How to Test Application Comprehensively with Manual Web App Pen Testing?

by Ritika Singh on April 8, 2021

In today’s times when automated security testing is getting more popular to execute test cases, manual web application penetration testing still retains its relevance. It can be useful to identify bugs that automatic testing might not be able to detect. The reason is automated testing test application for the generic scenario while manual pen testing is more customized to the specific application. Also some of the attack/vulnerability cannot be carried out by automation due to limitation which requires human intervention.

Human testers use their natural intelligence and judgment to analyze the vulnerabilities and run manual checks accordingly. They act as end-users of the app and test it in real user scenarios across different devices and operating systems. They also think like hackers and launch an attack to find potential security loopholes. Given that 68% of business leaders worldwide have admitted to the increase in cybersecurity risks in their organizations, it is vital to leverage manual testing along with automatic testing to eliminate all possible threats.

The first step to ensure the success of manual testing is to determine the areas of test coverage. The turnkey tests should be automated, and human testing should be used for test cases where creativity is required, or automation may not yield correct results.

A manual web application penetration test requires the following steps to ensure the accuracy of the process.

Decide scope and goal of the penetration testing
Gather table names, third-party plugin details, databases, network security, and other general information.
Discover and scan services and ports available for web applications.
Conduct a vulnerability assessment to identify potential security threats.
Launch a controlled attack to exploit the vulnerabilities and understand what security actions are required to prevent the risks.
Prepare a detailed report of the testing for the organization.

Manual testing can help to find more flaws in the following ways:

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1. Access Control Management

The testing determines the authentication and authorization concerning the access control given to the users as per their roles in the organization. The tester creates multiple user accounts across different roles to check privileges or restrictions assigned to the users.

2. Server Access Control

This testing finds out whether there are any open access points on intra-network and inter-network of the organization. If any such open access is discovered, the tester also checks for the same vulnerability from different devices.

3. Password Management

Did you know that 42% of companies have suffered cyber breaches due to poor password hygiene? Password breach can lead to identity theft or malicious activities. Manual application penetration testing of password management can mitigate the risk to a significant extent. The testers check for weak password changes or reset by breaking into the passwords of users using different combinations.

4. Session Management

While session management control eases out the need to repeatedly log in and log out of sessions, it is highly vulnerable to cyber hijack. Session management testing of the web application checks whether cookies and tokens are secure enough in terms of session termination after login/log out, scheduled lifetime, or idle time.

5. SQL Injection

Last year, Freepik Company S.L., one of the largest stock-image sites in the world, reported the theft of 8.3 million users of its Freepick and Flaticon platforms due to an SQL injection attack. SQL is one of the most dangerous and common web application vulnerabilities. Manual testing helps detect the entry points that hackers can exploit to inject malicious SQL commands.

6. Ingress and Egress Entry Points

Ingress and egress points refer to the direction of network traffic. Ingress is the incoming traffic that enters the network boundary. Egress is the opposite – it is the outgoing traffic from the network boundary. If the security parameters are not tight at both these points, hackers will have a good time using it to their advantage. During manual application security penetration testing, sensitive/confidential data is transmitted between the host network and unauthorized/restricted network to plug the vulnerabilities.

Manual penetration testing can catch a lot more flaws beyond the ones mentioned above. The decision of the test cases you want to execute depends on the complexity of the web application and the types of vulnerabilities you want to assess.

When you decide to go for manual testing, make sure to partner with a security consultant who has in-depth experience and knowledge of this domain. It requires creativity and the capability to dig out flaws using the right manual penetration testing tools. Indusface has been a trusted penetration testing service provider for more than 2000+ global customers. Our testing service has been designed for comprehensive scanning – both manual and automated. You can rest assured none of the vulnerabilities will remain undetected in your web application.