Security Application Testing: Benefits and Tools

Cybercriminals frequently target web applications to exploit weaknesses and gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or system resources. Such attacks can result in data breaches, system downtime, and harm to an organization's reputation.

Given that web applications were the primary focus of attacks in 2020, accounting for 26% of all attacks, security testing for these applications has become increasingly crucial. A recent report by Positive Technologies revealed that web application attacks were the most successful, and the average cost of a data breach caused by a web application vulnerability was estimated at $4.33 million.

Regular penetration tests are recommended to identify and address potential security flaws. Additionally, automated security testing can be valuable in detecting and mitigating common vulnerabilities early in the software development life cycle (#SDLC ).

There are various tools and approaches available for establishing an automated security testing process. Selecting the most suitable options for your project is essential. In this article, I will share my experience with automating web application security testing and provide valuable insights on the topic.

What's Web Application Security Testing?

Approximately every 44 seconds, an attempted breach of a system or application occurs, resulting in 2,200 attacks per day and impacting around 800,000 individuals each year. In light of the expanding threat landscape and the increasing sophistication of cyber attackers, relying solely on manual security measures is insufficient. This is where security automation tools play a crucial role.

Web application security testing aims to uncover and assess vulnerabilities and risks specific to web applications. By evaluating the security posture of an application, potential threats and vulnerabilities can be identified. Security testing ensures the protection of web applications against external threats and safeguards sensitive information.

Why Automate Security Testing?

Based on GitLab's 2022 DevSecOps survey, approximately 65% of organizations recognize that security is moving towards an earlier stage in the software development process.

However, the degree of this shift is not as substantial as desired, as more than 60% of developers admit to not running static application security testing (SAST) scans, and 73% fail to conduct dynamic application security testing (DAST) scans.

It is crucial to address this lack of emphasis on security in the software development lifecycle. While security is often viewed as a hindrance to rapid releases, neglecting or downplaying its significance poses significant risks.

Integrating automated security testing into the software development process allows for continuous feedback on the application's security during development and updates. This approach empowers developers to address security issues promptly as they arise, rather than deferring them until the end of the development cycle, when remediation may be more challenging and costly.

Automated testing can be a good first step for projects that do not have security testing at all, as it helps to speed up manual security testing and cover common security vulnerabilities.

In today's landscape, cyber attackers are no longer relying solely on manual methods. They have embraced automation to conduct large-scale attacks, necessitating the need for automated security processes to match their pace. A comprehensive security automation solution encompasses real-time monitoring tools that continuously handle security vulnerabilities and initiate automatic responses when necessary. This solution provides additional support to a team dedicated to scanning for threats, identifying vulnerabilities, and taking swift action to prevent and address security issues.

To protect your organization's digital assets and reputation, it is imperative to harness the power of automation in your security testing endeavors. By doing so, you can enhance the effectiveness of your security measures and ensure robust protection.

What are the Benefits of Automated Security Testing

Automated security testing offers numerous advantages over manual testing. Let's explore the key benefits:

1. Efficiency: Automating security testing enhances overall quality by quickly and accurately scanning applications for vulnerabilities. This allows developers to identify and address security issues more efficiently.
2. Consistency: Automated security testing tools can be scheduled to run regularly, ensuring continuous monitoring of the application for vulnerabilities. This ensures a consistent and trusted code base, providing a secure environment.
3. Cost-effectiveness: By automating security processes, organizations can detect vulnerabilities and threats faster, respond to incidents more effectively, and reduce the risk of data breaches and security incidents.
4. Repeatability: Automated security testing eliminates human error and provides consistent and repeatable testing results.
5. Compliance: Automation enables consistent and comprehensive implementation of security measures, leaving no gaps or vulnerabilities that may be missed with manual efforts. This ensures the protection of sensitive information and reduces the risk of data leaks and security breaches.
6. Time-efficiency: Investing in automated security testing saves organizations time, as manual testing is known to consume a significant portion of the testing cycle.
7. Early security intervention: Automated security testing allows for the detection and resolution of threats and vulnerabilities before exposure. By integrating it into the development process, organizations can proactively identify and address security issues in the early stages of application development, minimizing the potential impact of security breaches.
8. Vulnerability triage: Streamlined automated security testing processes ensure that security issues are promptly and efficiently addressed, minimizing the window of opportunity for potential attacks.

What Are The Different Types of Security Testing for Web Applications?

Automated security testing utilizes software tools to identify and report security vulnerabilities in web applications. There are various types of automated security testing, each offering unique strengths and weaknesses.

• Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) combines the strengths of Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST). It analyzes the behavior of the running application, using instrumentation to detect potential vulnerabilities. This comprehensive approach provides a deeper evaluation of the application's security compared to individual SAST or DAST methods.
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA) examines third-party software components within the application to detect vulnerabilities. SCA tools identify known vulnerabilities in open-source libraries and frameworks used in the application, as well as any licensing issues associated with these components.
• Static Application Security Testing (SAST) involves analyzing the application's source code to identify potential security vulnerabilities. It checks for common coding errors like buffer overflows, SQL injection, and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. SAST can be integrated into the software development life cycle (SDLC), enabling early identification and resolution of security issues during development.
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) is an automated testing method that simulates attacks against the application to uncover vulnerabilities in its behavior. DAST can detect issues such as authentication and authorization problems and configuration errors, which SAST may not identify.

What's Dynamic Application Security Testing?

Dynamic application security testing (DAST) involves simulating attacks to uncover potential vulnerabilities in a system by considering it as a whole. Vulnerability scanners play a crucial role in automating security testing by examining applications and networks for known risks. They generate a comprehensive list of detected vulnerabilities and provide recommendations for patching or securing them.

DAST is particularly valuable for software that is composed of multiple services, libraries, and code snippets, rather than being written in a top-down manner. It is best to test the infrastructure when it is complete and fully functional. Some examples of DAST techniques include:

• active and passive attacks on API calls within HTTPS
• and applying SQL injection patterns to user input.

Web Application Security Testing Tools That We Use

DAST has a range of security testing tools for web applications, and notable options include OWASP Zap, Burp Suite Pro, Nessus, and Acunetix. In this context, let's examine the capabilities of OWASP ZAP and Burp Suite Pro scanners.

OWASP ZAP

OWASP ZAP, the Open Web Application Security Project Zed Attack Proxy, is a robust open-source security testing tool specifically designed for evaluating the security of web applications. It can be downloaded and installed on various operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Offering a wide range of security testing functionalities, OWASP ZAP supports fuzzing, spidering, vulnerability scanning, and more. It caters to both manual and automated security testing needs.

What are The Key Features and Benefits of OWASP ZAP?

• Automated Scanning: OWASP ZAP automates the process of scanning web applications for security vulnerabilities, making it a valuable tool for organizations seeking to streamline their security testing procedures.
• Active and Passive Scanning: With both active and passive scanning capabilities, OWASP ZAP can identify real-time security vulnerabilities and detect dormant vulnerabilities that are not currently being exploited.
• Brute Force Testing: The tool can assess the strength of user credentials and passwords through brute force testing.
• Scripting Support: OWASP ZAP supports scripting languages such as Java, JavaScript, and Python, enabling businesses to create customized security tests.
• API Integration: OWASP ZAP can seamlessly integrate with other tools and platforms through its API, providing flexibility and scalability for businesses.

How To Start Using OWASP ZAP for Automated Security Testing:

Utilizing OWASP ZAP for automated security testing follows these basic steps:

1. Install and launch OWASP ZAP on your local machine.
2. Configure the target web application that requires testing.
3. Select the appropriate scanning mode (e.g., safe, protected, standard, or attack mode). It is recommended to start with the protected mode, limiting actions that may pose potential risks to URLs within the defined scope.
4. Initiate the scanning process.
5. Review the results and prioritize any identified vulnerabilities for further action.

Burp Suite Professional

Burp Suite Professional is a highly regarded web application security testing tool that enables security professionals to conduct comprehensive assessments of web applications, uncovering vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting. It encompasses a wide array of security testing functionalities, including scanning, spidering, and penetration testing.

While the Pro plan of Burp Suite does not offer a report processor for automated report generation and distribution, users with the Enterprise plan can leverage the Extra capabilities of Burp Suite Reporter. This feature empowers testers to create customized report templates that can be automatically generated and distributed based on specific criteria, such as vulnerability severity or type.

What Are The Key Features and Advantages of Burp Suite Professional:

• Spidering: Burp Suite can systematically crawl and map an application's content and functionality, aiding testers in identifying vulnerabilities.
• Automated scanning: The tool automates the identification of common vulnerabilities, like SQL injection and cross-site scripting, streamlining the testing process.
• Vulnerability analysis: Burp Suite can analyze and evaluate vulnerability severity, enabling testers to prioritize remediation efforts effectively.
• Fuzzing: It can generate malformed input data to evaluate how the application responds to unexpected inputs.
• Intruder: Burp Suite's Intruder feature tests an application's input validation security by generating and testing multiple requests with diverse input values.
• Repeater: The Repeater feature repeats requests with different input values to identify vulnerabilities.
• Extender: Burp Suite can be extended using plugins and scripts to incorporate additional functionality.

What Are The Benefits of Burp Suite Professional:

• Comprehensive testing: It facilitates comprehensive testing of web applications, detecting a wide range of vulnerabilities.
• Automation: Burp Suite saves time and effort for testers through automation.
• Prioritization: Testers can prioritize their remediation efforts based on vulnerability severity.
• Flexibility: The tool can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of individual testers and organizations.

