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Web Application Penetration Testing

Web Application Penetration Testing is a simulated hacker intrusion on a web-based application to evaluate the seriousness of existing flaws. In contrast to vulnerability assessment, which simply detects and lists all existing vulnerabilities in any website, Web Application Penetration Testing focuses more on how each of these flaws could be exploited.

Why is Web Application Penetration Testing Needed?

Penetration testing for websites can assist you in the following ways:

• To find and correct flaws in any website's security
• It provides a comprehensive view of a site's misconfigured integrations
• Helps to mitigate risks by simulating real-world attack scenarios
• It assists in the preparation of any security team to deal with a real-world cyber attack 

Methodology for Web Application Penetration Testing

Web Application Penetration Testing is usually performed in Four steps:

1. Information Gatherings: During information gathering, the Pen Tester looks for fingerprints in the website's database. It generally consists of the server's OS, CMS version, etc.

2. Discovery: The second phase involves the deployment of automated tools to identify any known security issues or CVEs in the respective services. 

3. Exploitation: The exploitation phase’s goal is to exploit any vulnerabilities discovered in the previous phase.

4. Reporting: All vulnerabilities will be documented individually in the technical findings report. 

Tools Used in Web Application Penetration Testing

Here is a list of tools utilized throughout the Web Application Penetration Testing:

1. Network Mapper(Nmap): Nmap has the following capabilities:

• It is capable of discovering open ports on the server
• The server's operating system is being fingerprinted
• Bypassing the firewall to conduct a stealthy scan of the target

2. The Harvester: While some tools, such as Nmap, capture information in a black box, others, such as The Harvester, collect Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).

3. Nikto: Nikto is a tool that scans for vulnerabilities in over 270 different types of servers. It can search for 6700 server misconfigurations in depth.

4. Burp Suite: Burp Suite is a java-based internet pen-testing toolkit. It includes a proxy that detects traffic between the user browser and the website being tested.

5. OpenVAS: OpenVAS is a vulnerability scanner that can scan the entire network architecture for vulnerabilities.

6. Metasploit: When it comes to target exploitation, the Metasploit framework is nearly an industry standard.

7. SQLmap: sqlmap is a one-stop solution for detecting and exploiting SQL Injection vulnerabilities on any website.

8. XSSer: XSSer is a short and lightweight tool for detecting and exploiting XSS vulnerabilities during website Penetration Testing.

Web Application Penetration Testing Checklist

Information Gathering

• Port Scanning
• Web Server, OS Fingerprinting, and CMS Version
• HTTP Methods
• Cookie Attributes

Discovery

• Find Alternative Content
• Find Default Configuration
• Login Fuzzing
• Testing Session Token
• Open Redirection
• Denial of Service

Encryption Flows

• Heartbleed
• Poodle
• HTTPs Strip
• Oracle Padding Attack
• Weak Cryptography

Exploitation

• Browser Hijacking
• Data Exfiltration
• Authentication Bypass
• Offline Password Hacking
• Cross-site Request Forgery

How Can InfosecTrain Help You?

InfosecTrain offers a wide range of cyber security certification training courses. We also provide training that covers all aspects of Web Application Penetration Testing.