 2,00,000 (roughly $650 to $2,600 USD). The whole process, from assessment to getting the certificate, can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
5. PCI-DSS
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is another compliance requirement for any organization that processes or interacts with credit card data. It’s a rulebook for organizations that handle credit card information, ensuring strong security measures are in place.
How to Obtain It
There’s no single certificate for PCI DSS. It’s a self-assessment test in which you review the PCI DSS requirements and ensure your organization follows them. To be extra sure, you can bring in a PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA)—like a security report card grader. They can check your work and offer tips if needed.
Who Needs It
If your business accepts credit card payments, transmits cardholder data, or stores it – PCI DSS compliance is necessary. Skipping on it can lead to hefty fines and a damaged reputation.
Cost & Timeline
The price depends on how much credit card information you handle. Costs can include hiring a QSA, security software, and keeping your defenses up-to-date. Ballpark figures can range from $5,000 to over $100,000 annually. Maintaining PCI DSS compliance is an ongoing process and not a one-time achievement.
6. GDPR
GDPR, General Data Protection & Regulation Act 2016, is a European Union regulation that requires businesses to protect EU citizens’ personal data and privacy. Any business operating in the EU member states or with a European consumer base comes under GDPR compliance.
GDPR protects personal data privacy, such as an individual’s IP address, cookie data, location, RFID tags, biometrics, political opinions, PII, health and genetic data, and financial data.
How to Obtain It
There is no official GDPR certificate. You’ll need to assess your data practices, implement strong security measures, and demonstrate that you follow GDPR principles. Consulting a GDPR specialist can be a big help in navigating this process.
Each organization’s implementation of GDPR is unique. To become GDPR compliant, you must understand the regulatory framework and how it applies to your business and act accordingly.
Who Needs It
Any organization that offers services or products to EU residents or handles the personal data of EU citizens needs to comply with GDPR. If you don’t, you could face hefty fines.
Cost & Timeline
Costs can include hiring consultants, security software, and ongoing compliance efforts. Ballpark figures can range from €10,000 to over €100,000 (roughly $10,500 to $105,000 USD) or more. Like PCI DSS, GDPR compliance is an ongoing process requiring constant monitoring and adjustments.
7. ISO27001
ISO27001 (formerly known as ISO/IEC 27001) is an international standard for managing security using an information security management system (ISMS) framework. The ISO 27001 compliance standard has a special vulnerability assessment and penetration testing clause.
How to Obtain It
An accredited certification body will thoroughly examine your Information Security Management System (ISMS). They’ll check your documentation, see how you’ve implemented your security measures, and basically make sure your system is up to snuff. If everything passes the test, you’ll get the ISO 27001 certificate.
Who Issues It and Who Needs It
ISO doesn’t directly issue certificates; it sets the international standard for information security management systems (ISMS). While not mandatory for everyone, the ISO 27001 certification is a highly sought-after credential for organizations of all sizes that want to demonstrate a strong commitment to information security.
Cost & Timeline
The cost of ISO 27001 certification can vary depending on your organization’s size and complexity and the chosen certification body. Ballpark figures typically range from $10,000 to $50,000+. The timeline for achieving certification can also vary, but it typically takes several months to complete the certification audit process.
Types of Security Testing
1. Vulnerability Scanning / Assessment
Vulnerability scanning is largely an automated test involving security tools and scanners that run several tests to discover basic security issues such as outdated versions, misconfigurations, etc.
You can conduct vulnerability scanning independently with the right tools and setup on a repeated basis. However, the results don’t cover vulnerabilities such as business logic bugs and payment gateway escalations.
Although vulnerability assessments are not the most comprehensive, they can be extremely helpful in navigating continuous monitoring and shipping safe feature updates.
Vulnerability assessment is usually used as a base-setter for holistic penetration testing. One key difference between vulnerability scanning and vulnerability assessment is that the latter can also include manual work, which is normally missing in scanning.
2. Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is the process of uncovering potential security risks in a system and trying to bypass security rules by imitating a hacker’s approach.
