Web Application Security Testing
What is Web Application Security Testing?
Web Application Security Testing involves testing, analyzing, and assessing a web application for security vulnerabilities to prevent issues such as data breaches, malware, and cyberattacks. Security ensures that only authorized access is granted to protected data and that any unauthorized access is denied. The two main aspects of security are data protection and controlling access to that data. Security administrators and web developers conduct security tests using either manual or automated techniques.
Why is Web Application Security Testing Important?
With digitalization simplifying tasks like banking, shopping, and investing, mobile applications have become essential in daily life. However, hackers are continuously developing sophisticated methods to bypass security standards. Regular security testing of web applications is critical to identify potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by cybercriminals. Web application security testing helps:
- Identify flaws and vulnerabilities
- Ensure compliance with laws and regulatory standards.
- Analyze current security levels of the application.
- Detect security breaches and abnormal behaviour.
- Formulate effective security plans.
Acme Infosoft Pty Ltd offers comprehensive Web Security Testing Services. Using both manual and automated scans, we identify vulnerabilities and behaviour issues within web applications. Our team helps customers test and retest web or mobile applications, ensuring the findings are flexible and transparent, with data provided to efficiently address any identified risks.
David Ferry
Co-Founder of company
Christina Torres
Co-Founder of company
Amalia Bruno
CTO of company
Robert Cooper
CEO of companyCountries Worldwide
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LEARN MOREHow is Web Application Security Testing Done?
Web application security testing is usually performed after development, involving tests that simulate various malicious attacks to assess how the application handles threats. A report is then generated detailing vulnerabilities, potential threats, and mitigation recommendations. Some of the testing processes include:
- Password quality rules
- Session cookies
- User authorization processes
- Brute force attack testing
- SQL Injection testing
Testing Methodology and Approach
The security team at Acme Infosoft Pty Ltd conducts a time-boxed manual security assessment, which includes automated scans and manual tests. Manual testing validates the issues flagged in the automated scan and checks for vulnerabilities not typically identified by automated tools, such as authentication, authorization, and business logic flaws.
Vulnerability Assessment is a method of evaluating an application by simulating an attack, identifying weaknesses, and suggesting corrective actions. This process follows the OWASP Web Application Testing Methodology, which includes:
- Information Gathering: Collecting details about the target application, as hackers do to gain insight.
- Threat Modelling: Identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities and prioritizing mitigation strategies.
- Vulnerability Analysis: Analyzing the application’s functions and systems to identify weaknesses.
- Exploitation: Attempting to exploit identified vulnerabilities to perform unauthorized actions.
- Post-Exploitation: Analyzing compromised systems for sensitive information and maintaining access for further exploitation.
- Reporting: Providing detailed reports on vulnerabilities, impact assessments, and remediation recommendations.
Web Apps Audit Test Standard
Web Application Security Testing tools assess the OWASP Top 10 Risks, which are:
- Injection
- Broken Authentication
- Sensitive Data Exposure
- XML External Entities (XXE)
- Broken Access Control
- Security Misconfigurations
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
- Insecure Deserialization
- Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities
- Insufficient Logging and Monitoring
During the assessment, various controls are tested, including:
- Configuration Management: SSL/TLS testing, application configuration management, and testing for old or unreferenced files.
- Authentication: Testing for weak credentials, brute-force attacks, and password reset mechanisms.
- Session Management: Evaluating session fixation, CSRF vulnerabilities, and 2FA testing.
- Authorization: Testing for privilege escalation, path traversal, and CORS vulnerabilities.
- Business Logic: Validating data, integrity checks, and testing for unexpected or malicious file uploads.
- Injection Testing: SQL, LDAP, XML, XPATH, CSS, and HTML injection.
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Testing for reflected, stored, and DOM-based XSS.
- Sensitive Data Exposure: Testing for secure transmission methods like HSTS, source code disclosure, and referrer policies.