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In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, safeguarding software integrity is a top priority. White box penetration testing is a crucial cornerstone in the proactive defense strategy against emerging cyber threats. This detailed testing approach offers a unique viewpoint, much like a hacker’s perspective from inside the system, enabling a thorough exploration of potential vulnerabilities deeply embedded within the software. 

As the digital world continues to expand and evolve, so do the sophisticated techniques of cyber attackers, white box penetration testing serves as a crucial tool in staying ahead of these threats by revealing weaknesses in the system’s core, allowing for proactive reinforcement of security measures.

Understanding the pivotal role of this method within software quality assurance is essential, as it not only identifies existing vulnerabilities but empowers organizations to proactively strengthen their software, fostering resilience against potential breaches and cyber-attacks.

 

What Is White Box Penetration Testing?

White box penetration testing definition, referred to as clear box or structural testing, is a technique that grants the tester access to the internal structure of the system to replicate a hacker’s actions and uncover potential vulnerabilities. This method provides a comprehensive understanding of the application, identifying all possible entry points into the system.

White box pentest is frequently employed to examine a system’s essential parts, particularly by companies that develop their software products, or integrate multiple applications. It is a method to evaluate a system’s security by assessing its capability to withstand various real-time attacks.

 

Benefits of White Box Penetration Testing

An efficient white box penetration test helps avoid the issues, errors, and oversights that can leave your businesses vulnerable to hackers. Let’s explore more benefits of white-box penetration testing:

• Comprehensive oversights of possible issues: White box penetration testing offers the most comprehensive analysis of internal and external vulnerabilities from the internal point of view, which is not available to typical attackers.
• Early detection: White box penetration testing is integrated into the early development stages, when there is no user interface, and even before the software application is available to users, which enables detecting the vulnerabilities at a very early stage.
• Extensive testing coverage: White box penetration testing can identify weaknesses in areas that are unreachable for black box testing, for instance, an app’s source code, design, and business logic.
• Precise identification of weaknesses: Since testers have detailed knowledge of the internal workings of the system, they can pinpoint specific weaknesses, potential security gaps, and flaws in the code logic. This level of detail often leads to more accurate identification of vulnerabilities.

Disadvantages of White Box Testing

Despite all the appealing advantages, white box penetration testing shows some drawbacks in certain situations:

• High programming language requirements: Implementing white-box penetration testing involves internal network testing, which requires the testers to be familiar with critical programming tasks, like performing port scanning, SQL injection, and common attacks. By this, they will have a better understanding of the potential access points.
• Limited real-world simulation: White box testing operates with complete knowledge of the system, which doesn’t accurately replicate real-world attack scenarios where attackers have limited or no knowledge. This approach might overlook vulnerabilities that would be apparent to external attackers working with less information.
• Risk of biased testing: Testers, armed with complete system details, might inadvertently focus on known weaknesses or areas they are more familiar with, potentially overlooking other vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers with different perspectives.

 

Black Box, Grey Box and White Box Penetration Testing Differences

Black box, grey box and white box testing are all types of penetration testing – the practice of testing a computer system, network, or web app to find issues, errors, and vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit. 

 

To help you distinguish between black box, grey box and white box penetration testing, understand the benefits and limitations of each type, and when to apply it to get the best results, we have summarized it in the following comparison table:

Aspects	Black box penetration testing	Grey box penetration testing	White box penetration testing
Level of knowledge requirement	Require little or no knowledge of infrastructure and network	Require basic knowledge of the internal codebase, architecture, and infrastructure	Allow complete access to knowledge about the system’s infrastructure, codebase, and network
Level of programming language requirement	Require no syntactic knowledge of the programming language	Require a basic comprehension of the programming language	Require high and professional understanding of programming language
Standard techniques	Boundary value analysis, Graph-Based testing, Equivalence partitioning, etc	Regression testing, Pattern testing, Matrix testing, Orthogonal array testing, etc	Decision coverage, Path testing, Branch testing, Statement coverage, etc
Advantages	– Mimics real-world attacks – Provides an outsider’s perspective – Encourages creative problem-solving	– Balances realism and deeper insights – Enables access to some internal system knowledge – Optimize time and resources	– Understands thoroughly of the system’s internals – Delivers comprehensive coverage of system security – Pinpoints vulnerabilities in code and architecture
Disadvantages	– Limited insight into internal structures – Incomplete view of vulnerabilities – Possible overlook of certain critical vulnerabilities	– Restricted insight compared to White Box – Dependent on available information – Possible miss of certain system areas	– Time-consuming due to in-depth analysis – Costly due to skilled personnel and time- Prone to false positives if not done carefully
When to use	– Simulating external threats – Testing overall security posture – Assessing response to unknown attackers	– Balancing depth and efficiency – Targeted testing with some internal insights – Limited access but need for deeper insight	– Assessing specific system components – Analyzing code, architecture, and design – Identifying and fixing intricate flaws

