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Featured Partner
Cyx is a leading
software development and testing consulting service provider. Cyx was founded by
Masahiko Soh, in a Tokyo basement at 2000. Cyx has a strong expertise in
consulting for testing and quality managementing system development, then it has
extended its speciallity into requirements engineering, and total project
management. Cyx is also distributing testing training programs based on RBCS's
excellent training programs.
Today, Cyx is serving
consulting services to world class clients which needs innovative improvement of
their software developmet and testing capability including globally leading
manufacturers which are developing embedded software and leading system
development full
outsourcers.
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E-Learning Courses
ISTQB Test Engineering Foundation
US$ 999
ISTQB Advanced Test Analyst
US$ 999 *
Managing the Testing Process US$ 999
Software Test
Estimation
US$ 499
Assessing Your Test Team
US$ 499
Coming
soon...
ISTQB Advanced Test Manager
US$ 999
Each course includes three months of on-line access, notesets,
exercises and either sample exam questions (for ISTQB course) or knowledge-check
questions (for other courses). ISTQB courses are written against the latest
ISTQB Foundation and Advanced syllabi released in 2007. Prices shown are
for asynchronous courses (pure e-learning). Blended courses (with a
facilitator) and custom training packages are also available.
*Advanced Test Analyst has been submitted to the American Software
Testing Qualifications Board (ASTQB) for
accreditation. |
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ISTQB Certified Tester
Training
June 23-26
Toronto,
Canada
Test Engineering Foundation
$2,000
July 22-25
San Francisco, CA
Test Engineering Foundation
$2,000
July 28-August 1
Toronto, Canada ISTQB Advanced Test
Analyst *
$2,650
September 2-5, 2008
Austin, TX
Test Engineering
Foundation
$2,000
September 9-12
Ottowa, Canada
Advanced Test Analyst*
$2,650
September 22-26
Las Vegas, NV
Advanced Test Analyst*
$2,650
September 29-October 3
NYC Area, New York
Advanced Test Manager**
$2,650
October 20-24
Toronto, Canada
Advanced Test Manager
$2,650
November 10-14
Washington DC
Advanced Test Manager**
$2,650
December 1-5
Ontario, CA
Advanced Test Manager**
$2,650
December 8-12
Atlanta, GA
Advanced Test Manager**
$2,650
*Advanced Test Analyst has been submitted to the American Software Testing
Qualifications Board (ASTQB) for accreditation.
**Advanced Test Manager course materials are complete and will be
submitted submitted to the American Software Testing Qualifications Board
(ASTQB) for accreditation by June
15.
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Other Public Courses
June 25-27
Dallas, TX
Managing the Testing Process $2,500.
September 22-24
Denver, CO
Performance Testing Immersion Workshop
$2,500
October 21-23
Austin, TX
Performance Testing Immersion Workshop
$2,500
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| Dear
Reader,
Welcome to the May 2008 newsletter. As you know, one of our main
focus areas at RBCS is the application of the concepts of risk management to
improving software quality. With the rash of recent security-related
incidents, a natural question to ask is, "Can the kind of risk-based testing
techniques RBCS promotes work for me to improve software security?" The
answer is, "Yes, absolutely." Security is a software quality attribute,
just like functionality, performance, and usability. While each quality
attribute has its own unique test design techniques, the standard concepts of
risk-based test analysis and risk-based test planning apply across the board.
So, to help you extend your risk-based testing techniques into the realm of
software security, we're featuring a recent article on the topic. This
article was originally published in SD Times, but is available here in an
expanded form.
We also have, as usual, a featured partner. However,
in this case, we have some tantalizing news about this partner and upcoming
offerings with them. [Might want to work with Ken to add a detail or two
here, if we're ready.]
Finally, speaking of risk-based testing, we are
working with a major software vendor to help them implement risk-based testing
and risk-based results reporting. Our work with them will be the topic of
two upcoming articles, co-authored by me and our client. We're excited
with the progress we're making with them, using our standard risk-based testing
techniques. I look forward to provide you with further details on this
project in the July newsletter.
Regards,
Regards,
Rex Black,
President
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Seven Steps
to Reducing Software Security Risks
by Rex Black
If you are a software developer, software development manager, or
software quality assurance staff member, you probably know that developing
secure software is no longer simply desirable-it's completely essential.
Some developers might assume that most security problems
arise from the operating system or networking layers, well below the application
code they are working on. However, recent figures for Web-based applications
show that over three-quarters of security exploits arose from applications (see
Table 1).
So, you know you need secure code, but how to get there?
