Web Application Penetration Testing Approach and Methodology:

Every application becomes vulnerable as soon as it's open to the internet, but luckily there are many ways you can protect your application and it's security when your app is being developed. Application security should be an essential part of developing any application in order to prevent your company and its users' sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. Running an application security audit regularly allows you to protect your app from any potential threats and be prepared with a backup if anything were to happen. It's unrealistic to expect to be able to avoid every possible problem that may come up, but there are definitely many known recurrent threats that are avoidable when taking the right measures and auditing your application regularly.

Our Approach for Web Application Penetration Testing:

1.Planning and Scope Definition:

Clearly define the scope and objectives of the web penetration test, including the specific web applications, URLs, and functionalities to be tested. Identify any legal and compliance considerations, ensuring that proper authorization and permissions are obtained.

2.Reconnaissance:

Gather information about the target web application, including the technology stack, frameworks, and third-party components used. Conduct open-source intelligence (OSINT) gathering to gather information about the organization, its employees, and any publicly available information related to the web application.

3.Vulnerability Assessment:

Perform an automated vulnerability scan using web application security scanning tools to identify common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and insecure direct object references (IDOR). Manually verify and validate critical findings from the vulnerability scan to eliminate false positives and prioritize vulnerabilities.

4.Authentication and Session Management Testing:

Test the effectiveness of authentication mechanisms, including password strength, account lockouts, session timeouts, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). Verify if session management controls, such as secure session storage, session fixation, and session hijacking prevention, are in place.

5.Authorization and Access Control Testing:

Assess the effectiveness of access controls and authorization mechanisms within the web application. Test for vertical privilege escalation, horizontal privilege escalation, and insecure direct object references (IDOR) vulnerabilities.

6.Input Validation and Output Encoding Testing:

Test for input validation vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and remote code execution (RCE), by injecting malicious payloads into user input fields. Verify if output encoding is correctly implemented to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) and other injection attacks.

7.Error Handling and Information Leakage Testing:

Test the error handling mechanisms to ensure they do not reveal sensitive information that could be exploited by an attacker. Verify if error messages and stack traces are appropriately handled, and sensitive data is not leaked through error responses.

8.File and Resource Management Testing:

Test for file inclusion vulnerabilities, insecure file uploads, and improper access control to sensitive files and directories. Verify if appropriate security measures are in place for protecting uploaded files and preventing unauthorized access.

9.Business Logic Testing:

Analyze the application's business logic to identify vulnerabilities that could lead to unauthorized access, data manipulation, or privilege escalation. Test for logical flaws, insecure direct object references (IDOR), and other vulnerabilities specific to the application's functionality.

10.API Testing:

Test the security of any exposed APIs, ensuring that proper authentication, authorization, and input validation measures are in place. Verify if API endpoints are adequately protected against common vulnerabilities such as injection attacks and insecure direct object references (IDOR).

11.Reporting and Remediation:

Document all findings, including identified vulnerabilities, the steps to reproduce them, and their potential impact. Rate the severity and prioritize vulnerabilities based on industry-standard frameworks (e.g., CVSS). Provide actionable recommendations and remediation steps to address the identified vulnerabilities. Work closely with the development and security teams to assist in remediation efforts and retest the fixes.