 

The selection of Black Box, Grey Box, or White Box Penetration Testing depends on the level of internal knowledge required, the depth of the assessment needed, and the specific objectives of your security testing rpojects. It’s often beneficial to employ a combination of these methodologies for a comprehensive security assessment based on the unique needs of the system or software being evaluated.

 

White Box Penetration Testing Techniques

When it comes to software security testing, security testing white box techniques review source code (the internal structure of the software application) to detect gaps that can make an application vulnerable to cybersecurity threats.

One of the main goals of white box penetration testing is to cover the complete source code as extensively as possible. Three main types of techniques for use in white box penetration testing include Path coverage, Statement coverage, and Branch coverage.

Path coverage

This white box test methodology pays attention to all the paths. The path is a flow of execution that follows a set of instructions. The path coverage examines all possible paths of the software and ensures each path is traversed at least once. The path coverage is far more powerful than the branch coverage and is useful for testing complicated builds.

 

Statement coverage

Statement methodology checks if each functionality was tested one time. A statement indicates a functionality or set of actions for the application to decode depending on its programming language. 

An executable statement is when the statement is put together and transformed into an object code, which will subsequently execute the action it was designed for. It helps to uncover unused or missing statements and branches as well as leftover dead codes.

The statement coverage evaluates if each line of code is executed at least once and helps find unnecessary or missing lines.

 

Branch coverage

A branch is one of many execution paths that the code can take after processing a decision statement like an if statement. This method is to confirm that all branch codes are tested.

The branch coverage is tested to check whether all branches in a codebase are exercised by tests and no branch leads to abnormal behavior of the application. It maps the code into branches of conditional logic and ensures that all branches are covered by unit tests.

One should ascertain that all codes have been launched at least once.

 

Common White Box Penetration Testing Tools

Several common tools/libraries employed in white-box penetration testing include:

1. Metasploit: Penetration testers utilize Metasploit to create and authenticate exploit code before deploying it in real-world scenarios. It’s instrumental for network security testing or remote system intrusion.
2. Nmap: As an open-source network administration tool, Nmap monitors network connections and scans extensive networks, aiding in host and service auditing as well as intrusion detection. It offers packet-level and scan-level analysis and is freely available for download.
3. PyTest: Pytest, a comprehensive Python testing tool, facilitates writing more efficient programs, supporting test-driven development (TDD) and behavior-driven development (BDD).
4. NUnit: NUnit is an open-source unit testing framework beneficial for the .NET Framework and Mono, aiding in writing better code and reducing application bugs.
5. John the Ripper: This fast password cracker identifies weak Unix passwords and is compatible with various operating systems such as Unix, Windows, DOS, BeOS, and OpenVMS. John the Ripper supports multiple password hash types commonly found in Unix systems and other patches contributed by users.
6. Wireshark: Functioning as a network traffic analyzer, Wireshark enables monitoring and analyzing traffic within system networks. It is open-source and widely recognized as the foremost network analyzer globally, primarily used by network administrators and professionals to troubleshoot network and system performance issues and filter various network protocols.

The tools employed in white-box penetration testing are similar to those used in other penetration tests, but the methodology for employing these tools differs significantly.

Essential White Box Penetration Testing Steps

A process of software white box penetration testing comprises the following steps:

Source code review

The initial step is understanding the internal structure and functionality of a target software application. This crucial step requires a test engineer to review thoroughly the software’s source code, and understand clearly how it works in order to set the foundation for designing test cases that will help encounter security weaknesses.

 

Select the testing areas

After understanding completely the software’s internal structure and how it functions, the next step is determining the areas that need to be tested. 