What are your security risks? What security failures and bugs do you have? What
do these security risks, failures, and bugs mean? How can you reduce security
risk in a way that doesn't create new problems? How do you monitor my progress
over time? This article will outline seven steps that will allow you to answer
these and other questions as you improve your software's security.
Exploited
Vulnerability Percent
Occurrence
Server
Applications 41%
Non-Server
Applications 36%
Operating System
Issues 15%
Hardware
Issues 4%
Communication Protocol Issues 2%
Others
2%
Network and Protocol Stack Issues 1%
Encryption
Issues
0%
Table 1: Occurrence of Security Exploits by
Vulnerability
You can read the rest of this article at in the RBCS Library.
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Some of you may have heard Rex's sayings over the years. We
decided to coin them "Rexisms" for your reading pleasure. So here they are to
ponder - some useful aphorisms to help you plan, prepare, perform, and perfect
your testing activities, compiled from over a quarter-century of software and
systems engineering experience.
"The most dangerous kind of bad idea is the one that sounds reasonable. Bad
ideas that sound stupid stand little chance of implementation, but bad ideas
that sound reasonable often carry the day, with disastrous results."
"The most recurring, pernicious, and corrosive testing mistake is
overestimation of the percentage of test cases that will pass. Such false
optimism is the root of the failure of many a carefully-considered test
estimate, a thoroughly-vetted test plan, and a painstakingly-crafted test
designs."
"Test documentation templates are great, except when they're not.
They're great when they serve as a way to remind you of important
considerations, questions, and decisions you must address in your test plans,
test cases, test policies, and test reports. They're not great when you use them
as an excuse to turn off your brain and fill in the
blanks."
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Transition
Plan for the 2007 ISTQB Advanced Level Syllabus
On October 12, 2007 the ISTQB General Assembly released the new Advanced
Level Syllabus. Effective July 1, 2008, all Advanced Level exams will run
against the new syllabus. Visit the ASTQB
website to view the new syllabus.
RBCS is working diligently to make the transition from the
current syllabus to the new syllabus as seamless as possible. We will
continue to offer the current Functional Testing Advanced Level course and prep
guides until July 1, 2008 (exams will be offered by the ASTQB until October 15,
2008.) On July 1, 2008 the Functional Testing Advanced Level course will
be replaced by ISTQB Advanced Level Test Analyst. Likewise, we will
continue to offer the current Test Management Advanced Level course and prep
guides until July 1, 2008. On July 1, 2008 the current Test Management
Advanced Level course will be replaced by an updated version commensurate with
the new syllabus.
For additional information, download the ISTQB Advanced 2007 Release
Plan.
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QA Zone Interviews Rex Black On Risk Based Testing
If you've been following
this newsletter for a while, or if you've read any of Rex Black's books, you
know that RBCS is a pioneer and a leader in risk-based testing. We've been
developing ways to do risk-based testing and showing them to our clients since
1995. RBCS is currently working with a major client to help them implementing
risk-based testing, and that work will be the subject of a major case study
article to be published this fall. In the meantime, you might want to read this
interview of Rex Black, where he discussed risk-based testing, test automation,
ISTQB certification, and the skills required to be a good software tester. See the entire article
today! |
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Foundations of Software Testing is translated into
Japanese
Foundations of Software Testing: ISTQB Certification, your
essential guide to software testing and the ISTQB Foundation qualification, is
currently being translated into Japanese! |
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Managing
the Testing Process, 3ed.
Rex's first book, *Managing the Testing Process*, has proven a real hit in
the decade since its initial publication, with around 30,000 copies, including
Indian, Japanese, and Chinese editions. Now, just in time for the ten-year
anniversary of its initial publication in July 1999, Rex has embarked on work on
a third edition, due to hit the shelves around July 2009. The third
edition will update the existing material and add new material on improving your
testing processes, understanding the testing business case, writing more
effective test plans, creating more accurate test estimates, communicating your
test results in a way that really effects change, and more.
Rex said,
"I've been very gratified over the last decade at the response to this book and
the training course we derived from it. With feedback from the thousands
of course attendees, another half-dozen years of experience under my belt, and
an even broader geographical, industry, and organizational range to our
consultancy, I expect to be able to make the third edition and even more useful,
comprehensive, and comprehensible resource for test managers around the
world."
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Remembering our Fellow Countrymen and International Neighbors
As we celebrate our successes, we are reminded everyday of the tragedies
that have recently fallen upon the victims of the Myanmar cyclone, the
tornadoes in the Midwest and Southest, and the catastrophic earthquake in
China. We have personally been touched by these events by several dgrees
of separation. This is not the case for some of our colleagues and
associates. Please take a moment to help those affected by these
crisis. | |
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