Certified Web Application Penetration Tester Training

 

Brit Certifications and Assessments (BCAA) is a leading UK based certification body. This CB is formed to address the gap in the industry in IT and IT Security sector. The certification body leads in IT security and IT certifications, and in particular doing it with highly pragmatic way.

 

BCAA UK works in hub and spoke model across the world.

 

 

R A C E Framework

 

The Read - Act - Certify - Engage framework from Brit Certifications and Assessments is a comprehensive approach designed to guarantee optimal studying, preparation, examination, and post-exam activities. By adhering to this structured process, individuals can be assured of mastering the subject matter effectively.

 

 

Commencing with the "Read" phase, learners are encouraged to extensively peruse course materials and gain a thorough understanding of the content at hand. This initial step sets the foundation for success by equipping candidates with essential knowledge and insights related to their chosen field.

 

Moving on to the "Act" stage, students actively apply their newfound expertise through practical exercises and real-world scenarios. This hands-on experience allows them to develop crucial problem-solving skills while reinforcing theoretical concepts.

 

“Certify” stage is where you will take your examination and get certified to establish yourself in the industry. Now “Engage” is the stage in which BCAA partner, will engage you in Webinars, Mock audits, and Group Discussions. This will enable you to keep abreast of your knowledge and build your competence.

 

Certified Web Penetration Tester

 

Web penetration testing is the process of simulating real-world attacks on web applications to identify, exploit, and help remediate security vulnerabilities before malicious actors can take advantage of them. This proactive security measure is essential for protecting organizations from breaches, financial loss, and reputational damage by uncovering and addressing weaknesses in web applications.

 

Key Phases of Web Penetration Testing:
- Planning and Reconnaissance: Define testing objectives and collect information about the target application using both passive (publicly available sources) and active methods (direct interaction with the target system). This helps testers understand the environment and potential attack vectors.
- Scanning and Enumeration: Use tools to scan for open ports, services, technologies used, and map the application's structure. Common scanning tools include port scanners and vulnerability scanners to reveal potential entry points and flaws.
- Vulnerability Analysis: Analyze the application for known vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), misconfigured authentication, or outdated components. Industry standards like the OWASP Top 10 are used as benchmarks for common web app flaws.
- Exploitation: Attempt to exploit discovered vulnerabilities to determine the actual security risk. Techniques include SQL injection, brute forcing, session hijacking, and more.
- Post-Exploitation (Burrowing): Assess how deeply an attacker could penetrate the system, maintain access, and what sensitive data could be extracted. This may involve installing backdoors or escalating privileges where possible.
- Analysis and Reporting: Document findings, provide actionable remediation recommendations, and present a risk assessment to stakeholders.
- Remediation and Re-Testing: Collaborate with developers to fix vulnerabilities, then re-test to verify that issues have been resolved.

 

Popular Tools Used:
- Burp Suite: An advanced web security testing platform for intercepting, modifying, and analyzing HTTP/S traffic and vulnerabilities.
- OWASP ZAP: An open-source vulnerability scanner for web apps, suited for both developers and security teams.
- Nmap, Nikto, and Metasploit: Widely used for network scanning, web server analysis, and exploitation.
- Others: Password crackers, web proxies, and network sniffers.

 

Learning Resources:
- Free video tutorials and beginner-friendly online courses are available for those wanting to get started, such as the "Penetration Testing Full Course" (YouTube) and beginner series from TCM Security Academy.
- Online courses cover methodologies, tools, case studies, and hands-on labs.

