Web Application Penetration Testing is a proactive and methodical security assessment process conducted on web applications to identify vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and potential exploits that malicious attackers could use to compromise the application or its underlying infrastructure. The main objective of penetration testing is to evaluate the security posture of the web application and provide actionable recommendations for improving its resilience against cyber threats.
Depending on the type of application and scope, credentials to test accounts with varying degrees of authorization may be needed to conduct a full test.
The process typically involves the following steps:
Preparation: In this phase, the penetration tester collaborates with the application’s owner or stakeholders to understand the scope of the assessment, the goals of the testing, and any specific requirements or constraints. Legal and ethical considerations are addressed, and appropriate permissions and agreements are obtained before proceeding.
Reconnaissance: The tester gathers information about the web application and its environment, which may include domain names, IP addresses, technologies used, server details, and potential entry points. This information is acquired through non-intrusive methods to avoid causing any harm.
Vulnerability Scanning: Automated tools are used to perform a preliminary assessment of the application to identify known vulnerabilities and common security issues quickly. This helps to focus the tester’s efforts on more complex and critical vulnerabilities.
Manual Testing: This is the core phase where the tester employs manual techniques and tools to simulate real-world attacks. Common attack vectors include SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), Remote Code Execution (RCE), authentication bypass, insecure direct object references, etc.
Exploitation: In this stage, the tester attempts to exploit the identified vulnerabilities to determine the potential impact on the application and its users. However, exploitation is carried out responsibly, avoiding any disruption to the application or its users.
Post-Exploitation: If the tester successfully gains unauthorized access to the application or its data, they may further explore the system to assess the extent of the breach and understand what data or operations are at risk if further escalation and testing are within scope.
Reporting: The penetration tester documents all findings, including identified vulnerabilities, the severity of each issue, and recommended remediation steps. The report should be clear, concise, and actionable, allowing the development and security teams to understand the issues and address them effectively.
Remediation: After receiving the report, the application owner or development team works to fix the identified vulnerabilities. Once the fixes are implemented, the penetration tester may retest the application to verify that the issues have been properly addressed.
Web Application Penetration Testing is an iterative and ongoing process, as new vulnerabilities can emerge over time due to changes in the application, its environment, or evolving cyber threats. Regular testing helps ensure that the web application remains secure against potential attacks.
Recommendation for pricing: Depending on the scope, difficulty, time, and expertise of the penetration tester required, the price for a penetration test can vary. At Hackybara, we would recommend pricing for penetration tests based on the options below:
Novice Penetration Test: A novice penetration tester, even with limited real-world experience, can still bring valuable contributions to the security testing of a web application. For instance, one of Hackybara’s team members, who was an intern at a Fortune 100 company with little prior experience in the field, managed to discover a critical SQL injection vulnerability that exposed sensitive information, including hashed passwords. This real-life example exemplifies how novice testers are still capable of making serious discoveries. Novice testers, which encompass professional hobbyists, Interns with a pen-testing background, and cybersecurity students, invest countless hours and personal resources in simulated penetration tests and vulnerability research. While these tests often utilize open-source and automated tools, the skill set of novice pen-testers closely resembles that of real-world novice black hat hackers. Both share similarities in their level of expertise and approach to penetration testing and hacking activities. Assessing a novice pen-tester’s performance against your application helps gauge the severity of potential security issues. If a tester with little professional experience can uncover significant vulnerabilities, it sheds light on critical security flaws within an application.
Recommended price range: $200-500
Recommended time range: 1-2 weeks (not including time spent if a business requires a background check)
Intermediate Penetration Test: An Intermediate penetration tester possesses prior experience conducting a moderate number of penetration tests and may hold certifications in the field of penetration testing. These skilled testers utilize an extensive array of open-source tools, typically have access to at least one commercial tool, and may have the ability to develop custom tools or scripts. The group comprises bug bounty experts, professional hobbyists, and early-career pen-testing professionals. Intermediate pen-testers excel in exposing hard-to-discover security flaws and offer a broader range of services compared to novice testers.
Recommended price range: $500-3000
Recommended time range: 1-3 weeks (not including time spent if a business requires a background check)
Expert Penetration Test: An Expert penetration tester boasts extensive years of experience in penetration testing and may hold at least one certification in the field. These seasoned professionals proficiently utilize open-source tools, have access to various commercial security tools, possess the capability to develop custom tools, and excel in searching for zero-day vulnerabilities. The group comprises highly skilled pen-testing professionals, professional hobbyists, and renowned bug bounty experts. With their deep expertise in vulnerability analysis, Expert penetration testers provide unparalleled insights and offer a comprehensive range of services.
Recommend price range: Standard $3000-10,000, Lowest: 1,000.
Recommend time range: 2-3 weeks (not including time spent if a business requires a background check)