As the test aims to encompass every potential scenario for running code systematically, it proves more effective to explore the numerous possibilities within a smaller area rather than a larger one, as the latter wouldn’t ensure the same comprehensive coverage.

Covering a vast area is feasible, yet it demands significant effort, resources, and labor for test coverage. Consequently, it’s not recommended to execute this extensive coverage only on demand. For instance, it becomes essential in situations where it’s crucial to safeguard every aspect of the system; in such cases, it would be deemed necessary.

 

Code & flowchart identification

This step adds a structured approach to the white box penetration testing by visually mapping the code execution process, facilitating a more organized and systematic analysis of the system’s functionalities.

• Identify potential code lines: Thoroughly examine the system and identify all possible code segments associated with the functionalities or aspects under test. This involves a comprehensive review of the codebase, focusing on critical areas that could be potential sources of vulnerabilities.
• Create a flow chart: Outline the flow of the identified code segments. Create a flow chart or diagram to represent the flow of code execution, including input points, processing stages, and output results.
• Output tracing: Document and trace the output of each code segment within the flow chart. This helps in understanding how inputs are processed and how outputs are generated, aiding in the identification of potential vulnerabilities and understanding the system’s behavior.

 

Design test cases

Designing test cases is a pivotal phase in white box penetration testing, involving the creation of detailed scenarios for every identified code segment and system functionality. 

Each test case outlines potential vulnerabilities, failure points, and specific testing procedures. It includes boundary testing, attack scenario simulations, and meticulous recording of testing outcomes to comprehensively evaluate the system’s security posture and ensure a systematic approach to identifying and addressing vulnerabilities.

 

Execute testing 

The execution phase in white box security testing involves putting the devised plans into action, rigorously conducting tests according to the outlined strategies, and repeatedly iterating through the testing process until all identified systems are thoroughly examined, leaving no vulnerabilities unchecked.

This phase includes comprehensive testing, meticulous documentation of findings, validation of vulnerabilities, and continual refinement of testing procedures to ensure the system’s robust security against potential threats.

 

Reporting 

Compile a detailed report that includes identified vulnerabilities, their potential impact, and recommendations for mitigation. This report should prioritize vulnerabilities based on their severity and guide how to address them.

 

Continuous improvement

Security is an ongoing process. Continuous monitoring, regular security assessments, and improvement in policies and practices are essential to maintain a robust security posture.

 

White Box Penetration Testing by LQA

Enhancing cybersecurity testing involves engaging a specialized security firm to assess your business’s vulnerabilities and deliver a detailed report with recommended solutions, a crucial step in preventing cyber attacks.

Having more than 7 years of experience, and as the pioneering independent software QA in Vietnam, LQA stands out as a prominent IT quality and security assurance firm, offering a complete range of penetration testing services to fortify businesses against security threats.

Alongside white box penetration testing services, LQA provides comprehensive software testing services including white box, black box, web application, mobile application, API, manual, and automation testing services.

At LQA, we maintain up-to-date expertise on the latest threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities, employing industry-leading tools to conduct comprehensive penetration tests.

Key features of LQA’s white box cyber security solution:

• Comprehensive software QA solutions covering consulting, planning, execution, and ongoing support.
• Ensured bug rate lower than 3% for devices, mobile, and web applications.
• Rapid delivery facilitated by a diverse pool of proficient testers.
• Optimal price-to-quality ratio, leveraging cost benefits and expertise of Vietnamese IT human resources.
• Tailored solutions based on industry-specific experience.
• Maximum security ensured through a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) and best security practices during database access.

Connect with LQA’s experts to safeguard your data and assets from potential hackers today!

 

Frequently Asked Questions about Haptic Feedback

1. What is white box penetration testing?

White box penetration testing is a comprehensive security assessment method where testers have complete access to the internal architecture, design, and system details of the target. In this approach, the tester possesses full knowledge of the system’s infrastructure, including source code, network diagrams, and system configurations.

2. What is a white box penetration testing example?

An example of a white box test could involve analyzing the source code of a web application to identify vulnerabilities. Testers would scrutinize the code, look for potential security flaws, and examine the database structure and application logic to uncover weaknesses in the system.

