Web Application Penetration Testing: How to Prevent Attacks

Security

Penetration testing is a web application security technique that is used to find vulnerabilities in web applications. The goal of a penetration test is to identify and document the web application’s flaws, as well as recommend solutions for how the web application can be improved. It’s important to note that every company has different types of web applications with varying degrees of complexity, so there isn’t one silver-bullet solution for all web app security problems. In this blog post, we’ll explore some ways you can protect your web apps from being exploited by hackers!

Why is web application penetration testing important?

There are many web applications available on the market today. These web apps come in all shapes and sizes, which means that each web app requires a different approach to security testing. However, there are some web application features that almost every company will require:

• Authentication (login) – session management.
• Access controls (authorization) – what operations can users perform?
• Data protection (encryption/hashing) – ensuring data confidentiality & integrity during transit or at rest.

From OWASP’s point of view, Penetration testers should be able to get an idea about how easy it is to exploit vulnerabilities they find by using them against other systems. If exploits exist for common servers like Microsoft IIS, Apache Tomcat, or web application frameworks like Struts, the web app is considered to have a “high severity” risk.

The main goals of web application penetration testing are:

• Show how easy it is for attackers to find vulnerabilities in your web applications and how they can use these vulnerabilities against other systems.
• Find out whether or not there’s any malicious code that could lead to data loss or system damage.
• Improve security by finding flaws in web apps so they can be fixed before hackers exploit them!

What to look for in a professional web application penetration tester?

When choosing web application penetration testers, companies should make sure their web app security tests are thorough. Here are some questions you can ask web application penetration testing firms before hiring them:

• Are they familiar with the OWASP Top Ten? The OWASP community is a worldwide organization that publishes information about web application vulnerabilities to help developers build more secure applications. Having an understanding of what hackers look for when attacking web apps will give your company insight into how to improve its web app security!
• Do they have experience in other languages besides Java or .NET? Web applications nowadays aren’t just written in one language; most modern-day web apps run on multiple programming frameworks and different operating systems (Windows, Unix/Linux), so it’s important to find web application penetration testers that are familiar with the web apps you’re using.
• Do they have any certifications? Like most professional fields, web app penetration testing is regulated by organizations like ISC² and EC Council so it’s vital to make sure your web app security team has these qualifications.

The reason why hiring a qualified web application penetration tester is important for web applications:

Most hackers use automated tools instead of manually hacking into systems because manual techniques require too much time and effort! So if companies want their web apps tested thoroughly, then it’s best to hire an experienced firm that knows how attackers think in order to create tests that will truly protect its system from being exploited. A gray box penetration testing is a sort of penetration testing in which pentesters have only a rudimentary understanding of the network and infrastructure of the system under examination. The pentesters then use their knowledge of the system to perform a better job of detecting and reporting vulnerabilities.

Tools you can use to help with security and vulnerability assessments of your website:

• Web-app scanning tools like Astra Security & Acunetix.
• Web application vulnerability scanners such as Astra Security, Burp Suite, and OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy).
• Web security testing tools like WebInspect by HP Fortify or Application Security’s AppScan Standard/Pro.

Penetration testers can use these automated web apps to help them find vulnerabilities: – OpenVas, Wapiti, Vega, and Arachni. These tools will not only look for known web app bugs but also expose any new ones that hackers may have found so companies don’t lose valuable data!

The most important thing you should remember when it comes to web application penetration testing is this: just because your company has web apps doesn’t mean it’s safe from web app attacks! Hackers are always coming up with new ways to exploit web applications, so make sure your company utilizes web application penetration testing services before you or one of its customers falls victim.

A GCP penetration testing will assist you in identifying and comprehending the security weaknesses of your GCP Cloud implementation, hence enhancing GCP security. As a consequence of this test, you will have a full and detailed understanding of the security of your Cloud deployment and will be able to take the required actions to address the concerns that have been detected.

Conclusion:

If any individual or a company wants to protect the web application, it’s essential to understand how people think and test for vulnerabilities accordingly. By taking a scientific approach to penetration testing, it can prevent attacks on your company’s digital assets by applying the right tools at the right time in order to identify potential flaws before they cause major damage.