A Web Pentest is a methodical assessment of the security of a website or web application, carried out by an IT security expert. This process simulates real-world attacks to identify security gaps and vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers.
Far from being a simple audit, web pentesting offers many concrete advantages to companies, including:
Pentesting goes beyond a simple automated scan. The pentester takes a manual and methodical approach, analyzing every component of the web system, including source code, server configurations, user interfaces and APIs.
This careful analysis uncovers a wide range of vulnerabilities, from the most common to the most sophisticated, such as SQL injections, XSS flaws, configuration flaws and zero -day vulnerabilities.
Pentest report provides a detailed description of each identified fault, classified according to its severity level and impact potential.
This prioritization allows businesses to effectively prioritize fixes, focusing on the most critical flaws first and avoiding wasting resources on minor issues.
By fixing security vulnerabilities revealed by pentesting, companies significantly strengthen their overall security posture.
This significantly reduces the risk of intrusions, data leaks and other cyberattacks, protecting their systems, sensitive data and reputation.
Many regulations, such as GDPR, ISO 27001 and HIPAA, require businesses to have adequate security measures in place to protect personal data.
A successful web pentest demonstrates a company's compliance with these regulations, thereby avoiding potential sanctions and building trust with customers and partners.
In a context where cyber threats are increasingly prevalent, customers and partners attach great importance to data security.
By regularly conducting web pentests and communicating the results transparently, companies demonstrate their commitment to data protection, thereby fostering trust and loyalty among their customers and partners.
There are several cases where it is particularly recommended to carry out a pentest:
For critical web applications or websites: Hackers are constantly developing new attack techniques. It is therefore crucial to regularly test the security of these applications to ensure that they are always protected.
The frequency of penetration testing should be determined based on the level of risk. Applications that handle financial or medical data require more frequent testing.
The flow of a web pentest can vary depending on the complexity of the website or web application, but it generally follows the following steps:
01
The client and the pentester define the objectives of the pentest, the systems to be tested and the information that can be disclosed.
The scope of the pentest defines which elements will be tested and which will not.
02
The pentester collects information about the website or web application, such as:
This phase may include:
03
The expert uses manual tools and techniques to identify vulnerabilities in the website or web application.
Vulnerabilities can be classified based on their severity and potential for exploitation.
04
The auditor attempts to exploit the identified vulnerabilities to demonstrate that they can be used to attack the system.
This phase allows you to confirm the severity of the vulnerabilities and assess the real risk for the customer.
05
The pentester writes a detailed report which describes:
The report must be clear, concise and provide sufficient information to the customer so that they can take the necessary actions to correct the vulnerabilities.
06
The pentester performs follow-up testing to ensure that the fixes were implemented correctly.
If all vulnerabilities detected during the audit are corrected, then the experts provide a certification attesting to the correct application of the corrections.
There are three main types of web penetration testing, distinguished by the level of knowledge the tester has of the target system:
During a black box penetration test, the tester, or "pentester", has no preliminary information about the target system other than what is publicly available.
It thus positions itself as an external attacker, unaware of the details of the system architecture, programming languages used, communication protocols and potential security vulnerabilities.
The objective of Pentest Black Box is clear: to identify vulnerabilities that can be exploited by an external attacker without internal knowledge of the system.
In a gray box penetration test, the pentester has partial knowledge of the target system.
This knowledge may include information relating to the system architecture, the programming languages used or security vulnerabilities already identified.
The objective in this type of test is to identify vulnerabilities that can be exploited by an attacker with partial access to information on the system.
During a white box penetration test, the pentester benefits from complete knowledge of the target system. This includes access to source code, configurations and documentation.
Here the goal is to identify all the potential security vulnerabilities of the target system.
Ziwit is a wise choice for carrying out a web pentest for several reasons:
Benefit from a tailor-made Web Pentest, carried out by our cybersecurity specialists, to meet the specific challenges of your company.