Testing Web Security: Assessing the Security of Web Sites and Applications

by Steven Splaine and Rex Black

Covers security basics and guides reader through the process of testing a Web site. Explains how to analyze results and design specialized follow-up tests that focus on potential security gaps. Teaches the process of discovery, scanning, analyzing, verifying results of specialized tests, and fixing vulnerabilities.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471232815
• ISBN13: 9780471232810
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Adds the auditing dimension to web testing

This book is unique in that it focuses more on auditing than on actual web testing techniques, which is an area that is too often overlooked by QA. Because of this niche area, this book can be used in conjunction with any of the more testing-centric books, giving QA a solid security-in-depth approach. This approach also makes this book a solid reference for complying with parts of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.Splaine thoroughly covers the test/audit process by addressing all layers and threat vectors. He takes a systematic vulnerability assessment and risk management approach, and extensively uses checklists throughout this book to help you to develop a security auditing process that will close most of the vulnerability gaps, as well as to augment other testing approaches.I particularly like the completeness of topic coverage - he goes into network, protocol, client- and server-side application, and attack modes in great detail. For each area he provides advice, checklists and a strategy for dealing with the risks and vulnerabilities represented. I also like the way he addresses configuration management, quality and test case design. These reflect best practices and can be quickly integrated into a web security QA function.Splaine's earlier book, "The Web Testing Handbook" (ISBN 0970436300) nicely augments this one, as does Nguyen's highly regarded "Testing Applications on the Web: Test Planning for Internet-Based Systems" (ISBN 047139470X), both of which are more focused on web testing.If you work in QA or web security this book will be an invaluable resource, and is one that I highly recommend because it spans both disciplines.

An Excellent Read & Reference for Testers and Test Managers

Before I read Steve's book, I thought that testing the security of a Web site required huge amounts of technical knowledge including how certain operating systems, web servers, etc., actually worked. Having read the book, I realise that someone needs to know - but it needn't be me. As a tester, my job is to see if the security measures that have been put into place actually do what they are supposed to and in this context the book exceeds my requirements and expectations.In addition, one of the problems in testing security is trying to ensure that the site does not open itself up to any unauthorised activity - accidental or not. How do you ensure `complete coverage' of the virtually infinite number of event combinations and therefore test cases? This problem is addressed in the Test Planning and Risk Analysis sections and placed properly and pragmatically into context.Then we get into the meat of test design. I like the way we start with scoping. What are we trying to secure and from what or whom? To answer the latter part of the question, the book delves into types of attacks - which then helps us to think about what and how to test. I particularly like the checklists (OK, I'm a checklist fan) and the lists of software tools which are available to carry out things like IP address sweeps, port scans, etc.This part of the book has separate chapters for networks, system software, client and server-side application software. Each chapter is virtually stand-alone which makes it a good reference as well as a good read. I also like the fact that Steve has not left out the social engineering aspect of security. Finally, Test Implementation addresses the usual practical problems associated with test execution but with all the emphasis on security.Steve Splaine has distilled into one book enough information to give testers and test managers confidence in the planning, design and execution of Web security testing. An excellent read and reference.

a great testing reference!

I found this book very useful for myself as a dictionary of sorts! Our QA department is buried in client/server testing and basic web page testing, and I don't think we'll ever have enough staff that we'll get to do this much security testing. (others do it, but not us) However, I still hear a lot of these terms bandied about, and now I actually know what they mean and have a better idea of how things work.

Simply a must have for anybody testing a web application!

The book is a unique one. True there are many books on security written, but never before has anybody approached it from the testing point-of-view. This book analyzes the different security holes in many web applications, and lists many different hacking tools and methods, then discusses what a tester is to do in order to test securing their web application or site. Written for the testing professional by a testing professional!Steve has done it again... Another great book for the software testing & quality assurance professional.

Testing Web Security Review

Web Security Testing ReviewI first picked this book up because the subject matter had a "new twist." After almost 30 years in Information Security the concept of actually testing the security systems we are paid to maintain interested me. I thought, O.K... get ready, in a few minutes I'll be knee deep in testing jargon and theory. Not so!! To my surprise this book is incredibly readable, partially because the author sprinkles great examples throughout the book and partially because his writing style is NOT "from on high to us mortals on earth." I was very pleasantly surprised. Besides readability I think Mr. Splain has covered the issue of content very well. In the section on test plans he includes the idea that system documentation is an integral part of test plan documentation. Not that this is a new concept; it should be second nature to us in the IT field. The point is, he has taken care with the details and it shows in the content of the book. Another key concept in the book is "defining the scope of the network testing by identifying an appropriate set of network segments." You can define the scope to anything, servers, buildings, color of the chassis. It's nice to see him make a statement like this, provide the technobabble to human speak definitions in the appendix (for those that need them) and then go forward and treat the components (all of them) as a system, not leaving bits lying around for someone else to deal with. Again, it's not that this is a new concept; it just shows how thorough he is with the subject. Looking at the chapter on Network Security "testing", the thought occurred to me that this chapter is a great basis for designing a stand alone network security review. It's outside the scope of the book, but all the components are there in one chapter.The organization of the book is also nice. You don't have to read the book through to use the content. Each section (or chapter for that matter) can, if needed, stand on its own. The book is broken up into 5 sections; An Introduction, Planning the Testing Effort, Test Design, Test Implementation, and Appendixes. Each chapter is filled with check lists, concepts, web sites and software recommendations that can be woven into any testing effort. In the appendix you'll find a chapter on Additional Resources. This chapter brings into one place a myriad of books and web sites that would be invaluable to anyone from the seasoned professional to someone just entering the field. I've performed a number of security reviews and the like over the years, but after reading this book I'm thinking of revising my methods. Even though Mr. Splain may not have meant his book to be used this way, I see it as a basis for setting up any security review for any network based system (not just for testing new systems). This may come as a shock to Mr. Splain (although I doubt it), but I think he's laid out the basis for carrying out a security consulting practice (not setting the pra