Security Testing Best Practices
Security testing is essential for identifying vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers. This tool generates comprehensive security test suites based on OWASP guidelines and industry best practices.
OWASP Top 10 Security Risks
1. Injection Attacks
SQL injection, NoSQL injection, OS injection, and LDAP injection vulnerabilities.
- Test input validation and sanitization
- Verify parameterized queries usage
- Check for proper escaping mechanisms
2. Broken Authentication
Vulnerabilities in authentication and session management.
- Test password policies and strength
- Verify multi-factor authentication
- Check session timeout and invalidation
3. Sensitive Data Exposure
Inadequate protection of sensitive information.
- Test data encryption in transit and at rest
- Verify proper key management
- Check for information leakage
4. XML External Entities (XXE)
Vulnerabilities in XML processing that can lead to data exposure.
- Test XML parser configuration
- Verify external entity restrictions
- Check for file disclosure vulnerabilities
5. Security Misconfiguration
Insecure default configurations and missing security updates.
- Test HTTP security headers
- Verify error handling and logging
- Check for unnecessary services and features
Security Testing Categories
- Authentication Testing: Login mechanisms, password policies, session management
- Authorization Testing: Access controls, privilege escalation, role-based security
- Data Validation Testing: Input validation, output encoding, boundary testing
- Error Handling Testing: Information disclosure, error message analysis
- Cryptography Testing: Encryption strength, key management, secure protocols
- Business Logic Testing: Workflow bypasses, race conditions, timing attacks
Security Testing Tools
- OWASP ZAP: Automated vulnerability scanner
- Burp Suite: Web application security testing
- Nmap: Network discovery and security auditing
- SQLMap: SQL injection detection and exploitation
- Nikto: Web server scanner
Security Test Automation
- Integrate security tests into CI/CD pipelines
- Automate vulnerability scanning
- Monitor security metrics and trends
- Regular penetration testing
- Security code reviews