Using Burp Suite Professional for Automated Security Testing:

Burp Suite Professional supports automated security testing in various ways. Testers can utilize the tool to automatically scan applications for vulnerabilities, offering a more efficient alternative to manual testing. Additionally, Burp Suite allows testers to automate the testing of specific functionalities or inputs, such as user authentication or input validation.

To perform automated testing with Burp Suite, testers can configure automated scans using the tool's scanning options, specifying the vulnerabilities to test, authentication handling, and error management. The extensibility of Burp Suite enables testers to incorporate custom functionality, such as scripts automating specific tasks or tests.

It's important to note that while these tools provide standardized verification of security controls, they do not replace a thorough inspection. DAST strikes a balance between time consumption and the severity of identified vulnerabilities, efficiently identifying low-hanging risks while enabling security engineers to focus on more complex, multi-step issues.

Automated Security Testing Process

The automated security testing process encompasses several crucial steps to ensure the web application's security and eliminate vulnerabilities. Here is a breakdown of the process:

1. Integration Testing: The initial step involves testing the individual components of the application to ensure their seamless functionality. Testing frameworks like Mocha and JUnit can be used for this purpose. Integration tests are vital for generating the scope for security scanners and assessing endpoints that require authorization.
2. Scanning with OWASP ZAP: Once integration tests are complete, the next step is to employ a tool like OWASP ZAP to scan the application for vulnerabilities. OWASP ZAP helps identify security weaknesses and provides a comprehensive evaluation of the application's security.
3. Further Testing with Burp Suite Professional: Following the scan with OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite Professional comes into play for additional security testing. This tool allows for extensive testing, including scanning, spidering, and penetration testing, to uncover any remaining vulnerabilities.
4. Deployment to Production: After thoroughly testing the application with both OWASP ZAP and Burp Suite Professional, it is ready for deployment to a production environment. This ensures that the application undergoes real-world usage and scrutiny.
5. Reporting: Generating reports is crucial for documenting the results of the security testing process. Each testing tool typically offers reporting functionality for this purpose. Reports should be securely stored, such as in a protected Amazon S3 bucket, and made accessible to the development team.

Determining When to Implement Automated Security Testing:

• Projects with strict deadlines: Automated security testing can accelerate the testing process without compromising security, making it suitable for projects with time constraints.
• CI/CD projects: Automated security testing can be integrated into the CI/CD pipeline, enabling regular scanning of code changes and ensuring security measures are in place throughout the development cycle.
• Compliance requirements: Projects that must adhere to regulatory or compliance standards necessitate thorough and regular security testing.
• High-security risk projects: Applications dealing with sensitive data or operating in high-risk domains require comprehensive security testing to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.

Pro Tips on Automated Web App Security Testing

Automated security testing can significantly improve the security posture of web applications by identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring they are remediated before attackers can exploit them. However, implementing automated security testing requires careful consideration of best practices to ensure the tests are effective, efficient, and integrated with the development process. Below are some key insights application security testing checklist gained from successfully implemented?security testing services ?to remember when implementing automated security testing for web applications:

• Early implementation: Integrate security testing as early as possible in the development lifecycle to identify vulnerabilities promptly.
• Comprehensive testing: Employ automated security testing tools like OWASP ZAP and Burp Suite Professional to test the application from different perspectives, ensuring comprehensive coverage.
• Integration with development process: Integrate automated security testing into the CI/CD pipeline using automation tools like GitHub Actions and Jenkins for prompt vulnerability remediation.

Wrapping Up

With the constant news of data breaches and security breaches, the realization that "everything will be broken" is all too real. Unfortunately, many in the industry still practice carelessness regarding security testing in software, leading to widespread vulnerabilities.

Automated security testing provides a more efficient and reliable way to detect vulnerabilities and threats in web applications, saving time and resources in the long run. By integrating security testing tools with custom report processing scripts or vulnerability management systems like?DefectDojo?from OWASP, organizations can streamline their security testing process and minimize security risks.

It allows faster and more consistent identification of vulnerabilities and weaknesses, reduces costs, and helps businesses comply with regulatory requirements. OWASP ZAP and Burp Suite are powerful tools that can help businesses ensure the security of their web applications.

When it comes to software development and testing at TechMagic, security is always at the forefront of our minds.

FAQs

1. What is security testing in web applications with an example? Security testing in web applications is the process of identifying and evaluating potential vulnerabilities and threats to the security of a web application. Examples of security testing in web applications include penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and secure code reviews.
2. How to do security testing on web application? There are various ways to perform security testing on a web application, such as penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and secure code reviews. It is also possible to use automated security testing tools to perform security testing on a web application.
3. Why is web application security testing important? Web application security testing helps identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities and threats to your web application's security. By testing your web application's security, you can protect it against attacks, data breaches, and other security threats.