Overview

Web Application Security is a critical domain in modern cybersecurity. This comprehensive track covers everything from basic web vulnerabilities to advanced exploitation techniques used in professional web application security assessments.

๐Ÿ” Professional Web Security

While this guide covers web security fundamentals, enterprise web applications require thorough professional assessment. For organizations in Portugal seeking expert web application security testing, Pentesting.pt provides comprehensive web security assessment services following OWASP guidelines and industry best practices.

Learning Objectives

๐Ÿ”ด OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities

A01: Broken Access Control

Understanding and exploiting access control failures in web applications.

  • Vertical privilege escalation
  • Horizontal privilege escalation
  • IDOR (Insecure Direct Object References)
  • Missing function-level access controls

A02: Cryptographic Failures

Identifying and exploiting weak cryptographic implementations.

  • Weak encryption algorithms
  • Insufficient entropy
  • Improper certificate validation
  • Plaintext storage of sensitive data

A03: Injection Attacks

Comprehensive injection vulnerability exploitation techniques.

  • SQL injection (Union, Boolean, Time-based)
  • NoSQL injection
  • Command injection
  • LDAP and XPath injection

๐Ÿ’‰ Advanced SQL Injection

Manual SQL Injection

Hand-crafted SQL injection techniques for bypassing complex filters.

  • Union-based data extraction
  • Boolean-based blind injection
  • Time-based blind injection
  • Error-based information disclosure

Filter Bypass Techniques

Advanced methods for bypassing WAFs and input filters.

  • Comment-based bypass
  • Encoding and obfuscation
  • Alternative syntax exploitation
  • Second-order injection

Database-Specific Exploitation

Leveraging database-specific features for advanced exploitation.

  • MySQL privilege escalation
  • PostgreSQL code execution
  • MSSQL xp_cmdshell abuse
  • Oracle PL/SQL exploitation

โšก Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Reflected XSS

Exploiting reflected XSS vulnerabilities for maximum impact.

  • Payload construction and encoding
  • Filter bypass techniques
  • Browser-specific exploitation
  • Social engineering integration

Stored XSS

Persistent XSS exploitation and payload development.

  • Persistent payload injection
  • Self-XSS to stored XSS escalation
  • Administrative interface targeting
  • Worm development concepts

DOM-based XSS

Client-side XSS exploitation in modern JavaScript applications.

  • Source and sink identification
  • JavaScript payload crafting
  • Framework-specific vulnerabilities
  • Mutation XSS (mXSS)

๐Ÿ” Authentication & Session Management

Authentication Bypass

Techniques for bypassing authentication mechanisms.

  • Username enumeration
  • Password policy analysis
  • Multi-factor authentication bypass
  • OAuth and SAML vulnerabilities

Session Management Attacks

Exploiting weaknesses in session handling mechanisms.

  • Session fixation attacks
  • Session hijacking techniques
  • JWT token manipulation
  • Cookie security analysis

Password Recovery Exploitation

Attacking password reset and recovery mechanisms.

  • Token prediction and manipulation
  • Race condition exploitation
  • Security question bypass
  • Email-based attack vectors

๐Ÿ”„ CSRF & SSRF Attacks

Cross-Site Request Forgery

CSRF attack development and exploitation techniques.

  • CSRF token bypass methods
  • SameSite cookie bypass
  • JSON-based CSRF attacks
  • File upload CSRF exploitation

Server-Side Request Forgery

SSRF exploitation for internal network access and data extraction.

  • Internal service enumeration
  • Cloud metadata exploitation
  • File system access via SSRF
  • Protocol smuggling techniques

Advanced SSRF Techniques

Sophisticated SSRF exploitation methods and bypass techniques.

  • DNS rebinding attacks
  • URL parsing confusion
  • Gopher protocol exploitation
  • Time-based SSRF

๐Ÿ“ก API Security Testing

REST API Testing

Comprehensive REST API security assessment methodologies.

  • API endpoint discovery
  • Authentication mechanism analysis
  • Rate limiting bypass
  • API versioning vulnerabilities

GraphQL Security

GraphQL-specific vulnerabilities and exploitation techniques.

  • Introspection query abuse
  • Query depth and complexity attacks
  • Field suggestion attacks
  • Batch query exploitation

API Authentication

Testing various API authentication and authorization mechanisms.

  • JWT token manipulation
  • API key enumeration
  • OAuth 2.0 flow vulnerabilities
  • HMAC signature bypass

๐Ÿงช Hands-on Lab: Complete Web Application Assessment

Objective: Perform a comprehensive security assessment of a vulnerable web application.

Duration: 6-8 hours

Skills Practiced: OWASP Top 10, manual testing, tool integration, reporting

Start Lab Exercise

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Essential Tools

Proxy Tools

  • Burp Suite: Professional web application security testing
  • OWASP ZAP: Free security testing proxy
  • Caido: Modern web security testing tool
  • HTTP Toolkit: HTTP debugging and testing

Specialized Tools

  • SQLMap: Automated SQL injection testing
  • XSStrike: Advanced XSS detection suite
  • Wfuzz: Web application fuzzer
  • Arjun: HTTP parameter discovery

API Testing Tools

  • Postman: API development and testing
  • Insomnia: REST and GraphQL client
  • GraphQL Voyager: GraphQL schema visualization
  • Kiterunner: API endpoint discovery

๐Ÿ“‹ Recommended Resources

๐ŸŽฏ Certification Alignment

eJPT & eCPPTv2 Web Application Testing

This module covers essential web application testing for certifications:

  • โœ… Web Application Penetration Testing
  • โœ… OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities
  • โœ… Manual Testing Techniques
  • โœ… Tool Integration and Automation
View BSCP Guide

๐Ÿ“ˆ Learning Progress

Track your web application security skills:

Complete the sections above to track your progress

โ† Back to Roadmap

Frequently Asked Questions

What is web application security?

Web application security focuses on protecting websites and online services against threats and vulnerabilities.

What topics are covered in this roadmap?

OWASP Top 10, SQL injection, XSS, API security, and hands-on labs.

Who should use this roadmap?

Anyone interested in web application penetration testing or secure development.

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