Security validation
Security validation is the practice of checking whether a security control or defensive process produces its intended result under specified conditions, using observations that support the conclusion.
What is the control supposed to do?
Start with a claim you can check. “This account cannot read that document” asks a different question from “an alert appears when this account tries.” The first concerns access; the second concerns detection. A test can succeed at one and fail at the other.
Security validation is a broad term, not a single test method or a certification. Ask what was examined, what was exercised, and what the result actually demonstrates. A product label alone does not answer those questions.
NIST SP 800-53A provides procedures for assessing controls, with methods tailored to the assessment. MITRE INFORM places testing and evaluation alongside threat intelligence and defensive measures. These are useful foundations for deciding what to check and what to improve.
Choose a method that answers the question
Configuration review can establish how a control is set up. An authorized behavioral test can show what it did for a particular action. A discussion exercise can reveal whether people understand their responsibilities. These observations are useful for different reasons.
Breach and attack simulation, penetration testing, and a scoped social engineering assessment can each contribute evidence. None automatically covers everything the others examine.
If a test never reaches the control, it has not shown that the control blocked the attack. If the result depends on a supplied account or special test configuration, keep that condition attached to the conclusion. The technical follow-on article shows how to do this for a protected resource request.
After a fix, repeat the relevant check. Keep the conclusion tied to the behavior, environment, and conditions tested.