3. What are black box grey box and white box penetration testing?

Black box, grey box, and white box penetration testing are distinct approaches used in security assessments to evaluate the vulnerabilities of a system. Here are the brief definitions of each type of penetration testing:

• Black box penetration testing: A security testing method where testers have no prior knowledge of the system. They approach it as an external hacker would, without any internal information about the system’s architecture or design.
• Grey box penetration testing: A security testing method where testers have partial knowledge of the system, such as limited access or some details about the internal architecture. This approach combines elements of both white and black box testing.
• White box penetration testing: A security testing method where testers have complete access to the internal architecture, design, and system details of the target. Testers possess full knowledge of the system’s infrastructure, including source code, network diagrams, and system configurations.

4. What is the difference between black box and white box penetration testing?

The main difference between black box vs white box penetration testing lies in the level of information and access the testers have. White box testing involves complete access to the internal structure, code, and system design. On the other hand, black box testing operates without any knowledge of the internal system; testers approach it as an external attacker.

5. What is more costly black box or white box penetration testing?

Typically, white box penetration testing is more resource-intensive and thus can be more costly. It demands a higher level of expertise, time, and resources due to the need for in-depth knowledge of the system’s internal workings, including analysis and evaluation of code, architecture, and configurations.

6. What is the white box penetration testing methodology?

White box penetration testing is not just a single test but a methodology involving a structured and systematic approach. It involves various steps such as reconnaissance, scanning, vulnerability assessment, exploitation, and reporting. The white box security testing methodologies focus on a deep dive into the internal workings of a system to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities and security risks. White box testing is an essential part of a comprehensive security assessment, ensuring a thorough evaluation of system security from an insider’s perspective, and it plays a crucial role in strengthening the overall security posture of an organization’s infrastructure.

 

Final Thoughts About Whitebox Penetration Test

White box penetration testing serves as an effective method to strengthen software security. The level of complexity varies based on the application under assessment. Evaluating a small application that conducts straightforward operations is a swift process, often taking only a few minutes. However, larger applications necessitate significantly more time, ranging from days to weeks or even months.

Conducting these tests is crucial during the software development phase, both after its initial writing and following any subsequent modifications. Integrating white box penetration testing into your security strategy is pivotal, as it aids in preventing mistakes and oversights that could potentially expose your company to cyber threats.

If you are looking for experts in conducting white box testing for your IT environment or apps to check if they’re secure, don’t hesitate to contact LQA’s security testing team.

 

Automation Testing is a testing technique utilizing automated testing tools to implement tests on multiple platforms. This is considered an efficient software testing method coming with high accuracy and low labor consumption. Still, some obvious and hidden problems do exist behind.

Top 5 automation testing challenges that enterprises have to face:

• High initial investment cost
• High demand for necessary skills
• Complicated maintenance
• Complicated execution
• Difficulties in lab management

This article will dig into these 5 common challenges facing automation testing and solutions to minimize their effects on enterprises.

Top 5 Automation Testing Challenges

1. High initial investment cost

First, let’s take a closer look at the initial investment cost of automation testing. To estimate and calculate the Return of Investment, the first thing you should consider is the possible initial investment cost for an automation testing system, including:

• Cost for human resources
• Cost for automation tools

Cost for human resources

The automation testing process involves the utility of Automated Testing Tools and Automated Testing Engineers. These people are also called Software Development Engineers in Test. 

When comparing the Non-Technical Testers and those with Industrial Knowledge, the second ones are far more expensive. 

Also, the overall In-Demand positions for software testers are plummeting, specifically for automation testers, resulting in higher recruitment competitiveness and higher budgets for talent acquisition.

 

 

The dilemma of human resources lies upon the two forces, which are the Testing Engineers fluent in different coding languages and the Domain Expertise with non-technical knowledge and experience in coding. Whether the testers are onshore or offshore, the cost for those with coding skills is much higher than that of the non-technical testers.

To put it differently, The Non-technical Testers with knowledge of the industry are the trade-off for the Automated Testing Engineers.

Solutions: The problem of high cost for automation test engineers could be handled in two ways:

• Training current employees: This is a budget-friendly way to overcome challenges in automation testing. Still, it often takes many months for an Automated Testing Engineer to really hit it off. 
• Outsourcing automated testing engineers: To avoid spending months on training and coaching, many firms have chosen the solution of outsourcing automated testing engineers.

