Tips To Perform Website Penetration Testing

Due to a number of cyber threats in the modern digital world, companies are constantly looking for new ways to protect their web apps. One of those techniques, that has already become an essential part of any solid protection strategy, is called penetration testing.

The popularity of website penetration testing, also known as pen test or pen testing, is constantly growing. According to Markets and Markets, the pen testing market is expected to increase from $1.7 billion in 2020 to $4.5 billion by 2025. A web pen test, as the name suggests, is a test that focuses solely on a web application and not on a whole network or company. Website penetration testing for web applications is carried out by initiating simulated attacks, both internally and externally, in order to get access to sensitive data.

Why Is Website Penetration Testing Important?

The popularity of web applications has also introduced another vector of attack that malicious third parties can exploit for their personal gains. Since web applications usually store or send out sensitive data, it is crucial to keep these apps secure at all times, particularly those that are publicly exposed to the World Wide Web.

In a nutshell, web application penetration testing is a preventive control measure that lets you analyze the overall status of the existing security layer of a system. These are the common goals of doing pen testing for web apps:-

• Identify unknown vulnerabilities
• Check the effectiveness of the existing security policies
• Test publicly exposed components, including firewalls, routers, and DNS
• Determine the most vulnerable route for an attack
• Look for loopholes that could lead to the data theft

When you look at the current internet usage, you’ll find out that there has been a sharp increase in mobile internet usage, which means a direct increase in the potential for mobile attacks. When users access websites or apps using mobile devices, they are more prone to attacks. Hence, pen testing plays a critical part in the software development lifecycle, helping build a secure system that users can use without having to worry about hacking or data theft.

Tips For Successful Web Application Penetration Testing

These tips will help everyone on the QA team to get on track and focus on their goals. Let’s get started

1. Establish your goals and objectives

The most crucial duty is to determine the scope or goals, as this will allow you to know what should be tested and what should not. However, the scope must be aligned with the business goals of Web application penetration testing. Web application penetration testing’s main goal is to figure out how and to what extent hackers exploit flaws, putting your company in danger. The results of web application penetration testing will also focus on what actions may be implemented to reduce or eliminate threats and dangers.

2. Relevant components must be tested

Do not test components outside of the scope defined during the pre-participation process for penetration testing. Ensure that you keep inside the agreed-upon range and that you adhere to the customer’s regulations. Remember that the amount of time you have to do a pen test is limited, so make sure you test every key component you listed in the scope.

3. Risk severity — with respect to priority of rectification

Not all flaws should be dealt with in the same way. The level of attention necessary for a certain loophole is totally dependent on the risk appetite of the target organization and the willingness of a risk owner to absorb a risk on a given system.

4. Develop hacker personas

As a penetration tester, you must assume the position of a hacker. As a result, you begin to think like a hacker and arm yourself with a certain set of skills, goals, and incentives.

5. Selection b/w In-house and external testers

Internal staff might be beneficial if the company possesses the necessary expertise. The internal staff makes it very convenient to do frequent web application penetration testing, in addition to the cost savings and the fact that they are already familiar with your system. It’s also a good idea to employ an outside expert web application penetration testing team for additional professional knowledge and a more objective perspective.

Summing Up

Web applications offer a lot of convenience and value to the end users, but it comes with a cost. Most systems are publicly exposed to the internet and the data is readily available to those who are willing to do a bit of research. Because of the growing usage and evolving technologies, web applications are prone to vulnerabilities, in both design and configuration, that hackers might find and exploit. Because of this, web applications should be a priority when it comes to penetration testing, especially if they handle sensitive information. For 22- years, QASource has been providing exceptional services in web applications and cloud cybersecurity testing. Utilize our specialized website penetration testing experts to get ready to test your project. To use top-notch professional testing services7 for your software products, contact QASource right away.