PENTESTING WEB

👉 Overview

👀 What ?

Pentesting, short for penetration testing, is a simulated cyber attack against your computer system to check for exploitable vulnerabilities. In the context of web applications, it involves probing for vulnerabilities in the web application's structure and content to simulate potential attacks.

🧐 Why ?

Pentesting web is important because it helps identify potential vulnerabilities in a web application before a malicious actor does. This allows developers to fix the vulnerabilities and strengthen the security of their web applications. It is also often a regulatory requirement in many industries, such as the financial sector, to ensure the protection of customer data.

⛏️ How ?

Pentesting web involves several steps. First, the tester needs to gather information about the target web application, such as its architecture and the technologies it uses. Then, the tester will attempt to find vulnerabilities using a variety of techniques, such as input validation issues, session management vulnerabilities, and faulty server configurations. After identifying potential vulnerabilities, the tester will attempt to exploit them to understand their potential impact. Finally, a detailed report is generated, outlining the vulnerabilities found and their severity, along with recommendations for mitigation.

⏳ When ?

Pentesting web started to gain traction in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the rise of internet-based businesses. Over time, as web applications became more complex and integral to businesses, the importance of pentesting web has increased substantially.

⚙️ Technical Explanations

In pentesting web, testers often use tools such as OWASP ZAP and Burp Suite to automate some parts of the testing. Vulnerabilities can range from simple issues, like insecure direct object references (IDOR) or cross-site scripting (XSS), to complex ones, like server-side request forgery (SSRF) or remote code execution (RCE). Once vulnerabilities are identified, they are exploited to understand their impact. For example, an IDOR vulnerability might allow an attacker to access other users' data, while an XSS vulnerability might allow an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser. After the testing, a report is generated that provides a detailed overview of the findings and the recommended mitigation strategies.