title: Web Application Security Testing Cheat Sheet

permalink: /Web_Application_Security_Testing_Cheat_Sheet/

Introduction

This cheat sheet provides a checklist of tasks to be performed during blackbox security testing of a web application.

Purpose

This checklist is intended to be used as a memory aid for experienced pentesters. It should be used in conjunction with the OWASP Testing Guide. It will be updated as the Testing Guide v4 progresses.

The intention is that this guide will be available as an XML document, with scripts that convert it into formats such as PDF, MediaWiki markup, HTML, and so forth. This will allow it to be consumed within security tools as well as being available in a format suitable for printing.

All feedback or offers of help will be appreciated. If you have specific changes you think should be made, please log in and make suggestions.

The Checklist

Information Gathering

Rendered Site Review

Development Review

Hosting and Platform Review

  • Identify web services
  • Identify co-hosted and related applications
  • Identify all hostnames and ports
  • Identify third-party hosted content

Configuration Management

Secure Transmission

Protocols and Encryption

Web Services and REST

Authentication

Application Password Functionality

  • Test password quality rules\ “wikilink”)
  • Test remember me functionality
  • Test password reset and/or recovery
  • Test password change process
  • Test CAPTCHA
  • Test multi-factor authentication
  • Test for logout functionality presence
  • Test for default logins
  • Test for out-of-channel notification of account lockouts and successful password changes
  • Test for consistent authentication across applications with shared authentication schema/SSO and alternative channels
  • Test for weak security question/answer

Additional Authentication Functionality

Session Management

Authorization

Cryptography

Data Validation

Injection

Other

Denial of Service

Specific Risky Functionality

File Uploads

Payments

Error Handling

Other Formats

  • DradisPro template format on github
  • Asana template on Templana (thanks to Bastien Siebman)

Authors and contributors

Simon Bennetts
Rory McCune
Colin Watson
Simone Onofri
Amro AlOlaqi

All above are authors of the Testing Guide v3

Ryan Dewhurst
Frank Catucci
Vin Miller

Related articles

Other Cheatsheets

Category:Cheatsheets Category:OWASP_Breakers