In the context of cyber security, black box testing can be used to simulate an external cyber-attack, often referred to as penetration testing. Testers, who play the role of attackers, try to find security vulnerabilities that could be exploited. This approach is effective in identifying issues related to data input, output processing, and user interface design, but it may not uncover problems related to internal code structure or logic.
Black box testing relies on external expectations of functionality (e.g., software requirements, specifications) to create test cases and is considered beneficial because it evaluates the system from an end-user perspective and does not require the tester to be a developer or have direct access to the source code.
Key Characteristics:
- User’s Perspective: Testing is done from the perspective of the end-user, not the developer.
- No Internal Knowledge Required: The tester does not need to know the programming languages, source code, or architecture.
- Functional Testing: Focuses on what the system does, rather than how it does it.
- Dynamic Analysis: Involves executing the software to explore its behaviour under various conditions.
Examples:
- Real-World Example: A cybersecurity firm conducts a black box penetration test on a web application to uncover vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting without any prior knowledge of the app’s internal coding.
- Hypothetical Scenario: A company releases a new mobile application and hires a test team to perform black box testing. The testers check the app’s responses to unexpected inputs and ensure that features like user authentication and payment processing function correctly.
Related Terms:
- Penetration Testing: A type of security testing in which a system is analysed for potential vulnerabilities to hacking or unauthorized access, which can employ black box testing methodologies.
- White Box Testing: A testing approach that evaluates the internal structures and workings of an application, unlike black box testing.
- Functional Testing: A type of black box testing that bases its test cases on the specifications of the software component being tested.