 

Cost for automation tools

There are two main types of automation testing tools: open-source and commercial testing tools. While the open-source testing frameworks, also called free testing tools (such as Selenium, Katalon, etc.) are free to access, the commercial ones require a payment based on licenses or the number of users.

Still, there are “hidden costs” no matter whether you’re using an open-source testing tool or a licensed one. As for the commercial framework, the payments are obviously the license and development costs. At the same time, free automation testing tools maybe not be enough for your business needs.

Solution: To reduce the cost of automation tools, you should first clarify your requirements and check if free tools can handle your needs. If not, go to a commercial solution that can benefit you the most in the long run.

 

2. Demand for high skills

The myth of automation testing is that it is always wrongly deemed as “simple”, “easy” or “quick”. In fact, the test execution including test design, writing test scripts, test maintenance and technical issue resolution, requires such high automation knowledge and solid grasp of automation tools that the salary range for automation testing engineers is very high.

Typically, automation testing engineers are required to fulfill the job requirements in terms of automation frameworks, prominent programming skills, and solid knowledge of the available automation tools. The strategic skillsets of identifying the appropriate frameworks, applying the right tools, and coordinating the testing process are vital for any automation testing engineer.

Solutions: Companies can weigh the pros and cons of in-house or outsourcing teams for automation testing. These necessary skills above can be acquired through either in-house training or automation testing vendors.

 

3. Complicated maintenance

As automation testing is the hot issue of quality assurance services, its maintenance is imperative for the overall efficiency of the testing process. Throughout the whole testing process, once a test case/script is written, it always necessitates maintenance, which is required every time the software application or features change. 

 

 

The scope of test maintenance varies in accordance with the complication level of the changes themselves. Whether it is a functional or non-functional feature update in the application, viable test cases are to be executed prior to release. As in the comparison of Automation Testing vs. Manual Testing, Automation Testing has different maintainability levels, entailing high programming skills.

Solutions:

• Modular test framework

By applying a modular framework for automated tests, the testing execution is divided into smaller pieces with different functions. Each function of the update is tested, making it easier for automation testing engineers to locate the code that needs updating.

• A separate test for each verification point

There might be a possibility that test developers of automation testing can create numerous verification points. However, the test scripts would hold the crux of complexity, making it difficult for anyone, other than the coder, to edit. With separate test for each verification point, it is easier for the team to update.

• Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) are the methods in which the minor details/changes are well-attended. With these being applied, the development and testing process is faster and more efficient.

The implementation of CI/CD equals the robust reporting of test scripts and test results. If bugs are to be leaked into other environments, the CI/CD pipeline can help you with the testing process in identifying which part needs updating.

 

4. Complicated execution

During execution, automation scripts are run with input test data. Once execution is finished, detailed test reports will be available. From these reports, appropriate and viable changes and updates can be made.

Automation Testing Execution invokes some difficulties in:

• Test approach selection
• Automation testing tool selection
• Communication and Collaboration

 

High Demand in Test Approach Selection

An appropriate automation test approach plays a key role in the effective result of a project. 

At the management level, you certainly know what and how to make the test approach; however, to make this approach in test automation is another issue. 

• The first difficulty is making the long-run automation process associated with the lifespan of a product. For example, the average cycle of a desktop application is common from 12-18 months to over 15 years. Therefore, the test approach needs to be able to execute the whole process of the software’s life span. 
• Secondly, the test approach has to make sure that when products change or update, it is capable of identifying and keeping up with these changes without human intervention. Taking the example of a mobile application, the approach can’t be “one size fits all” because the user requirement rapidly changes.

Definitely, it is hard to address these difficulties on the test approach, facing the challenge of building an effective long-run-oriented framework at the beginning.

Solution: Identify the following features:

• Testing process
• Testing levels
• Testing types
• Automation tools applicable
• HR allocation with different roles and responsibilities

 

Diverse choices of automation testing tools

One of the automation testing challenges is to select the right testing tool among a variety of comprehensive test tools in the market. There are open-source and commercial tools, and there are various types within each category. Each tool is suitable for particular scenarios, such as Selenium is an open-source tool that requests more programming skills from testers.

