This stage uses web application attacks, such as cross-site scripting, SQL injection and backdoors, to uncover a target’s vulnerabilities.

This is a more practical way of scanning, as it provides a real-time view into an application’s performance.

Dynamic analysis – Inspecting an application’s code in a running state.

These tools can scan the entirety of the code in a single pass.

Static analysis – Inspecting an application’s code to estimate the way it behaves while running.

The next step is to understand how the target application will respond to various intrusion attempts.

Gathering intelligence (e.g., network and domain names, mail server) to better understand how a target works and its potential vulnerabilities.

Defining the scope and goals of a test, including the systems to be addressed and the testing methods to be used.

The pen testing process can be broken down into five stages. Insights provided by the penetration test can be used to fine-tune your WAF security policies and patch detected vulnerabilities.

Pen testing can involve the attempted breaching of any number of application systems, (e.g., application protocol interfaces (APIs), frontend/backend servers) to uncover vulnerabilities, such as unsanitized inputs that are susceptible to code injection attacks. In the context of web application security, penetration testing is commonly used to augment a web application firewall (WAF). A penetration test, also known as a pen test, is a simulated cyber attack against your computer system to check for exploitable vulnerabilities.

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