United by Security : The Test that Divides Us - Jahmel Harris & Claire Reckless

Talk Description

Software testers often seem to feel intimidated by security testing. It seems too technical, there’s so much to learn, and where the hell do you start? How do I even know if something is a vulnerability? How do I incorporate all this into my testing? Penetration testers are viewed as the technical elite with their hacker mindsets and cool tools, and laissez-faire attitude to digital boundaries. But our two professions have so much more in common than you might think, we are two sides of the same coin. We can learn from each other, and software testers already have many of the skills which apply to security, it need not be left only to the hackers.

This talk will bring together Jay, a pen tester, and Claire, a software tester, to talk about the things which unite us, both human and technical, the common challenges we both face (will we be automated out of our jobs?), and the language which brings us together yet also causes no end of problems.  We’ll show how testers need not fear security, challenge the perception of pen testers, and how testers can apply their existing skills to start to think about security while working in their teams, and champion security in the companies they work in. 

By the end of this session, you'll be able to:

Jahmel

Security Consultant

Jahmel (Jay) is a security researcher and hacker. He co-founded Digital Interruption last year; a security consultancy which helps secure organisations with a mix of penetration testing and helping to embed security into application development pipelines. With a background in not only security testing but software development, Jahmel is able to advise engineers on balancing security with functionality.

Jahmel has a particular interest in mobile application security, reverse engineering and radio and has presented talks and workshops at home in the UK and abroad. He also runs Manchester Grey Hats – a group aiming to bring hackers together to share knowledge and skills.

Claire Reckless

Test Lead

Claire is a Test Lead at MoneySuperMarket in Manchester, with prior experience in testing Financial and Security software.

A tester for over 10 years, she is active within the testing community, contributing articles, speaking at conferences including Testbash Manchester and Nordic Testing Days.