An Essential Guide to Penetration Testing
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Penetration testing for web applications
Websites are a pivotal part of business success. With more than 1.6 billion websites, and many companies having more than one, these applications hold an extensive collection of sensitive information, typically making them a significant risk to your cyber security. This is why web application penetration tests need to form part of your security plan.
Testing helps identify flaws that allow you to remediate them quickly and shield your critical assets from attacks. With bespoke solutions and fast turnaround, Bulletproof’s specialised team will uncover the hidden threats to your organisation. In as little as 3 days and with minimal disruption to your business, you’ll know how to bulletproof your organisation.
Our experts are the ones to trust when it comes to your cyber security
Here’s what our customers say about us
We approached Bulletproof as one of several suppliers who offer penetration testing services. Out of all those contacted, Bulletproof were by far the most professional and slick to work with. From start to finish, the whole process was painless and ran like clockwork. The conclusive pen test report was succinct with clear steps of resolution provided. We were genuinely impressed with how easy Bulletproof were to work with, and would definitely recommend.
Eleanor Blacklock
Product Manager
KURVE
Eleanor Blacklock
KURVE, Product Manager
This was a very straightforward process. I had enough information up front to understand the process, and did not need to ask many questions along the way. Great service!
Jonathan Lochhass
Chief Operating Officer
Quantuvis
Jonathan Lochhass
Quantuvis, Chief Operating Officer
What is web application penetration testing?
Due to the ubiquity of web applications, they are a preferred target for cyber criminals.
Web application penetration testing is a proactive approach to cyber security. It simulates the actions of a hacker and critically assesses and exploits security vulnerabilities, weaknesses, technical misconfigurations that a cyber attacker would target in your website’s API and infrastructure. Penetration tests allow you to act immediately, removing vulnerabilities whilst your business remains operational.
Our web pen testing experts will identify the risks posed to your business, and crucially, develop a comprehensive plan to strengthen your cyber resilience.
Benefits of web app penetration testing
Bulletproof’s trusted CREST-certified penetration testers will carefully analyse all aspects of your web app to uncover security weaknesses. Every test is designed to protect what matters most to your business.
- Expose vulnerabilities and poor security controls
- Expose web application security flaws
- Expose insecure functionality in your app
- Expose security design issues
We understand how dynamic the threat landscape is, which is why we offer 12-months of free vulnerability scanning on up to 8 IP addresses.
Get a free quote todayTypes of web pen tests
Authenticated tests
Analyse the security of your web app from the user perspective. Auditing the admin portal of your web application will reveal vulnerabilities including SQL injection, Session fixation, privilege escalation and Cross-Site request forgery (CSRF).
Unauthenticated tests
The most common type of web application test, our penetration testers will identify vulnerabilities in publicly visible networks that could be exploited by users who do not have access credentials.
API tests
A vital component to include if your web application has an API. Penetration testing a web app’s API uses slightly different tools, and techniques. It is often covered separately from the scope of a web app test.
Bulletproof recommends a blend of all three testing types to get the most value from your penetration testing engagement and understand all the risks.
Common Web Application Vulnerabilities
Top 10 most common web application vulnerabilities we have found when pen testing:
- Improper Access Controls
- Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
- Outdated Website Libraries/Components
- Cross-Site Request Forgery
- SQL Injection
- Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
- CSV Injection
- Arbitrary File Upload
- Server-Side Request Forgery
- Unrestricted File Upload
78%
of web vulnerabilities are a low effort to fix
18.42%
high likelihood of being exploited
A Bulletproof web application pen testing methodology & service
Most penetration testing follows a 6-step lifecycle:
Get in touch for a free quote today
If you’re interested in our penetration testing services, get a free, no obligation quote today by filling out the form below.
Frequently asked questions
What is web application penetration testing?
A web application penetration test is a comprehensive security review where our team of specialised and accredited pen testers takes on the role of a cyber criminal. They’ll attempt to uncover and exploit security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in your website or a specific web application. Web application penetration testing provides vital information on how to secure your web app and, ultimately, helps keep your organisation secure online.
What are the different types of web app tests?
Whilst all web app penetration tests have the same goal of uncovering security weaknesses, there are different areas to consider:
- Authenticated tests analyse the security of your web app from a privileged user perspective.
- Unauthenticated tests mean that our penetration testers hunt for security weaknesses without access to user credentials.
- API tests are a vital component to include if your web application has an API. Penetration testing a web app’s API uses slightly different tools, and techniques. It is often covered separately from the scope of a web app test.
Bulletproof recommends a blend of all three testing types to get the most value from your penetration testing engagement and understand all the risks.
What vulnerabilities do you look for in a web application?
Bulletproof believes in working to the very best standards, so all our web application tests include the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 vulnerabilities as a minimum. We use a blend of advanced automated tools and manual expertise to uncover security weaknesses. This includes code injection, broken authentication, misconfigurations, XSS, and much more.