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So guys, in this article we are going to discuss the complete roadmap of web application penetration testing, in which we will
explore basic to advanced web application penetration testing and bug bounty hunting. We will learn about various tools and
techniques.
Table of Contents
1. Web Application Penetration testing
2. Common Web Vulnerabilities
3. Authentication and Authorization Attacks
4. Session Management Attacks
5. Sensitive Data Exposure
6. Recon Techniques
7. Exploitation Tools
8. Automation
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9. Best Practices
First of all, we should know about Web Application Pen-testing. Basically, Web Application Pen-testing is a process in which we
either take a contract from a company or a company hires us as an ethical hacker for their security. We perform a complete
pentest on their infrastructure to secure them and help them to maintain their security. In return, the company pays us a
considerable amount. The pentest I used was for the complete infrastructure. But the topic we are exploring here is Web
Application Pen-testing, which means we have to maintain the security of our client’s websites and improve their website
security. As a Web Application Pen-tester, we discover bugs in our clients’ websites that could be critical or have high severity.
Then we patch them so that our clients remain secure and no one can exploit these bugs to harm their business in the future.
We have common vulnerabilities in web security that we need to learn. These vulnerabilities include SQL Injection, NoSQL
Injection, Command Injection, LDAP Injection, XPath Injection, Server-Side Template Injection, Code Injection, Log Injection,
CRLF Injection, and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). In Cross-Site Scripting, there are different types of XSS, including Stored-Based
XSS, Reflected XSS, and DOM-Based XSS.
In Authentication and Authorization Attacks, the first vulnerability we face is broken authentication, followed by broken access
control. Then we study sub-privilege escalation or perform it. After that, we explore Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR),
then we learn about Missing Authentication for critical functions, Password-related attacks like brute force attacks, credentials
stuffing, password spraying, and directory attacks.
In session management attacks, we study session fixation, session hijacking, or session timeout.
It is essential to study insecure deserialization topics as they become advanced. Practicing them is also crucial. You can learn all
of this in PortSwigger’s learning path.
There are three main vulnerabilities in sensitive data exposure, including insecure storage of sensitive data, information
leakage, improper error handling, and insecure data transfer.
Recon Techniques
So we use Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) for Recon Techniques. We discover subdomains using various methods such as
subdomain brute-forcing, permutation, etc. We also use DNS Enumeration.
Exploitation Tools
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BurpSuite is always at the top of our list for exploitation tools, followed by OWASP ZAP, SQLmap, and Nmap. We use these tools
to exploit vulnerabilities. We have many other tools at our disposal as well.
Automation
If you can automate your learning process, it will be beneficial. You can automate most things in bug bounty and web security
using scripts, especially if you have knowledge of Bash or Python. You can also use other people’s automation tools, but you
won’t benefit as much.
Best Practices
Read as many mediums as possible, such as blogs and Twitter, and follow security researchers, ethical hackers, and bug bounty
hunters who regularly upload resources. On social media, link yourself with those who have similar interests and expertise.
Focus on developing your skills and practicing through CTFs on platforms like Hack The Box and TryHackMe. Develop a
systematic approach that helps you in your hunting.
Share what you learn on social media platforms with your friends. If you have any doubts, they can help you clear them up.
Focus entirely on reconnaissance or information gathering. If you find a security flaw, exploit it carefully, create a POC, and
submit it in a well-documented form. Whenever you find a vulnerability, keep in mind responsible disclosure and do not share it
with anyone until it has been patched. After patching, if the company allows you to write about it, you can continue.
Create your blog or YouTube channel and start posting content. You can hunt for clients on social media because they will see
your work, and if they like it, they will approach you.
All the best, I hope from this article your Web Application Penetration Testing Roadmap concept will be cleared.
Attracting potential employers/clients Authentication and Authorization Attacks automation Bash Best practices Blogging Blogs
Broken access control Broken authentication Brute force attacks Bug bounty hunters Bug bounty hunting BurpSuite Code Injection
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Command injection Common web vulnerabilities Credentials stuffing CRLF Injection Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) CTFs Directory attacks
DNS Enumeration DOM-based XSS Ethical hackers ethical hacking Exploitation Tools Hack The Box Improper error handling
Information leakage Infrastructure security Insecure data transfer Insecure deserialization Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR)
Insecure storage of sensitive data LDAP Injection Log Injection Missing authentication for critical functions Nmap NoSQL Injection
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) OWASP ZAP Password Spraying Password-related attacks Permutation POC Python
Recon Techniques Reflected XSS Responsible disclosure Security researchers Sensitive Data Exposure Server-Side Template Injection
Session Fixation Session Hijacking Session Management Attacks Session timeout SQL injection SQLmap Stored-based XSS
Sub-privilege escalation Subdomain brute-forcing Systematic approach Tools and techniques TryHackMe Twitter
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