Basics of Web Security Testing

Exposing systems to the internet increases the risk that
security weaknesses in those systems will be leveraged
to compromise the system or the underlying data. It is
therefore necessary to examine the actual business risks
this brings, understand the basic difficulties in implementing
"secure systems", and adequately test internet applications
for security, as well as functionality and load performance,
before they are exposed to the net.

Introduction

Most organizations now have some of their corporate IT
infrastructure connected to the internet. This may vary
from allowing users to surf the web and receive email,
to fully functional internet banking systems. For some
organizations, compromise or failure of these systems
would have significant business impact.

Software testing is becoming an accepted part of the
development and maintenance cycle. Internet solutions
are often required to be implemented extremely quickly.
Functional, usability and load testing are all as appropriate
for internet as conventional client-server solutions, however
the requirement to test security is more emphatic for
the internet, due to the much wider connectivity -- to the
incompetent, nosy or malicious -- the Internet brings.

The Risks

Why should an organization care about compromise of their systems?

Direct Financial Loss

If a payments system is being operated, the contracts with
the banks and the credit card organizations will specify
significant financial penalties and charges that will be
levied in cases of continuing fraud. In addition, the cost
of shipped goods for which payment will not be recovered
needs to be taken into account.

Loss of Reputation

Many hackers do it for the public recognition and therefore
will publicize the compromise of a site. Security news
sites are also very quick to learn of compromises. The
UK consumer is still nervous about transmitting payments
information across the web -- gaining a reputation as an
insecure site will affect Internet business growth.

Legal Repercussions

The Data Protection Act places a legal responsibility on
organizations to keep person-identifiable data secure. The
Data Protection Registrar may take legal action against
organizations that breach this obligation, in addition to civil
damages suits from affected individuals. Also, exposure
of commercially sensitive data acquired under contract or
privilege may lead to damages suits from affected parties.

Testing as Part of a Solution

Security testing of internet solutions provides two
fundamental services:

It allows cost-effective selection of security controls at all
stages of the project cycle, allowing proper integration
of security measures (procedural and technical) into the
final solution;

Management are given firm evidence of the level
of security provided, showing that, in the event of a
security breach, "due diligence" was exercised, which
may limit damages claims or criminal liability.

Testing a system will involve a number of separate
checks:

• All software involved should be examined for known security flaws;
• The infrastructure design should be implemented to allow secure operation;
• Site functionality should be examined to ensure that access to sensitive information and administrative functions is protected appropriately. This applies to operating system and server level functions, as well as application level;
• Only services necessary for the business process should be running on web-facing servers (the more different systems, the greater the likelihood of a serious flaw);
  
• Network traffic should be monitored to check for plain text transmission of user names and passwords (whether related to site users or to back-office functions such as databases).

If flaws are found, detailed analysis should follow, which will
attempt to identify software patches, replacement service
daemons or applications, or additional technical issues.

Summary

Since web-facing systems provide numerous opportunities
for unauthorized access to areas of a computer network,
security testing is a critical activity. This paper highlights
the need to "design in" and "test out" security from the
beginning of a project lifecycle.

Taking this approach, costs are reduced by:

• Undertaking the work as an integral part of the design, development and testing, thereby reducing the need for additional staff to undertake separate sub-projects;
• Reducing rework on security design so often highlighted by extensive penetration testing at the later stages of a project.

AppLabs has considerable experience of security testing in
web-facing systems and can increase the success of your
project through early involvement in the planning process,
and a rigorous implementation of these methods.

Source: AppLabs.com

For more information on Software Testing visit http://www.qa-software-testing.com