Web application penetration testing is performed to identify vulnerabilities in web applications, websites, and web services. Pen testers assess the security of the code, weaknesses in the application’s security protocol, and the design.
This method of pen testing allows companies to meet compliance requirements and test exposed components like firewalls, DNS servers, and routers. Because web applications are constantly updated, checking apps for new vulnerabilities and developing strategies to mitigate potential threats is crucial.
A vulnerability assessment is the process of identifying, defining, classifying, and prioritizing vulnerabilities within computer systems, applications, and network infrastructures. It equips organizations with essential insights, awareness, and risk context, enabling them to understand potential threats and respond effectively to protect their environments.
A penetration test, also known as a pen test, is a simulated cyber attack against your computer system to check for exploitable vulnerabilities. In the context of web application security, penetration testing is commonly used to augment a web application firewall (WAF). Pen testing can involve the attempted breaching of any number of application systems, (e.g., application protocol interfaces (APIs), frontend/backend servers) to uncover vulnerabilities, such as unsensitized inputs that are susceptible to code injection attacks.
Internal penetration testing An internal network pen test is performed to help gauge what an attacker could achieve with initial access to a network. An internal network pentest can mirror insider threats, such as employees intentionally or unintentionally performing malicious actions.
External penetration testing An external network pen test is designed to test the effectiveness of perimeter security controls to prevent and detect attacks as well as identifying weaknesses in internet-facing assets such as web, mail and FTP servers.
Mobile App Testing refers to the process of validating a mobile app (Android or iOS) for its functionality and usability before it is released publicly. Testing mobile apps help verify whether the app meets the expected technical and business requirements.
For successful mobile app testing, teams need to test apps across numerous screen resolutions, operating system versions, and distinct network bandwidths. This helps ensure that the app performs flawlessly across numerous device configurations when released publicly.
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) enable software systems and applications to communicate and share data. API testing is important as vulnerabilities in APIs may undermine core aspects of a website's confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
All dynamic websites are composed of APIs, so classic web vulnerabilities like SQL injection could be classed as API testing. In this topic, we'll teach you how to test APIs that aren't fully used by the website front-end, with a focus on RESTful and JSON APIs. We'll also teach you how to test for server-side parameter pollution vulnerabilities that may impact internal APIs.