It is usually a manual, intricate, and slow process compared to the more instantaneous vulnerability scanning. A penetration test can take days or even weeks to complete and assesses every aspect of the application as defined and agreed upon by the pen-tester and the stakeholder.
The penetration testing results are more detailed and usually include CVSS scores, PoC videos, compliance impact indications, and remediation guidance.
Methodology of Website Security Testing
1. Reconnaissance
The first stage of cyber reconnaissance involves carefully selecting information about the target website. This includes methods such as DNS record interrogation, web technology fingerprinting, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) collection.
The goals are mapping the attack surface, identifying software versions, and locating publicly available data useful for vulnerability exploits.
2. Fingerprinting
After reconnaissance, the focus is on assessing the website’s security posture. Testers use specialized tools and methods to identify the underlying frameworks, technologies, and security controls used. This important stage allows you to fully comprehend the controls that have been implemented and aids in customizing later assault vectors for optimal efficacy.
3. Penetration Testing
The key element of the process is penetration testing or pentesting. Testers precisely replicate realistic assault scenarios. This means taking advantage of vulnerabilities that have been found by using various tools and methods, such as brute-force password-cracking attempts, cross-site scripting (XSS), and SQL injection.
By imitating the tactics of actual attacks, the goal is to obtain unauthorized access to confidential information or interfere with the operation of websites.
4. Reporting
A detailed report is produced once the pentesting process is finished, which describes the vulnerabilities that were found, their severity (as measured by CVSS scores), how they could affect the website’s security posture and the possible outcomes of their exploitation (such as data leaks and system failures).
The investigation also offers precise and realistic remediation recommendations that function as a road map for fixing security flaws.
5. Retesting
Some vendors also offer retesting as a crucial step in ensuring the success of remedial actions. Simply put, testers repeat their attacks against the patched website to confirm that vulnerabilities have been fixed and the website’s security posture has improved.
Moreover, this iterative strategy, besides the clean report and the publicly verifiable security certificate, makes website owners and stakeholders feel more confident.
Make your Web Application the safest place on the Internet.
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How can Astra Help?
Key Features:
- Platform: SaaS
- Pentest Capabilities: Continuous automated scans with manual tests
- Accuracy: Zero false positives
- Compliance Scanning: PCI-DSS, HIPAA, ISO27001, and SOC2
- Expert Remediation Assistance: Yes
- Workflow Integration: Slack, JIRA, GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, and more
- Price: Starting at $1999/yr
Astra Security has carved a niche for itself in providing advanced security testing with its VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing) program.
Our certified security professionals uncover loopholes in your application with the right mix of automated and manual security testing. Each audit is tailored to your application’s technology stack and follows the global security testing standards dictated by OWASP, SANS, CERT, PCI, ISO27001, and others.
You also get video PoCs and Selenium scripts to reproduce the vulnerabilities. This means you can proceed with the remediation in parallel with the VAPT and save precious time.
Our VAPT offering includes three different plans: Basic, Expert, and Elite. The cost of each plan varies with frequency.
Final Thoughts
The large fines imposed on major organizations show the serious implications that can result from data breaches and non-compliance with regulations. Website security audit certificates provide a potent remedy by helping you find and fix vulnerabilities before hackers can exploit them.
They help prevent costly breaches while demonstrating your commitment to data security and compliance with industrial regulations.Don’t wait for a security incident to force your hand. Invest in a website security audit today to ensure peace of mind and a renewed trust with your stakeholders that comes with a robustly secured website.
FAQ
What is website security audit certificate?
A website security audit certificate is issued by a wesbite security testing provider after thoroughly examining your website for vulnerabilities. It indicates that the site passed a security check, following a defined set of standards, usually based on OWASP Top 10 and SANS 25.
How to check security audit of website?
You can assess your website’s security through two main methods: website scanners and professional penetration testing. Scanners are automated tools that act like security bloodhounds, while penetration testing involves a security professional manually testing your site.
How to get OWASP certification?
There isn’t actually an OWASP certification for websites. OWASP – Open Web Application Security Project – is a nonprofit organization that provides free security resources and best practices. You can hire a security service provider to implement OWASP standards.
