Whether you run a small business or a big one, your web application is crucial to your operations. Without a reliable security system, cybercriminals can breach your application and steal data.

A regular assessment of your app’s security identifies flaws in time, saving you from costly data breaches and disruptions to your business. This will also help you formulate a response mechanism to protect your application and customer data from hackers.

Cross-site scripting

Cross-site scripting, or XSS, is an important security flaw that can have significant impact on a web application. It has appeared in the OWASP top 10 list for over a decade and continues to be a concern.

It can be a major source of data theft and website compromise. For example, in the 2018 British Airways breach, attackers used an XSS vulnerability to steal personal and payment information from 380,000 users.

In addition to stealing information, an attacker can also use the vulnerable code to execute a phishing attack against the victim. They can also change the messaging or look and feel of a website, and inject malware into it.

XSS is usually broken down into two main types: stored and reflected. Stored XSS is more damaging because it occurs when the malicious code is stored on the server of a vulnerable website.

HTTP GET vulnerability

Often, web applications transmit sensitive information like authentication details, credit card numbers and session tokens over the network. Without proper encryption and SSL, this information can be intercepted and stolen by an attacker.

This vulnerability is called HTTP GET and it is an issue that affects web application security testing. It allows an attacker to bypass input validation or manipulate internal variables in a web application.

The vulnerability was first reported by Watchfire and further discussed in BlackHat USA 2019 by James Kettle from PortSwigger. This vulnerability is also known as HTTP Parameter Pollution (HPP).

In HPP, an attacker can manipulate a request by providing multiple parameters with the same name and then manipulating their values in unexpected ways. This can result in a variety of vulnerabilities, including phishing attacks, smuggling sensitive data and bypassing WAFs rules.

Authentication

Authentication is a security mechanism that prevents access to resources or files that are not intended for a specific user. It's a common security practice and a must-have in web application security testing.

Whether you're a software developer or an end-user, you know how critical authentication is to any computer system. It enables users to log into websites and services with usernames and passwords that only they know, and it keeps hackers out of sensitive data.

Authentication works like this: when you enter your credentials, the system behind the scenes compares them with its own records of user identity. If those details match, it assumes you're a valid user and lets you in.

Data transfer

Data transfer is the process of transferring digital information from one location to another. This is done by uploading and downloading data from online file storage systems, such as NAS or SAN, or through peer-to-peer communication.

In a network environment, data transfer is usually measured in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second (KBps). The higher the speed of a device, the faster data can travel through it.

When transferring data, organizations must comply with security best practices to prevent data theft or mishandling. They can also use a secure data transfer process to meet compliance requirements and minimize costs.

Security testing is an important part of ensuring your web applications are secure. It can help you identify weaknesses that could result in a hacker stealing sensitive data or changing passwords. It also helps you identify vulnerabilities that could lead to a denial-of-service attack.