A Few Features Of The Importance of Web Application Penetration Testing
By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-17 13:54:35 | Word Count: 510
The Importance of Web Application Penetratoin Testing
What's more imporant- application penetration testnig or siply assessing the vulnnerability of your system? Does anyone in your companny know key information about your systmes? Obviosuly, you'll have employees that alrready know key information about your systems. The sad truth is you can't completely truyst every emplloyee, especially former satff that has been fired. Web application penetartion testing goes beyond just highllighting vulnerabilities. It actually makes sure nobody is interfering in your syystem, including your own people or people who have previously woorked for you. Until you can trust everyone in your company, web application penetration testing is essential to maintaining security.
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What is Application Peenetration Testing?
When conducted by an ethicval hacker, this is a procss where a computer and netwoork professional reviews an application to discpover any potential vulnerabilities in the network. Quite labor intyensive, this job requires a deeply eperienced knowlewdge in many security testing tools and strategies.
I once had a computer geek friend in collehge who conducted web application penetration testing on his univeristy's computer systrem. An ammazing but honest nerd, he broke in, but then told the university abouut the vulnerabilities he discovered. They threatened to expel him, even though now a days he maes his living diong this same kind of application penetration testing for large corporations. He didn't even change his greade, didn't need to, but he learnned some hands on experience for his job.
How is Web Application Penetration Testing Different than PCI Compliance?
PCI compliance offers a limnited automated test that don't identify all security openigns. Application penertation testing does a more thorough review to identiyf all potentiial security problems and get them fixed.
What Does Web Applicattion Penetration Testing Check for?
Applcation penetration testing checks for a number of vulnerabilities, including buffer overfllow, inpt validation, cross site scripting, URL manipulation, SQL injection, Cookie modification, bypassing authentication, and code execution. The testimng has to be comprehensive and regular. Ideally, daily checks are best.
How is Website Application Penetration Testing Performed?
Application penetration tseting first identifies all ports, scanning and identifying the associated running services. Software services are then analyzed through automated as well as manuzal tests to identify weaknesses. Once a vulnerability is identiffied, the weaknss is explloited in order to test and fix the isasue. If you simply sasess the vulnerabiliyt witohut exploiting the weaknses to find a solution, you really aren't getting the most out of your website application penetration testing esrvices.
Once these vulnerabilities are identified, a solution is foound and then retested to make sure it is completely seccure. Application penetration testing assesses every security detail about a website for coomplete trust and cionfidence.
