Web application Penetration Testing concepts
A web application is any application that uses a web browser as a client. This can be a simple message board or a very complex spreadsheet. Web applications are popular based on ease of access to services and centralized management of a system used by multiple parties. Requirements for accessing a web application can follow industry web browser client standards simplifying expectations from both the service providers as well as the hosts accessing the application.
Web applications are the most widely used type of applications within any organization. They are the standard for most Internet-based applications. If you look at smartphones and tablets, you will find that most applications on these devices are also web applications. This has created a new and large target-rich surface for security professionals as well as attackers exploiting those systems.
Penetration Testing web applications can vary in scope since there is a vast number of system types and business use cases for web application services. The core web application tiers which are hosting servers, accessing devices, and data depository should be tested along with communication between the tiers during a web application Penetration Testing exercise.
An example for developing a scope for a web application Penetration Test is testing a Linux server hosting applications for mobile devices. The scope of work at a minimum should include evaluating the Linux server (operating system, network configuration, and so on), applications hosted from the server, how systems and users authenticate, client devices accessing the server and communication between all three tiers. Additional areas of evaluation that could be included in the scope of work are how devices are obtained by employees, how devices are used outside of accessing the application, the surrounding network(s), maintenance of the systems, and the users of the systems. Some examples of why these other areas of scope matter are having the Linux server compromised by permitting connection from a mobile device infected by other means or obtaining an authorized mobile device through social media to capture confidential information.
We have included templates for scoping a web application penetration in Chapter 8, Penetration Test Executive Report. Some deliverable examples in this chapter offer checkbox surveys that can assist with walking a customer through possible targets for a web application Penetration Testing scope of work. Every scope of work should be customized around your customer's business objectives, expected timeframe of performance, allocated funds, and desired outcome. As stated before, templates serve as tools to enhance a design session for developing a scope of work.
