In a technological world that feels to be evolving at an ever more rapid rate, no area is untouched by change. AI and Machine Learning (ML) have moved from the world of science fiction to pivotal tools that we will soon be wondering how we ever lived without.
However, no great advancement ever comes without unexpected challenges. Today, software testing and quality assurance (QA) are more important than ever. Although these fields have been greatly helped by the latest technological advantages, there is also a whole new set of problems that software testers need to be aware of and QA needs to factor in.
While the traditional methods of software testing and QA have not completely gone away, new tools and techniques are now deployed to ensure stability, performance and security stay up to scratch. In this article, we are going to explore three areas of software testing and QA that we think are worth special consideration.
Strengthening Security with Penetration Testing
What is Penetration Testing?
Security is a key consideration when developing any software. No matter how rigorous the design process is, penetration testing still stands as the gold standard in security testing. Penetration testing is a method where a real life attack is simulated to assess a software’s security. It is a particularly useful method for finding vulnerabilities that functional testing may overlook, like exposed data or weak access controls.
Why It Matters in QA:
The QA process is the perfect point to incorporate penetration testing. As it is a method that picks up potential security flaws that even a diligent software testing process could miss, carrying out penetration testing before a software release is vital.
Ensuring Stability with DNS Checkers
The Importance of DNS Stability:
DNS stability is an important performance factor, impacting uptime. A tool such as a DNS checker can help to verify that your DNS records are configured and operating correctly. There are several problems that DNS issues can cause, such as DNA hijacking, service outages and slow response times.
DNS Checkers in QA:
A DNS checker can be a useful tool in the QA process. They can be used to ensure that web applications maintain a reliable domain name resolution. This can help to keep the user experience seamless and help to prevent downtime through service disruptions.
Detecting Fraudulent Activity with Click Fraud Detection
Understanding Click Fraud:
Click fraud is when illegitimate clicks are used for nefarious purposes. Normally this is within the context of PPC advertising, where numerous clicks with no commercial intent can be used to drain advertising budgets. This could be performed by a competitor or a bad actor. Not only can this cause advertising costs to be wasted, but it can also skew performance metrics. This makes it difficult to assess the efficacy of marketing efforts and software. This is where click fraud detection comes in, a tool which identifies and stops clicks with the hallmarks of click fraud.
Integrating Click Fraud Detection into QA:
Integrating click fraud detection into the QA process can be useful when working on advertising systems. Click fraud can play havoc with marketing systems, not only with budgets but in the form of incorrect reporting leading to poor feedback loops. One useful method that QA teams can employ is simulating fraudulent clicks to test out the efficacy of any click fraud software that has been deployed.
Conclusion
In the ever evolving world of technology, a QA team’s toolbag has grown at a rate to match the scale of the challenges they face. With the challenges of maintaining security, performance and quality of service, tools and methods such as penetration testing, DNS checkers and clock fraud detection can help a QA team to achieve their purpose. Ultimately, integrating the use of these tools and methods can help to ensure software is more reliable.