What is a web application penetration test?
A web application penetration test aims to identify security vulnerabilities resulting from insecure development practices in the design, coding and publishing of software or a website.
Web app penetration tests test will generally include:
- Testing user authentication to verify that accounts cannot compromise data;
- Assessing the web applications for flaws and vulnerabilities, such as XSS (cross-site scripting);
- Confirming the secure configuration of web browsers and identifying features that can cause vulnerabilities; and
- Safeguarding web server security and database server security.
The vulnerabilities are presented in a format that allows an organisation to assess their relative business risk and the cost of remediation. These can then be resolved in line with the application owner’s budget and risk appetite, inducing a proportionate response to cyber risks.
Learn more about our web application penetration test
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For more information on how our CREST-accredited penetration testing services can help safeguard your organisation, call us now on +44 (0)333 800 7000, or request a call back using the form below.
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Did you know?
- Applications and identities are the initial targets in 86% of breaches.
- Breaches that start with website and application attacks account for 47% of the breach costs, making application attacks the costliest.
- Out of 338 cases with confirmed breach data: 11.8 billion records were compromised, an average of almost 35 million records per breach.
Lessons learned from a decade of data breaches, F5 Labs
Once an application vulnerability is exploited, attackers will find their way through the network to your data.
These attacks can be used to modify or capture data, steal user credentials or affect the operational performance of your application or website.
The benefits of a web application penetration test
Our penetration tests will help you:
- Gain real-world insight into your vulnerabilities;
- Keep untrusted data separate from commands and queries;
- Develop strong authentication and session management controls;
- Improve access control;
- Discover the most vulnerable route through which an attack can be made; and
- Find any loopholes that could lead to the theft of sensitive data.
Is a web application penetration test right for you?
If you are responsible for a website or web application, you should ask yourself:
- Could your application be exploited to access your network?
- Do you use an off-the-shelf CMS (content management system)? Is it vulnerable to attack?
- Could your identity credentials be hacked, or account privileges escalated?
- Is your API secure?
- Do you process or store payment details on your website?
- Does your application store personally identifiable information at the back-end?
- Can an attacker get direct access to your database using SQL injection?
Our engagement process
Our CREST-accredited penetration testers follow an established methodology based primarily upon the OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) Top 10 Application Security Risks. This approach will emulate the techniques of an attacker using many of the same readily available tools.
- Scoping - Before testing, our account management team will discuss your assessment requirements for your websites or applications to define the scope of the test.
- Reconnaissance - During this step, our team maps the web application – using manual and automated means – to ensure that all pages in scope are identified for closer analysis.
- Assessment - Using the information identified in the initial phase, we test the application for potential vulnerabilities. This will provide your organisation with the ability to produce an accurate threat and risk assessment.
- Reporting - An IT Governance tester will fully analyse the test results, and a full report will be prepared for the customer that will set out the scope of the test and the methodology used.
- Re-test - We can provide access to our testers and the raw test data to support and expedite remediation. We can also retest your systems so that you can be sure all the issues have been successfully resolved.
“I personally find the final report provided by IT Governance to be excellent… It contains the depth of knowledge I require to accurately and effectively determine our system security improvement plan for the next 12 months.”
- Wez Edwards, senior systems architect, S2 Partnership Ltd
Select your web application penetration test
We offer two levels of penetration test to meet your budget and technical requirements.
Level 1
- Identifies the vulnerabilities that leave your IT exposed.
- Combines a series of manual assessments with automated scans, as our team assesses the vulnerability of your network.
- Allows you to evaluate your security posture and make more accurate budgetary decisions.
Please contact us to purchase one of our quick, affordable and fixed-price penetration tests.
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Level 2
- Attempts to exploit the identified vulnerabilities to see whether it’s possible to access your assets and resources.
- Provides a more thorough assessment of your security posture, which enables you to make more accurate decisions about investing in securing your business-critical systems.
Please contact us to request a quote, for further information
or to speak to a penetration testing expert.
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