Security Testing

The process of evaluating web applications to identify vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and security risks. It involves various tests to ensure applications are resistant to security threats. The primary goal is to uncover security flaws before attackers exploit them.

Types of Web Application Security Testing

A combination of automated scanning tools and manual techniques, including:

• Vulnerability Scanning – Identifies known security weaknesses.

• Penetration Testing – Simulates real-world attacks to find exploitable flaws.

• Code Review & Static Analysis – Examines source code for security issues.

• Authentication & Authorization Testing – Assesses user access controls.

• Input Validation & Output Encoding Testing – Detects injection vulnerabilities.

• Session Management Testing – Evaluates session security mechanisms.

• API Security Testing – Ensures secure API interactions.

Security testing is a broader category that includes these techniques.

Web Application Penetration Testing

A simulated cyber attack on a web application to identify and exploit security vulnerabilities. It mimics real-world attack scenarios to assess the application's resilience against threats.

The Difference

Aspect	Web Application Security Testing	Web Application Penetration Testing
Scope	Broad assessment of security aspects	Focused on exploiting vulnerabilities
Objective	Identify and mitigate security risks	Simulate attacks to gauge real-world risk
Focus	Prevention and early detection	Exploitation of vulnerabilities
Methodology	Automated and manual techniques	Primarily manual attack simulations
Exploitation	Does not actively exploit issues	Actively exploits vulnerabilities
Impact	Preventive approach	Demonstrates actual business risk
Reporting	Detailed risk assessment	Includes attack paths and exploit proofs
Testing Approach	Security best practices & compliance	Adversarial hacker-like techniques
Goal	Strengthen overall security posture	Identify real-world attack vectors