What is Web Application Penetration Testing and How Does it Work?

Common Web Application Security Risks

There are various types of vulnerabilities that can harm a web application inside out, significantly hampering your business. Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), a non-profit foundation that supports organizations in improving their security of web applications, has provided these top 10 security risks.

OWASP’s Top 10 Web Application Security Risks:

• Security misconfigurations 
• Broken access control
• Authentication issues
• Cryptographic failure
• Injection flaws
• Vulnerable and outdated components
• Identification and authentication failures
• Insecure design
• Security logging and monitoring failures
• Software and data integrity failures
•  

Different Types of Web Application Penetration Testing

There are basically three types of web app penetration testing that can be opted by businesses as per requirement. These are black box testing, white box testing, and grey box testing. The approach is determined through the level of information provided by the client to the pentester. Let’s discuss each of them in detail.

1. Black Box Penetration Testing

In this type of website penetration testing, the pentesters have no prior knowledge of the architecture, source code, or internal workings of the web application. This approach simulates how a hacker with no inside information would attempt to attack the application. In this process, the testers focus on discovering the vulnerabilities by interacting with the application, investigating inputs, and analyzing the responses.

2. White Box Penetration Testing

With this approach, the pentesters are given complete access to the source code, internal architecture, and database schema of the web application. They can use various processes such as code review, architecture analysis, and design review to discover vulnerabilities. As pentesters have all the access, they can pinpoint the exact location of the vulnerabilities and the impact they can potentially have.

3. Grey Box Penetration Testing

This is probably the most used and best approach for web application penetration testing. This is where the pentesters have limited information about the application, including a combination of some internal insights and external knowledge. As the testers have very limited but crucial information about the application, they focus on areas that are more likely to be vulnerable and offer a more realistic assessment.

Web Application Penetration Testing Methodology

Web app penetration tests focus on the web app environment by gathering information about the app from the client or using public web pages. Then they test the application with appropriate tools and techniques. The results of the pen tests are documented and sent to the client for further action.

Generally, cybersecurity companies follow an industry-standard pentest methodology based on the OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS) and Testing Guide. However, some penetration testing firms modify these steps to offer more in-depth and accurate results.

1. Gathering Information:

The 1st stage of web application penetration testing is to gather as much information about the application as possible. This is where the company provides the necessary information to the penetration testing team. Additionally, the testing team can also gather information from publicly available web pages. They use this information and apply several approaches and tools to gain all the technical insights.

2. Planning

The pentesters establish their objective and goals by probing deep into the web application’s complex technicality and functionality. Through strategic approach and research, the testers modify their method to target specific vulnerabilities and cyber threats in the application.

A well-informed web application penetration testing strategy is created, which describes the scope, methodology, and testing criteria. Along with that, the business may also offer a high-level checklist to help guide the testers through their testing process.

3. Automated Vulnerability Scan

Then an automatic scan is done in a staging environment using automated vulnerability scanners. This is done to examine the web application’s surface level for vulnerabilities thoroughly. Through this invasive scan, pentesters can effectively identify and mitigate surface-level vulnerabilities.

4. Manual Penetration Testing

This is the main part of web app penetration testing. Penesters use manual techniques to simulate real-world attacks to find possible weak points. This technique provides a full evaluation of potential vulnerabilities in the web application. This strategy tests the resilience of web applications by looking for loopholes in authentication, data management, and other vital areas. As a result, it will eventually help improve the overall security of the web application.

5. Reporting

The penetration testing team locates and categorizes vulnerabilities discovered throughout the investigation. A senior cyber security consultant does a high-level penetration test and analyzes the results extensively. The report describes the vulnerabilities detected and the web application’s security status. This helps the client, and their developers get relevant and detailed information about the application’s security state and suggestions for maintaining a strong cyber security for their business.

Do you want to know what a real-time web application penetration testing report looks like? Download a copy of our sample report here!