How to Profitably Test the Security of Your Software Product

According to surveys, most businesses believe they are “too small” for problems to happen to them. This is especially disturbing to hear from software developers, as their security affects the security of all their customers—and their customers’ customers, and their customers’ customers’ customers…

Usually, those who have already had unpleasant experiences with cyber incidents take their cybersecurity seriously. Trouble is a good teacher, of course, but it is still wiser to prevent it. For example, start small by searching for vulnerabilities in your resources through the Bug Bounty program, which rewards those who find risks.

This practice has long been used by various organizations worldwide, including Ukrainian ones, such as monobank, Sendpulse, Prozorro, PrivatBank, and FUIB. Government agencies also conduct similar programs: for example, the Ministry of Digital Transformation has tested the Diia app for security several times using the Bug Bounty method. Despite having separate departments of cybersecurity professionals, these businesses call on third-party specialists to look for errors and vulnerabilities in their digital infrastructure and products.

DigVel’s mission is to make the world safer, and first of all, the Ukrainian IT market. That is why the company wants to make this type of testing accessible to everyone, taking into account the capabilities and needs of small organizations.

The Bug Bounty program offered by DigVel is an opportunity for you to test your applications for security by qualified cybersecurity experts. They have 18 years of experience in outsourcing and hold certificates confirming their competence in conducting penetration testing (pentests). This year, the team also received a license from the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP), which is a recognition by the state that DigVel is a reliable partner for Ukrainian businesses.

Full-fledged testing can be time-consuming and expensive—and still fail to reveal any flaws if your development team has done a good job. This is why a controlled, time-limited bounty-hunting operation is the best way for teams who are putting in the work to secure their products to test how well they are doing.

The testing of your product by DigVel may even turn out to be free of charge: if they find only minor or no vulnerabilities at all. This is DigVel’s contribution to the development of cyber resilience of Ukrainian enterprises and institutions.

Why Do Companies Need Vulnerability Scans?

No one can feel absolutely safe in today’s cyberspace. The deeper digital technologies penetrate people’s daily and professional lives, the more threats emerge.

Product companies have an additional liability to their customers. Their decisions affect the security of many related businesses. Therefore, even a small software developer that has not paid enough attention to the cybersecurity of their infrastructure can indirectly contribute to a successful attack on a large organization or government agency—or even a huge number of organizations and agencies, as happened during the compromise of the accounting software M.E.Doc in 2017.

Today, cybersecurity is a competitive advantage in business. There is an increasing number of regulations for exported solutions—NIS2, EU CRA, DORA, GDPR, etc.—that require regular security testing of products and the absence of known vulnerabilities. Similar standards are also anticipated in Ukraine: the Ukrainian cyberspace regulatory system is somewhat behind the global level, but it is actively developing. So, if you want your company and your product to have a successful future, take care of security and order a private Bug Bounty program by DigVel!The market is placing and will continue to place growing demands on software vendors, particularly concerning security. The absence of bugs and vulnerabilities in your product is the key to your success and the trust of your customers.