How does Web Application Security Testing Function

Web application security testing is a procedure that involves testing, analyzing, and reporting on the security aspect of a web application. The idea is all about identifying and removing any security-related vulnerabilities that can be exploited by threat actors and cause a data breach. With the rise in digitization across domains and enterprises, sensitive and confidential pieces of information about enterprises and their customers are available to be exploited. This makes security testing an extremely important activity to be performed in the SDLC. The objective is to find vulnerabilities that can pose a threat to the website or web application of an enterprise.

Like all software, web applications may contain certain bugs, defects, or vulnerabilities. And if exploited by threat actors, these can lead to serious consequences, including inviting penalties from regulatory agencies and undermining the credibility of a brand or enterprise, among others. For instance, Kaseya, an automation software provider, suffered a ransomware attack, thereby affecting 800 to 1500 companies and over 50 MSPs (Source: The Breach Report). Application security testing aims at identifying and mitigating bugs in software and preventing threat actors from striking. The process involves leveraging a wide range of security measures throughout the SDLC to ensure all flaws related to design and implementation are sorted.

The importance of web security testing

An application security testing methodology incorporates a wide range of test processes to evaluate the security aspects of an application. The main aim of leveraging these processes is to find vulnerabilities in a website application, especially in its configuration. The main focus of this methodology remains on the application layer, which runs on the HTTP protocol. It sends various types of inputs to force the system to function in unexpected ways. This is done to check how the system will function when exposed to real threats. Here, it is important to know that the test is not meant to scrutinize the security features to be implemented in the system alone. And to ensure the web application ultimately functions with 100% accuracy, all other features need to be implemented securely. These include output coding and using the right input validation, among others. The main goal of conducting cyber security testing is to ensure that all the features and functions present in a web application are secure.

Security Testing: Different Types

Now that you know the meaning of web application testing and its critical importance, it’s time to focus on the types of security testing as explained below.

Dynamic Application Security Test (DAST) – This is the best solution for low-risk, internally facing applications that must meet regulatory security requirements. Combining DAST with other manual security testing procedures works best for critical applications and others with medium-sized risks being managed with minor changes.

Static Application Security Test (SAST) – This is one of the cyber security testing methods that aids in the detection of bugs without the need for applications to be executed in a productive environment. This type of test helps developers scan the source code and fix vulnerabilitiesthat otherwise can undermine software security.

Penetration Test – If a website application has gone through major changes, it should be subjected to rigorous penetration testing either in-house or offered by penetration testing services. The assessment of such testing can play an integral role in tracking advanced attack scenarios. It is colloquially known as ethical hacking or a pen test, which is performed to evaluate a system’s security preparedness. There are five stages of penetration testing – planning and reconnaissance, scanning, gaining access, maintaining access, analysis, and WAF configuration.

How does application security testing reduce the risk for businesses?

Web application security testing can prevent a large number of attacks that otherwise can lead hackers to gain access to your website’s restricted content, damage your brand’s reputation, cause a loss in revenue, install malicious code, and much more. In today’s business environment, a web application can be affected by a large number of issues and be vulnerable to cyber attacks. Having knowledge of such attacks and their consequences can drive organizations to be prepared in advance to thwart such attacks and prevent their fallout. So, by identifying the provenance of such vulnerabilities, the right methods can be devised during the early stages of SDLC. Furthermore, should these attacks be identified during a cybersecurity assessment, the organization can focus on remediation efforts.

Conclusion

Every firm should start by identifying the most critical threats, followed by the low-impact ones, to minimize risks. To do so, some of the important features of a website or web application should be reviewed during security testing. These may include business logic, application and server configuration, authentication, session management, client-side logic, input validation, and error handling.