Web Penetration testing and the process step by step

Web penetration testing, also known as ethical hacking, is the practice of identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications in order to improve their security.

This process involves simulating an attack on a web application in order to identify potential vulnerabilities and provide recommendations for remediation. Web penetration testing, also known as "pentesting," is a process used to identify and exploit security vulnerabilities in a web application. It is an essential part of any comprehensive security assessment of a web application or website.

A web penetration test can help identify potential security risks and vulnerabilities in a web application and provide guidance on how to mitigate those risks. In this article, we will discuss the process of web penetration testing step by step.

In this article, we'll walk through the steps involved in a typical web penetration testing process, from reconnaissance to reporting.

Step 1: Reconnaissance/ Information Gathering

The first step in web penetration testing is to gather as much information as possible about the target application. This includes identifying the IP address or domain name of the web server, the type of web server, the operating system it's running on, and the applications and services that are running on the server. Information gathering can be done manually or by using automated tools such as port scanners, web application scanners, and network mappers. This involves gathering information about the web application and the target environment. The goal of this phase is to identify potential vulnerabilities and gather intelligence that can be used in later stages of the testing process.

During reconnaissance, the tester will typically use a variety of techniques, such as:

• Search engine reconnaissance: using search engines to identify information about the web application, such as directories and file names
• Whois lookup: finding information about the domain name, such as the registrar and owner
• DNS enumeration: identifying all the domain names associated with the web application
• Port scanning: identifying open ports and services running on the target system
• Banner grabbing: obtaining information about the web server software and version running on the target system
• Social engineering: using publicly available information to gather intelligence, such as email addresses and job titles

The information gathered during reconnaissance is used to identify potential vulnerabilities and develop a testing plan.

Threat Modeling Once you have gathered the necessary information about the target application, the next step is to perform a threat model analysis. This is the process of identifying potential threats to the web application and prioritizing them based on their potential impact and likelihood of occurrence. This will help you to focus your testing efforts on the most critical areas of the web application.

Step 2: Scanning

Once the tester has gathered information about the web application, the next step is scanning. This involves using automated tools to identify vulnerabilities in the target environment. This step is not exhaustive and only catches known and documented vulnerabilities. However, it is important to cover this step to check for easy wins before moving to the manual testing phase.

Scanning tools, such as vulnerability scanners and web application scanners, use a variety of techniques to identify vulnerabilities, including:

• Fingerprinting: identifying the web server software and version running on the target system
• Crawling: identifying all the pages and resources associated with the web application
• Mapping: identifying the relationships between pages and resources in the web application
• Fuzzing: sending malformed or unexpected input to the web application in order to identify vulnerabilities

The output of the scanning process is typically a list of vulnerabilities, ranked by severity.

Step 3: Exploitation

Once the vulnerabilities have been identified, the next step is exploitation. This involves attempting to exploit the vulnerabilities in order to gain access to the target system or data.

The goal of exploitation is to determine the impact of the vulnerability and identify potential attack vectors. This phase typically involves manual testing, using a variety of techniques to attempt to exploit the vulnerabilities identified in the scanning phase. This step involves using a combination of automated and manual techniques to identify vulnerabilities in the web application. Manual testing includes various techniques such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), directory traversal, parameter tampering, and session hijacking. This step is crucial for discovering vulnerabilities that were not caught in the previous steps.

The output of the exploitation phase is typically a list of successful and unsuccessful exploits, along with a description of the impact of each exploit.

Step 4: Post-Exploitation

After a successful exploit, the tester may attempt to maintain access to the target system. This is known as post-exploitation.

During this phase, the tester may attempt to:

• Escalate privileges: obtain additional privileges on the target system
• Install backdoors: create a persistent means of accessing the target system
• Pivot: use the target system as a jumping-off point to attack other systems in the target environment

The goal of post-exploitation is to demonstrate the potential impact of a successful attack and identify potential attack vectors that may not have been identified in earlier stages of the testing process.

Step 5: Reporting

The final step in web penetration testing is to document and report the findings of the testing. This includes detailing the vulnerabilities that were discovered, the impact of the vulnerabilities, and recommendations for remediation. The report should also include a summary of the testing methodology and the tools and techniques that were used.

The report should include:

• An executive summary: a high-level overview of the testing process and findings
• A description of the testing methodology: a detailed description of the techniques used in each stage of the testing process
• A summary of vulnerabilities: a list of vulnerabilities, ranked by severity, along with a description of the impact of

Conclusion: Web penetration testing is an essential process for identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities in web applications. The process involves information gathering, threat modeling, vulnerability scanning, manual testing, exploitation, and reporting. While there are automated tools available, manual testing remains the most effective way to identify vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. It is important to conduct regular web penetration testing to ensure that web applications remain secure against evolving cyber threats.