Web pentest: what are the common computer threats?

The web pentest or intrusion test is a proven methodology. By including it in its best practices, the company has a real-time qualitative assessment of the level of security of its IT infrastructure (web servers, front/back-office applications, web services and APIs, database server), before the hackers.

What are the most common IT risks to business?

Companies whose IT system has security vulnerabilities take serious risks that could harm their image, their finances, their legal responsibilities (GDPR, etc.). What are the most common attacks?

• Data theft;
• Bypassing user authentication steps;
• Identity theft;
• Changes in privileges;
• The willful degradation of data;
• The rebound attack on the company's internal computer network, etc.

 

Esokia accompanies you in your hunt for failures, in order to guarantee the absence of breaches!

How does a web pentest work?

The mission of the penetration test is to find computer vulnerabilities present in a system, service, software or application, etc., in a context controlled and led by an “ethical hacker”.

The latter will use automated and manual technologies to compromise potential weak points, to exploit them in order to correct them. In addition, it will validate or not the effectiveness of the defense mechanisms present and will ensure the adherence of end users to the company's security policy.

To summarize this aspect, the penetration test is an effective methodology, which makes it possible to evaluate the impact of computer flaws on the resources and operations of the company!

Is the web application pentest really useful?

The security of an IT infrastructure is a crucial issue, including whether existing software and systems have their original defense mechanisms. However, faced with the inventiveness of hackers and despite corrections and other updates, these virtual devices quickly become obsolete. A few figures to illustrate our point:

• 42% of companies that have suffered an external attack attribute it to a software security breach;
• 40-50% of software engineers' time is spent fixing previously preventable errors;
• Every hour of code penetration testing saves 33 hours of maintenance;
• 8% of web requests, or 1 in 13, result in malware;
• 68% of business leaders have seen an increase in cybersecurity risks;
• 90% of data leaks are due to human error.

 

What are the different phases of web pentest?

Penetration testing is not about mimicking the actions of hackers. Much more complex than it seems, the end goal of this process is to protect the company's IT infrastructure from unauthorized access and/or data exposure. As a result, it is broken down into 6 major phases:

Planning and preparation of the website pentest : this step is based on the objectives and the definition of the results expected by the company. It is about deciding the roadmap of the process:

• Should an external test be conducted, which simulates an intrusion carried out by an individual or an organization outside the company?
• Should an internal test be conducted, which simulates an intrusion from internal company resources?
• Should the internal IT security team be informed of the occurrence of the web pentest or is this also an opportunity to probe its effectiveness in detecting such activity?
• What is the perimeter of action of the pentester?
• How much information will he have to carry out his mission?

 

Discovery of the testing ground or footprinting : here, it is a question of gathering information that can be scanned from outside the company, for example, the IP addresses of firewalls and other connections or even employee data ( names, position, email addresses) for phishing emails;

The attempt to penetrate and exploit flaws : the above entry points will be exploited by the pentester, who will test their resistance. Not only will he use them to penetrate the company's computer system, but he will also modify access in his favor, for example, by simply becoming an administrator.

This step also makes it possible to update any misconfiguration, unmonitored access to sensitive information, any failure in the management of accounts and passwords. Finally, he can take the opportunity to test the on-site network infrastructure, workstations, mobile devices, web applications, possibly smart devices.

Analysis and report : from the information collected during the discovery and test phases, the pentester will create a report detailing the entrance doors to the company's network, the resources used to pass these doors, but also the next steps once the test is completed.

Cleanup and remediation : Although this is a controlled, company-sponsored penetration test, it is important that the system be cleaned of all tools used to simulate cyberattacks. This done, it is time to implement the necessary controls and corrections to eliminate the weaknesses identified.

What are the differences between a web pentest and vulnerability scanning?

The vulnerability scan is carried out using an automated tool designed to examine a given environment in order to detect any weaknesses. The detected vulnerabilities are listed in the form of a report, which could be defined as an image, an overview of the computer flaws present or likely to occur.

Penetration testing is a broader-spectrum approach than vulnerability scanning:

• It makes it possible to assess the company's ability to protect its IT infrastructure against penetration from the outside;
• Rank the threats: critical, less important, “false positives”;
• To implement the latest and most effective IT security policies;
• To choose the most financially relevant tools and technologies for the company;
• It provides detailed information on existing and exploitable security threats.

 

How many web pentests should be done each year?

The intrusion test can and must be implemented regularly due to the constant evolution of applications and infrastructures within the company, but also of pentest methods and tools. Esokia supports you in your approach to securing your computer systems: contact us!