EITC/IS/WAPT Web Applications Penetration Testing

The online penetration test’s findings can be used to configure WAF security policies and address discovered vulnerabilities.

Penetration testing has five steps.

The pen testing procedure is divided into five steps.

1. Planning and scouting
   Defining the scope and goals of a test, including the systems to be addressed and the testing methodologies to be utilized, is the first stage.
   To gain a better understanding of how a target works and its potential weaknesses, gather intelligence (e.g., network and domain names, mail server).
2. Scanning
   The next stage is to figure out how the target application will react to different types of intrusion attempts. This is usually accomplished by employing the following methods:
   Static analysis – Examining an application’s code to predict how it will behave when it is run. In a single pass, these tools can scan the entire code.
   Dynamic analysis is the process of inspecting an application’s code while it is operating. This method of scanning is more practical because it provides a real-time view of an application’s performance.
3. Obtaining access
   To find a target’s weaknesses, this step employs web application assaults such as cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and backdoors. To understand the damage that these vulnerabilities might inflict, testers try to exploit them by escalating privileges, stealing data, intercepting traffic, and so on.
4. Keeping access
   The purpose of this stage is to assess if the vulnerability can be exploited to establish a long-term presence in the compromised system, allowing a bad actor to get in-depth access. The goal is to mimic advanced persistent threats, which can stay in a system for months in order to steal a company’s most sensitive information.
5. Analysis
   The penetration test results are then put into a report that includes information such as:
   Vulnerabilities that were exploited in detail
   Data that was obtained that was sensitive
   The amount of time the pen tester was able to stay unnoticed in the system.
   Security experts use this data to assist configure an enterprise’s WAF settings and other application security solutions in order to patch vulnerabilities and prevent further attacks.

Methods of penetration testing

• External penetration testing focuses on a firm’s assets that are visible on the internet, such as the web application itself, the company website, as well as email and domain name servers (DNS). The objective is to obtain access to and extract useful information.
• Internal testing entails a tester having access to an application behind a company’s firewall simulating a hostile insider attack. This isn’t necessary a rogue employee simulation. An employee whose credentials were obtained as a result of a phishing attempt is a common starting point.
• Blind testing is when a tester is simply provided the name of the company that is being tested. This allows security experts to see how an actual application assault might play out in real time.
• Double-blind testing: In a double-blind test, security professionals are unaware of the simulated attack beforehand. They won’t have time to shore up their fortifications before an attempted breach, just like in the real world.
• Targeted testing – in this scenario, the tester and security staff collaborate and maintain track of each other’s movements. This is an excellent training exercise that gives a security team real-time feedback from the perspective of a hacker.

Web application firewalls and penetration testing

Penetration testing and WAFs are two separate but complementary security techniques. The tester is likely to leverage WAF data, such as logs, to find and exploit an application’s weak areas in many types of pen testing (with the exception of blind and double blind tests).

In turn, pen testing data can help WAF administrators. Following the completion of a test, WAF configurations can be modified to protect against the flaws detected during the test.

Finally, pen testing satisfies certain of the security auditing methods’ compliance requirements, such as PCI DSS and SOC 2. Certain requirements, such as PCI-DSS 6.6, can only be met if a certified WAF is used. However, due to the aforementioned benefits and potential to modify WAF settings, this does not make pen testing any less useful.

What is the significance of web security testing?

The goal of web security testing is to identify security flaws in Web applications and their setup. The application layer is the primary target (i.e., what is running on the HTTP protocol). Sending different forms of input to a Web application to induce problems and make the system respond in unexpected ways is a common approach to test its security. These “negative tests” look to see if the system is doing anything it wasn’t intended to accomplish.

It’s also vital to realize that Web security testing entails more than just verifying the application’s security features (such as authentication and authorization). It’s also important to ensure that other features are deployed safely (e.g., business logic and the use of proper input validation and output encoding). The purpose is to make sure that the Web application’s functions are safe.

What are the many types of security assessments?

• Test for Dynamic Application Security (DAST). This automated application security test is best suited for low-risk, internal-facing apps that must meet regulatory security requirements. Combining DAST with some manual online security testing for common vulnerabilities is the best strategy for medium-risk apps and important applications undergoing minor changes.
• Security Check for Static Applications (SAST). This application security strategy includes both automated and manual testing methods. It’s ideal for detecting bugs without having to run apps in a live environment. It also allows engineers to scan source code to detect and fix software security flaws in a systematic manner.
• Penetration Examination. This manual application security test is ideal for essential applications, particularly those that are undergoing significant changes. To find advanced attack scenarios, the evaluation uses business logic and adversary-based testing.
• Application Self-Protection in the Runtime (RASP). This growing application security method incorporates a variety of technology techniques to instrument an application so that threats may be watched and, hopefully, prevented in real time as they occur.

What role does application security testing play in lowering company’s risk?

The vast majority of attacks on web applications include:

• SQL Injection
• XSS (Cross Site Scripting)
• Remote Command Execution
• Path Traversal Attack
• Restricted content access
• Compromised user accounts
• Malicious code installation
• Lost sales revenue
• Customers’ trust eroding
• Brand reputation harming
• And a lot of other attacks

In today’s Internet environment, a Web application might be harmed by a variety of challenges. The graphic above depicts a few of the most common attacks perpetrated by attackers, each of which can cause significant damage to an individual application or an entire business. Knowing the many assaults that render an application vulnerable, as well as the possible results of an attack, allows company to resolve vulnerabilities ahead of time and effectively test for them.

Mitigating controls can be established throughout the early phases of the SDLC to prevent any issues by identifying the root cause of the vulnerability. During a Web application security test, knowledge of how these threats work can also be used to target known places of interest.

Recognizing the impact of an attack is also important for managing company’s risk, as the impacts of a successful attack may be used to determine the severity of the vulnerability overall. If vulnerabilities are discovered during a security test, determining their severity allows company to prioritize remedial efforts more effectively. To reduce risk to company, start with critical severity issues and work one’s way down to lower impact ones.

Prior to identifying an issue, assessing the possible impact of each program in company’s application library will help you prioritize application security testing. Wenb security testing can be scheduled to target firm’s critical applications first, with more targeted testing to lower the risk against the business. With an established list of high-profile applications, wenb security testing can be scheduled to target firm’s critical applications first, with more targeted testing to lower the risk against the business.

During a web application security test, what features should be examined?

During Web application security testing, consider the following non-exhaustive list of features. An ineffective implementation of each could result in weaknesses, putting company at danger.

• Configuration of the application and server. Encryption/cryptographic setups, Web server configurations, and so on are all examples of potential flaws.
• Validation of input and error handling Poor input and output processing leads to SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other typical injection issues.
• Authentication and maintenance of sessions. Vulnerabilities that could lead to user impersonation. Credential strength and protection should be taken into account as well.
• Authorization. The application’s capacity to protect against vertical and horizontal privilege escalations is being tested.
• Logic in business. Most programs that provide business functionality rely on these.
• Logic on the client’s end. This type of feature is becoming more common with modern, JavaScript-heavy webpages, as well as webpages using other types of client-side technologies (e.g., Silverlight, Flash, Java applets).