Particularly, the right tool has to match many factors such as the long-term orientation of the project, framework, output of the project, the requirement of clients, and the skill of the tester team. So, if you pick the wrong or inappropriate tool, the whole process can be failed from the start. Indeed, open-source tools often require a higher level of coding skill than commercial tools.

Solution:

Our expert testers recommend the following steps to choose tools:

1. Defining a set of tool requirements criteria
2. Reviewing the chosen tools
3. Conducting a trial test with the tools
4. Making the final decision whether you use these tools or not?

 

Barriers in communication and collaboration

In comparison with manual testing and development, automated tests actually require more collaboration. Once the misunderstanding from the start is disregarded or neglected, the process can be messy.

From the beginning, the must-have is good interaction between the delivery team and customer to analyze and understand completely the input and output of the project. 

When it comes to the test strategy, the tester team needs to communicate with project managers about making a plan, scope, and framework. 

The fact that automation testers not only talk with developers for understanding code but also manual testers about test cases, and infrastructure engineers about integration to build up the final product. 

Solution: Establishing a collaborative environment, such as a specific point of contact in each process, clear expectation and the responsibility of members will help everyone to deliver the information fast and conveniently. Plus, active involvement and a transparent framework will develop your unique company culture.

 

5. Difficulties in lab management

A device lab that can match the scope of automation testing has to be a big one. As some of the teams prefer building and maintaining their own device labs, this can be quite extravagant.

For every operating system, there are different versions of browsers and different devices. To fully capture and exploit the utility of this device lab, the up-to-date feature and lab maintenance has to be assured, hence the high cost.

Besides the spiking cost of having your own lab, lab management also poses a great challenge In today’s competitive world, teams need to have the ability to conduct a test at any time.

Your solution needs to provide open access to the lab and equips teams with the right tools to run and perform tests. This ultimately helps you be adaptable and keep pace with the new releases.

 

Solution: Cloud-Based Test Lab

Having a cloud-based lab is key for continuous testing unless there are some special testing requirements/scenarios with IoT, special networking (especially in the Telco space), etc.

 

To sum up, automation testing supports payoffs effectively and is a great method for companies to speed up progress; however, test automation can not completely replace human intelligence. We still need humans to make the orientation in the whole process of automation testing to avoid or reduce the challenges in automation testing.

 

Want to find the solutions for the automation testing challenges? Contact LQA now for FREE consultation with our specialists and experts.

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia are the centers for technology and software development in Southeast Asia. Therefore, software testing engineers are one of the most in-demand position. This report will be helpful for managers who want to figure out the differences of a tester’s salary in these countries.

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1. Software Testing Salary Range

Software testing salary range in Southeast Asia

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”18310″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Among the four countries, Singapore has the highest payment range for software testers. On average, testers will receive $5100 per month. The maximum salary that one can be paid is $7980; meanwhile, the minimum is $2660. Malaysia stands in the second position in terms of payment. However, its maximum amount of payment is almost four-time less than Singapore’s. The minimum, average and maximum salary of Malaysian testers consecutively are $690, $1270, and $2030. Of the four representative countries, Vietnam has the lowest salary range. It only costs the manager $330 to $2000 per month to hire a software tester here. The average salary of a Vietnamese is $650, which is three-time less than Singaporean. Nevertheless, the maximum payment for the job is almost equal to Malaysia and higher than in Indonesia. In one month, Indonesian testers can get $360 for the lowest, $720 for the medium, and $1120 for the highest payment.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Software testing salary range in different regions

As seen in the chart above, remote team pricing is broken out into two tiers: Asia and everywhere else. In Asia, the average hourly rate is $24.62/hour, whereas the rest of the world commands higher prices averaged out around $38.67/hour.

A decade ago, there was a 400% difference in pricing from the lowest-priced region to the highest-priced region. Now the range has been cut in half. This ever-narrowing range of prices supports SourceSeek’s guiding principle that the global software market is an efficient one with enough demand to bring consistent pricing that is affected by a small set of characteristics such as location, language skill, proximity, etc.

Outliers are rare. As teams in Eastern Europe slowly set their rates higher and higher, there is enough demand to raise rates in less competitive regions accordingly and still remain competitive. The notable exception is India, where pricing trails the worldwide market due to the sheer volume of supply combined with ongoing reputation issues. There is increasing evidence that China is also beginning to see a similar trend, and will continue to have difficulty entering the global software market.