 

Web penetration testing is critical for securing web applications before attackers do. It is a continuous process combining automated tools, manual analysis, and upto- date knowledge to reduce risk and ensure ongoing security.and

 

Agenda

 

Module 1: Penetration Testing Foundations

- Overview of penetration testing and its phases
- Legal and ethical considerations, rules of engagement
- PTES and OWASP methodologies
- Deliverables, reporting standards, and structure
- Audience analysis: communicating to technical and business stakeholders

 

Module 2: Introduction to Web Applications

- Core web technologies: HTTP/HTTPS, HTML, JavaScript, CSS
- Web application architectures (client-server, multi-tier)
- Introduction to cookies, sessions, and Same Origin Policy
- Web proxies: Burp Suite and OWASP ZAP basics

 

Module 3: Information Gathering & Reconnaissance

- Open-source intelligence (OSINT) for web targets
- WHOIS, DNS, subdomain discovery, Netcraft, and Shodan HQ
- Web server fingerprinting: Netcat, WhatWeb, Wappalyzer
- Mapping the attack surface and enumerating resources

 

Module 4: Authentication & Authorization Attacks

- Types of authentication (single-factor, multi-factor)
- Common authentication flaws (weak passwords, user enumeration)
- Bypassing authentication and privilege escalation
- Authorization, insecure direct object references, role-based access issues

 

Module 5: Session Management Vulnerabilities

- Session establishment, cookies, and token security
- Session fixation, session hijacking via XSS and network attacks
- Secure session destruction and logout handling

 

Module 6: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

- Reflected, Persistent, and DOM-based XSS explained
- Techniques for identifying and exploiting XSS
- Defense strategies: input validation, output encoding, Content Security Policy
- Advanced tools: BeEF for browser exploitation

 

Module 7: SQL Injection & Database Attacks

- SQL injection: detection, exploitation (in-band, blind, error-based)
- Exploiting different DBMS (MySQL, MSSQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle)
- Tools: sqlmap, manual exploitation
- Advanced: database takeover, file system and OS command execution
- Defense: parameterized queries, least privilege access

 

Module 8: Other Injection Attacks

- Command injection (OS), LDAP, XML, and XPath injections
- Advanced attack scenarios: serialization attacks
- Testing and exploiting application parsing vulnerabilities

 

Module 9: CSRF & Business Logic Flaws

- Understanding and exploiting Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
- Business logic issues: workflow abuse, authorization bypass
- Testing methodologies for complex application logic

 

Module 10: File & Resource Attacks

- Directory traversal and local/remote file inclusion (LFI/RFI)
- Insecure file upload and execution attacks (web shells)
- Bypassing file extension/format restrictions
- Mitigation best practices

 

Module 11: Client-Side Security & HTML5 Vulnerabilities

- HTML5 features and new security implications (Web Storage, WebSockets)
- Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) issues
- Clickjacking, HTTP response splitting, frame/iframe attacks
- Defenses: security headers, sandboxing

 

Module 12: Web Services and API Pentesting

- Testing SOAP, REST, XML-RPC, JSON-RPC endpoints
- Common API vulnerabilities: insecure direct object references, improper
authentication, excessive data exposure
- Tools: Postman, Burp Suite, custom scripts

 

Module 13: Advanced Exploitation Techniques

- Chaining vulnerabilities (XSS→session hijack, SQLi→host compromise)
- Fuzzing and brute force for service discovery
- SSRF (Server-Side Request Forgery), XXE (XML External Entity), and advanced attack scenarios
- Exploiting cloud/web services integrations

 

Module 14: Penetration Testing of Popular CMS

- WordPress, Joomla, Drupal: enumeration and exploitation
- Vulnerable plugins/themes exploitation
- Automated tools: WPScan, Joomscan, plugins vulnerability discovery
- Post-exploitation and lateral movement strategies

 

Module 15: NoSQL and Modern Database Attacks

- NoSQL fundamentals: MongoDB, CouchDB, Elasticsearch, Redis
- NoSQL injection and exploitation
- Real-life exploitation scenarios and mitigation

 

Module 16: Reporting, Remediation, and Continuous Improvement

- Structuring a professional penetration test report
- Risk assessment, business impact, and remediation guidance
- Executive summary and technical breakdown
- Remediation verification, retesting strategies
- Embedding pentesting in SDLC for ongoing security

 

Exams

Subjective Theory Open book exam.
Online Interview
Demonstration and live video recording of task set by the trainer.

 

Contact

 

BRIT CERTIFICATIONS AND ASSESSMENTS (UK),
128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX,
United Kingdom enquiry@bcaa.uk
+44 203 476 4509

 

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