Web Application Testing Services

Explore
Get in touch

With our Cyber Security Consultant

What are Web Application Testing Services?

In today’s business environment, few established companies can function without a website.

It is an integral part of business operations and must be informative, accessible and user-friendly. Just as companies have become more digitised and reliant on more complex tech tools, hackers have become more sophisticated. Malicious activities across the web are widespread, and organisations must ensure that websites and web applications are safe and secure.

In-depth security testing of web applications is necessary to find technical flaws, weak points and vulnerabilities. It identifies areas in a system’s design, implementation, operation and management that could be exploited.

Security testing for web applications is the analysis of these six security concepts:

Web Application Testing Services

Software developers need to integrate security into every software development life cycle (SDLC) step. Each stage of the process — define, design, develop, deploy and maintain — has specific security considerations that should be considered as part of the entire lifecycle.

Integrity
Ensures that the information provided by web applications is correct.

Authorization
Maintain proper permissions for users to perform an action or receive a service.

Confidentiality
Give access only to authorised users.

Availability
Ensure that services and information are available at any time.

Authentication
Establish user IDs.

Non-repudiation
Ensure that a user cannot deny an action taken by them

Mindfire offers web application testing services by performing activities such as

  • Password cracking
  • Virus detection
  • Log reviews
  • Integrity checkers
  • Network & vulnerability scanning

The Need

Security testing of web applications is essential for businesses in all industries.

But more so for those that conduct transactions online. E-commerce-based companies, SaaS businesses and online banking providers or finance companies sit at the top of this list.

Security tests help identify vulnerabilities and ensure all data is safe from any unauthorised action. This includes sensitive customer data such as credit card numbers, credentials and personally identifiable information (PII).

When should you conduct web application testing?

Test early and test often’ - advice from (OWASP)

This is advice from the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) regarding software security testing, and businesses across all industries should do so. Some industries, such as e-commerce, banking & finance, make security testing mandatory. Businesses in these industries must perform regular tests to comply with laws and regulations and also protect user information.

It takes an average of 192 days for companies to identify a breach in their systems, and often, the damage has already been done. Businesses should therefore conduct comprehensive tests periodically to avoid costly infiltration of their networks. The earlier you test web application security during the development lifecycle, the better your chances of detecting vulnerabilities. Include security to minimise risks and cost of remediation further down the line.

Comprehensive tests Timeline

Organisations should consider security for all their applications and develop a security development lifecycle. This means you should conduct security testing throughout the SDLC - especially for apps that deal with critical data.

Web application security testing methodology

Our web application security testing methodology usually follows these steps:

Asset discovery stage
Identify the business's web applications and their complementary assets. This asset discovery stage will outline which apps will be tested.

Check for outdated software
Check for outdated software and update them before conducting security testing web applications.

Confirm user permissions and roles
Confirm user permissions and roles to ensure the app follows secure access rules.

Review current security measures
Check the current security measures to confirm if they are working optimally. These include tools like a firewall, malware scanner and secure sockets layer (SSL).

Perform a web app testing
Perform a web penetration test for common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), malicious structured query language (SQL) queries and cases of code injection.

Run configuration tests
Run configuration tests to check both application and network structure security.

Test physical network assets
Test physical network assets for CVEs and specially developed software attacks. This involves testing switches, routers, desktops, printers and servers.

Check design & implementation of apps
Check the design and implementation of business applications and JavaScript loading.

Confirm input validation is functional
Confirm that input validation is in place and functional when accepting user data.

Assess authentication rules
Assess authentication rules and security of session management.

Check web app configurations.
Check for missing or misplaced web application configurations.

Ensure unauthorised access is restricted
Verify if the web applications can allow unauthorised access.

Types of Web Application Tests

The three common types of web application testing

Dynamic application security

This is a test that looks at web apps to check for weak points that hackers can use to break into your system. Because it doesn't involve access to the application’s original source code, you can conduct it frequently.

Static application security

SAST testing, on the other hand, looks for vulnerabilities in the application’s source code. It offers a more comprehensive outlook on the security posture of web applications.

Penetration testing for web applications

Imitates a potential hacker’s actions and the steps they may take to breach the web application. Infosec personnel use their own professional experience and knowledge of software penetration tools to find security flaws in the web application.

Testing Vulnerabilities

Common Web Application Vulnerabilities

SQL injection

SQL injection attacks are widespread because SQL language is often used to manage and direct the flow of information in applications. When used to communicate with servers that store critical website data, an SQL injection can allow hackers to change, steal or delete data. This type of attack is especially risky for websites that collect client information such as credit card numbers and login information.

Cross-Site Scripting

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks are similar to SQL injection attacks, but it only runs in a user's browser when they visit a hacked website. An XSS attack aims to collect information that a user sends to the website or application. A leakage can damage a company’s reputation, and the company is often unaware there has been a breach until it’s too late.

Cross-Site request Forgery

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) forces a user to submit a malicious request to the application. Such actions could be illicit money transfers, so your application must use validation techniques to check the identity of anyone who visits your websites and related applications.

Get in touch

Protect your business

If you are looking for reliable and efficient solutions to enhance your business operations, Mindfire is the perfect partner for you. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your goals. Whether you need Cyber Security Services, Managed Security Services (MSS), Consulting Services, Cyber Risk Management Services, Cloud Services, Digital Services, or Digital Transformation, our team of experts is here to assist you every step of the way. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us and take your business to the next level with Mindfire.