Web Application Security

Chapter 16. Part II Summary

Today’s web applications are host to a wide number of vulnerabilities. Some of these vulnerabilities are easily classified, like the vulnerabilities we evaluated and tested in this part of the book. Other vulnerabilities are more of a niche—unique to a single application if that application has an uncommon security model or possesses features with unique architecture not found elsewhere.

Ultimately, thoroughly testing a web application will require knowledge of common vulnerability archetypes, critical thinking skills, and domain knowledge so that deep logic vulnerabilities outside of the most common archetypes can be found. The foundational skills presented in Part I and Part II should be sufficient to get you up and running on any web application security pen-testing project you take part in in the future.

From this point forward, you should pay attention to the business model in any application you test. All applications are at risk of vulnerabilities like XSS, CSRF, or XXE, but only by gaining a deep understanding of the underlying business model and business logic in an application can you identify more advanced and specific vulnerabilities.

If the vulnerabilities presented in Part II feel difficult to apply in a real-world scenario, consider why that is the case. It is possible that whatever application you are testing is thoroughly hardened, but it’s more likely that while you have developed the knowledge to develop and deploy these attacks, ...