Given the sheer volume of data housed in web applications and the rising count of online transactions, performing frequent security tests for web applications has become a necessity.
This guide intends to offer a thorough examination of the basic ideas, tools, and key phrases utilized in website security testing, alongside a robust testing strategy.
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Moving on!
Lessons Included:
Comprehending Security Testing
Security Testing is an important step that checks if sensitive information stays confidential and unreachable to unauthorized persons/entities, and that users are limited to performing only authorized actions.
For example, a user should not be able to deny other users from utilizing the website’s features or influence the web application’s function in unanticipated ways.
Key Security Testing Terms
Before we dig deeper, it’s advantageous to familiarize ourselves with frequently encountered expressions in web application security testing.
What does “Vulnerability” mean?
A vulnerability is a weakness found in a web application. It can occur due to application glitches, injection attacks (like SQL or script code injections), or the existence of malware.
What is “URL Manipulation”?
URL Manipulation happens when web applications send additional data via the URL between the client (browser) and the server. Altering some information in the URL might unintentionally activate unexpected server responses.
What is an “SQL Injection”?
SQL Injection involves inserting SQL commands via the web application’s user interface into queries executed by the server.
What is “XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)”?
XSS happens when a user introduces HTML or client-side scripts into a web application’s user interface, with the introduced content being visible to other users.
What does “Spoofing” imply?
Spoofing refers to the creation of fraudulent websites and emails that resemble legitimate ones.
Top-Requested Security Testing Tools
#1) Acunetix
Acunetix is a thorough web application security scanner that delivers a 360-degree perspective of your establishment’s security. It can spot various forms of vulnerabilities, including SQL attacks, XSS attacks, and weak passwords. The tool leverages advanced macro recording technology for analyzing complex forms.
The platform is user-friendly and intuitive, letting you plan and prioritize full or piecemeal scans. It also boasts built-in vulnerability management. Acunetix integrates smoothly with CI tools like Jenkins to automate the scanning of new builds.
#2) Netsparker
Netsparker is an all-inclusive platform for all your web application security testing needs. It delivers functionalities for vulnerability scanning, evaluation, and administration.
Netsparker is recognized for its precise scanning and unique asset discovery technology. It integrates smoothly with well-known issue management and CI/CD applications.
The tool delivers proof of exploit upon identification of vulnerability to verify that it’s not a false positive. It boasts an advanced scanning engine, crawling authentication functionalities, and WAF integration. Netsparker presents detailed scan outcomes with insights on vulnerabilities.
Security Testing Approach
To perform an effective security evaluation on a web application, the security tester should have a strong comprehension of the HTTP protocol. Understanding how the client (browser) and server communicate via HTTP is critical.
Moreover, the tester should comprehend the basics of SQL injection and XSS to ensure thorough testing.
While the hope is that the number of security flaws in the web application would be minimal, having the capability to accurately describe all identified security flaws with the necessary details is vital.
Web Security Testing Techniques
#1) Cracking Passwords
Security testing for a web application can start with password cracking. Someone can try to guess a username/password combo or use password cracking tools to gain entry to the application’s private sections. Lists of commonly used usernames and passwords can be found alongside open-source password cracking tools.
If the web application does not enforce strong passwords (e.g., passwords made up of a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, or passwords with a necessary minimum length), it won’t take long to break the username and password.
If a username or password is stored in cookies without encryption, attackers can leverage various methods to steal the cookies and the information within them, such as usernames and passwords.
For additional information, check the article on “website cookie testing”.
#2) URL Manipulation Using HTTP GET Methods
A tester should verify if the application transmits critical information in the query string when deploying the HTTP GET method to facilitate data exchange between the client and server.
This data is transferred via parameters in the query string. The tester can alter a parameter value in the query string to see if the server accepts the alteration.
Using the HTTP GET method, user information is delivered to the server for authentication or data retrieval. Attackers can manipulate any input variable passed through this GET request to the server to extract the desired information or tamper with the data. Any irregular behavior exhibited by the application or web server in such cases exposes a breach for attackers.
#3) SQL Attack
The subsequent element to examine is SQL injection vulnerability. Entering a single quotation (‘), for instance, into any textbox ought to be declined by the application. Yet, if the tester encounters a database error, it signifies that user input is being inserted into a query executed by the application. In such instances, the application is prone to SQL injection threats.
SQL injection threats are highly consequential since they allow attackers to access important information housed in the server’s database. To identify SQL injection entry points in your web application, examine the codebase where direct MySQL queries are executed based on user inputs.
If user input data is concatenated with SQL queries to interact with the database, attackers can inject SQL statements or fragments thereof as user inputs to extract sensitive data from the database.
Even if an attacker manages to crash the application, the SQL query error displayed in the browser can provide valuable information. Therefore, it is essential to correctly handle and escape special characters in user inputs.
#4) Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
It is crucial for a tester to inspect the web application for Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. The application should reject any HTML or script tags, such as <HTML> or <SCRIPT>. In case such tags are accepted, the application becomes susceptible to Cross-Site Scripting attacks.
Through Cross-Site Scripting, attackers can execute harmful scripts or URLs on a target’s browser. They can exploit this method to steal user cookies and the information contained within them.
Many web applications retrieve practical information and store it in variables across different pages. For instance, http://www.examplesite.com/index.php?userid=123&query=xyz
Attackers can easily pass harmful input or an <script> tag as the ‘&query’ parameter, leading to the unearthing of important user/server data within the browser.
Note: During security testing, it’s crucial for the tester to exercise caution and avoid altering any of the following:
- The application or server’s configuration settings
- The services running on the server
- Current user or customer data hosted by the application
Furthermore, security testing should not be carried out on a production system.
Wrap-Up
The objective of security testing is to detect vulnerabilities in web applications so that developers can eradicate these security issues, guaranteeing the application and data stay protected from unauthorized activities.
Recommended Reading => Comparison of SAST/DAST/IAST/RASP
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