Web application security testing is a rigorous practice designed to identify, analyze, and correct vulnerabilities in web-based applications.
This process involves using a comprehensive set of tools and methodologies to assess the security and integrity of web applications. It includes practices such as penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and code reviews.
The main goal of web application security testing is to block potential cyber threats and ensure robust application performance in a secure digital environment.
Learn the basics of web application security testing
Web application security is fundamentally about implementing protections against threats to digital platforms.
This involves a process known as security testing, in which vulnerabilities of the system are identified and subsequently fixed. This process usually involves website testing and web application penetration testing.
Why is web application security testing important?
Robust Web Security Testing Corps includes a wide range of tools and processes to protect users of any website.
This usually includes:
Code Security Review: Discover software and logic vulnerabilities in development and service codebases by using automated tools and manual assessments.
Regular Penetration Testing: Detect logical flaws and uncover security gaps that application developers may have missed and meet regulatory requirements.
External Vulnerability Scanning: Highlights outdated software components as they appear.
Information Security Audit: Review the policy or GDPR requirements of the application and the security of any data collected by the service and how it is used.
With web applications becoming a prime target for cybercriminals, web application security testing has become indispensable.
Let's look at some examples of large breaches involving lax web application security.
WooCommerce Breach (2021)
In 2021, the widely used WordPress e-commerce plugin WooCommerce was found to have multiple vulnerabilities, including being vulnerable to SQL injection attacks. These unpatched security holes put the data of 5 million websites at risk of being stolen. The incident underscores the importance of regularly updating and patching software to protect sensitive data.
Cambridge Analytica scandal (2018)
In 2018, political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica exploited a vulnerability in Facebook's API to access the personal data of millions of users without their consent. The breach highlights the urgent need for better data privacy measures and stricter access controls. Facebook is under intense scrutiny and has been fined $5 billion by the US Federal Trade Commission for violating user privacy.
Strava API Vulnerabilities (2018)
Strava, a fitness tracking app popular with military personnel, suffered a major data breach in 2018 due to poorly designed API security. The breach exposed 3 trillion data points, covering 1 billion global events from January 2015 to September 2017. The data exposed included heat maps of military bases around the world, posing a serious security risk. The incident highlights the need for strong API security, especially when sensitive locations are involved.
Both cases underscore the critical importance of cybersecurity measures, not only to protect personal user data, but also sensitive information that could have wider repercussions.
What are the common web application security testing tools in 2023?
Several tools are used in web application security testing, including:
Burp Suite Pro: A comprehensive collection of tools and metadata for testing websites, including capabilities for SQL injection and side-channel attacks. The Burp suite is the de-facto standard for penetration testing and bug hunting, due to the large number of unique testing tools built into the suite, and the extensibility of the software using extended tools. (This is by far the main tool used by web application security testers)
Metasploit Framework: Simplifies the process of exploiting vulnerabilities with a user-friendly command-line interface, session management, and an exploit database. Metasploit includes a large number of unique modules that can come in handy when testing web applications.
Nuclei: Nuclei is used to send requests across targets based on specific user-defined templates, reducing false positives and providing fast scans of large numbers of hosts at the same time. Bug Bounty experts use Nuclei to test for specific vulnerabilities in a range of targets.
Nmap: Though slow, Nmap is considered the best port scanner out there, offering basic functionality for reconnaissance using the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE).
Hashcat: Known for its speed, Hashcat can crack almost any password with the right resources. It offers various options and tweaks for password cracking, making it highly versatile. If a tester manages to get a hash during the evaluation process, they can use Hashcat to try to crack it.
These tools help in various tests, such as web application penetration testing, where the main goal is to expose and patch vulnerabilities in web applications.
Web Application Testing Process
To test for customers, certain processes and preparations are required. This can be daunting to some, but it shouldn't be a cause for concern.
When examining the testing process, the first step involves agreeing on the scope between the company, Sencode and the client. The scope outlines specific areas of the web application that fall within the parameters of the test, from an unauthenticated or authenticated perspective. The definition of scope provides testing guidelines and serves as a starting point for participation.
Next, the tester analyzes the application to understand its flow. During this process, the tester will identify all potential attack vectors present in the application. After this discovery phase, testers will actively start attacking the application, using various tools and methods such as OWASP to assess the web application.
Testers will be on the lookout for web application flaws such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and external entity injection. These vulnerabilities are common in web applications. Testers will triage and evaluate these findings, illustrating the risk to the application during testing. It is not uncommon for testers to chain multiple vulnerabilities together to increase the overall risk of an identified issue. This is especially common in chained XSS based on authentication vulnerabilities and session management misconfigurations.
Different Types of Web Application Security Testing
Web application security testing ranges from dynamic application security testing (DAST) and static application security testing (SAST) to application penetration testing. These tests ensure a comprehensive review of vulnerabilities covering code-level issues and application-level penetration threats.
Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) is a security testing approach that dynamically inspects applications while they are running, focusing on exposing potential vulnerabilities that may exist in the running environment. It simulates attacks on applications and analyzes responses to find security flaws. Unlike static application security testing, which analyzes application code, DAST tests the functionality and behavior of applications in real-time scenarios, identifying security threats and weaknesses that may make them vulnerable.
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) refers to the type of security testing that analyzes the source code, bytecode, or binary code of an application for security vulnerabilities. Unlike Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), it does not require the application to be running. SAST detects defects early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC), identifies unsafe coding practices, and provides accurate information to fix reported issues.
Application penetration testing (App Pen Test) is a targeted process of simulating a cyber attack on an application to check its security strength. Unlike DAST or SAST, which examine the application and source code separately at runtime, application penetration testing is an exploratory approach in which the tester actively manipulates the application to find exploitable vulnerabilities. It is an important part of a comprehensive security testing strategy and complements other methodologies such as DAST and SAST to ensure the safest possible application environment.
Web application security testing is undoubtedly an integral part of maintaining the security integrity of web applications. Understanding its nuances can give cybersecurity professionals an industry advantage and web application owners peace of mind when protecting sensitive data.
Threats to web applications are increasing day by day, and it is the responsibility of every professional to understand the need for robust web application security testing.