2. Software Testing Salary Based on Seniority

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Junior Software Tester Salary

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Junior software testers often have less than two years of experience. Within this level, Singaporean testers get paid the most with $3200 per month. It quadruples the salary of a Malaysian tester, who is paid $780. Ranking in third place, Vietnam has a monthly payment of $690, fewer than the second-place $88. The country having the lowest payment for a junior software tester is Indonesia, with $570 a month. It is five-time less than Singapore.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Senior Software Tester Salary

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If a tester is promoted to a higher level, their salary will be increased. The monthly salary of a QA engineer in Singapore will rise by $1700 to reach $4900. Meanwhile, the salary of a senior tester in Malaysia ranks second place at $1050 per month. Receiving $180 fewer is a Vietnamese tester with a payment of $870. Indonesian tester’s salary is the lowest, which takes employers $770 per month.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Software Testing Lead Salary

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To hire a software testing lead, an employer has to pay $6400 per month in Singapore. The figures in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia representatively are $990, $1460, and $1060. It is noticeable that Vietnam is the one who has the lowest salary, where the tester gets a sixth-time fewer than the highest payment.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Head of Software Testing Salary

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The salary of the Head of software testing in Singapore is significantly high compared with the other three countries. Tester at this level will be paid $7900 a month, four-time higher than a tester on the same level in Malaysia. Vietnamese and Indonesian testers monthly income are both in the range of $1300, but Indonesian man gets extra $60 which makes Vietnam the lowest pay country for this position.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

3. Salary Based on Education

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”18322″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]All four nations show a similar pattern in the chart, which is they will pay a higher salary for tester having higher education level. Besides, with the same degree, testers in Singapore get paid drastically higher than the rest. A tester who holds a certificate or diploma will gain $2660 a month in Singapore, which is eight-time higher than Vietnam and Indonesia, and a fourth-time higher than Malaysia. If the tester gets a bachelor’s degree, he or she will be paid $5100 in Singapore. This number is one-fifth in Malaysia ($1270), $720 in Indonesia, and $650 in Vietnam. Singaporean master’s degree owner will be paid $7980 a month, following by Malaysian and Vietnamese who get $2030 and $2000 representatively. The lowest-paid master’s degree holder is an Indonesian software tester, who gets $1120 per month.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Although there are other countries in South East Asia, the four nations above are representative of the information technology center. Through the article, we showed general guidance of software tester’s salary in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. All the figures are collected from reliable sources, including Persol Kelly, Michael Page, and First Alliances. Hopefully, the article can be a reference when managers make their decision to hire a software tester. Nevertheless, if managers face difficulties in recruitment, there are still other alternatives such as purchasing software testing outsourcing services.

With a score of 82, Eastern European countries garnered the highest score of any region featured in this report and just edged out East Asia with a score of 80. Eastern Europe has an established reputation for having a mature and robust educational system, and many vendors in the region leverage that reputation to claim that the ‘best developers in the world’ come from Eastern Europe.

Eastern European educational excellence is focused primarily around math and science. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which measures 70 countries in reading, math, and science, found that Eastern European countries outperformed other countries featured in this report by an average of 11% in math and 10% in science.

So, while the much-touted claim of ‘best developers in the world’ may be a bit strong, Eastern Europe’s reputation for strong education is well supported by data. While a strong general education is certainly important for a successful IT education, a high score in the UN data doesn’t always result in top IT education, and vice versa.

4. Team composition

Average years of experience is a very informative metric when assessing the maturity of a region as a whole. It takes many years for developers to gain experience and move into management and leadership, making truly senior software engineers difficult to find.

This is exacerbated by brain drain in many countries since many of the most experienced engineers may move on to other more promising regions. Eastern Europe suffered from a bit of brain drain in years past, but for the most part there are adequate opportunities available for software professionals and no need to leave to find work. The presence of so many seasoned professionals also feeds the IT ecosystem, which we’ll look into later in the report.

Lotus Quality Assurance is the first independent software testing company in Vietnam. As a Silver Partner of ISTQB, we provide you a talented team of testing with international experiences. Contact us to be aided with your software testing project.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]