What is a Web Application Penetration Test? The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) defines a web application security test as “…an active analysis of the application for any weaknesses, technical flaws, or vulnerabilities”. This is an excellent definition of a web application penetration test, but this article will dive a bit deeper in why you should have one performed for your organization.

Overview of a Web Application Penetration Test

A web application penetration test (“Web app pentest”), is a tactical assessment to uncover vulnerabilities and weaknesses within an application. It tests many aspects of course, but the important thing to understand is that this is a where a security vendor will actively act as a hacker (or attacker) and exploit potential vulnerabilities.

Benefits of a Web App Pentest

Lucid Security has experienced a large variety of applications and industries for it’s clients. Because of this, Lucid has a unique take on approaching an application. By and large, many security vendors focus on a single industry or niche area. While that can be absolutely beneficial, Lucid has the opportunity to view many different types of functionality, business logic, implementations, etc. This allows us to build out a robust custom methodology when testing applications. Lucid Security strives to uncover critical vulnerabilities such as injection-style vulnerabilities (i.e. cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection (SQLi), etc.), as well as business logic flaws where an attacker can take advantage of areas in the application to bypass intended functions.

Further, what are the practical implications or impact of a vulnerability? This is something that Lucid Security can specifically target, and is an objective that Lucid will actively seek when defined by a client during the kickoff call. It is not uncommon for a client to worry about risks such as authorization weaknesses where ‘Organization A’ could view ‘Organization B’s’ sensitive data/information. This is always a standard issue that Lucid Security attempts to identify during a web app pentest.

Lastly, Lucid Security offers at no additional cost a certification letter to attest that the client has received penetration testing in which they can disseminate this document to current and potential customers in order to receive further business. A common requirement for companies these days when assessing a vendor, is to require penetration testing and/or vulnerability assessments.

Risks of a Web App Pentest

With all of Lucid’s articles, we try to highlight the benefits, as well as the risks for any tactical assessment. The reason for this is there is always room for error and where things can go wrong, especially during an active penetration test. However, there are mitigating controls and things that can be done to prevent such issues from arising. First off, the client will always have the opportunity to call out specifically risky areas of the application which may cause an email to trigger, a process to be initiated, or a cost to be incurred. Further, vulnerabilities can arise that may cause disruptions/downtime. These vulnerabilities may not always be obvious, but is something that is made aware to the client before initiating testing. For this reason, Lucid recommends conducting testing in a QA or dev environment that mirrors a production build of the application.

Conclusion

A web app pentest is a important and necessary assessment to uncover potential vulnerabilities. In identifying these vulnerabilities, a organization can then remediate the issues and ensure that their clients data is secure. As previously mentioned, a certification letter attesting that an organization has received penetration testing can further strengthen organization/vendor relationships, as well as development new business.

How Lucid Security Can Help

Lucid Security consists of seasoned security professionals with decades of experience in security and penetration testing. Our unique and competent perspective enables us to enhance clients’ security environments. Please contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can make your organization more secure.

This process, involving the simulated attack on a network to identify vulnerabilities, is critical for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of an organization’s data. However, there’s a crucial aspect often neglected during these tests: application security testing.