Evaluation of system security can and should be conducted at different stages of system development. Security evaluation activities include, but are not limited to, risk assessment, certification and accreditation (C&A), system audits, and security testing at appropriate periods during a system’s life cycle. These activities are geared toward ensuring that the system is being developed and operated in accordance with an organization’s security policy. This section discusses how network security testing, as a security evaluation activity, fits into the system development life cycle. .
