before we go deep inside what is web application penetration testing let us know what the heck is Web Applucation. A web application is any application that uses a web browser as a client. This can be a simple message board or a very complex spreadsheet. Web applications are popular based on ease of access to services and centralized management of a system used by multiple parties. Requirements for accessing a web application can follow industry web browser client standards simplifying expectations from both the service providers as well as the hosts accessing the application.

Web applications are the most widely used type of applications within any organization. They are the standard for most Internet-based applications. If you look at smartphones and tablets, you will find that most applications on these devices are also web applications. This has created a new and large target-rich surface for security professionals as well as attackers exploiting those systems.

What is the Benefits of Web Applications

It is not difficult to see why web applications have enjoyed such a dramatic rise to prominence. Several technical factors have worked along side the obvious commercial incentives to drive the revolution that has occurred in how we use the Internet:

• HTTP, the core communications protocol used to access the World Wide Web, is lightweight and connectionless. This provides resilience in the event of communication errors and avoids the need for the server to hold open a network connection to every user, as was the case in many legacy client/server applications. HTTP can also be proxied and tunneled over other protocols, allowing for secure communication in any network confi guration.
• Every web user already has a browser installed on his computer and mobile device. Web applications deploy their user interface dynamically to the browser, avoiding the need to distribute and manage separate client software, as was the case with pre-web applications. Changes to the interface need to be implemented only once, on the server, and take effect immediately.
• Today’s browsers are highly functional, enabling rich and satisfying user interfaces to be built. Web interfaces use standard navigational and input controls that are immediately familiar to users, avoiding the need to learn how each individual application functions. Client-side scripting enables applications to push part of their processing to the client side, and browsers’ capabilities can be extended in arbitrary ways using browser extension technologies where necessary.
• The core technologies and languages used to develop web applications are relatively simple. A wide range of platforms and development tools are available to facilitate the development of powerful applications by relative beginners, and a large quantity of open source code and other resources is available for incorporation into custom-built applications.

What is Web Application Penetration Testing

Web Applications Penetration Testing can vary in scope since there is a vast number of system types and business use cases for web application services. The core web application tiers which are hosting servers, accessing devices, and data depository should be tested along with communication between the tiers during a web application Penetration Testing exercise.

Like all software, web applications may have issues when input is not properly sanitized. For example, when an application pulls data from a database based on certain user input, the application may expect specific input such as a username and password. If, instead, the user enters special input to create additional database queries, he or she may be able to steal data from the database, bypass authentication, or even execute commands on the underlying system.

Web application vulnerability scanners are good at finding certain kinds of vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). Even then, they need to be configured correctly. One area that is often not scanned is the logged-in areas of websites. Manual web-application penetration testing can find trickier SQL injection and cross-site scripting issues, as well as logical issues. Examples of logical flaws would be unused but exploitable functions in a Flash file, or a password reset function that allows you to reset any user’s password.

In this testing, the logical structure of the system needs to be tested. It is an attack simulation designed to expose the efficiency of an application’s security controls by identifying vulnerability and risk. The firewall and other monitoring systems are used to protect the security system, but sometime, it needs focused testing especially when traffic is allowed to pass through the firewall.

Author : Admin

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