Kali Linux Web Penetration Testing Cookbook

Discover the most common web vulnerabilities and prevent them from becoming a threat to your site's security

Key Features

• Familiarize yourself with the most common web vulnerabilities
• Conduct a preliminary assessment of attack surfaces and run exploits in your lab
• Explore new tools in the Kali Linux ecosystem for web penetration testing

Book Description

Web applications are a huge point of attack for malicious hackers and a critical area for security professionals and penetration testers to lock down and secure. Kali Linux is a Linux-based penetration testing platform that provides a broad array of testing tools, many of which can be used to execute web penetration testing.

Kali Linux Web Penetration Testing Cookbook gives you the skills you need to cover every stage of a penetration test – from gathering information about the system and application, to identifying vulnerabilities through manual testing. You will also cover the use of vulnerability scanners and look at basic and advanced exploitation techniques that may lead to a full system compromise. You will start by setting up a testing laboratory, exploring the latest features of tools included in Kali Linux and performing a wide range of tasks with OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite and other web proxies and security testing tools.

As you make your way through the book, you will learn how to use automated scanners to find security flaws in web applications and understand how to bypass basic security controls. In the concluding chapters, you will look at what you have learned in the context of the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) and the top 10 web application vulnerabilities you are most likely to encounter, equipping you with the ability to combat them effectively.

By the end of this book, you will have acquired the skills you need to identify, exploit, and prevent web application vulnerabilities.

What you will learn

• Set up a secure penetration testing laboratory
• Use proxies, crawlers, and spiders to investigate an entire website
• Identify cross-site scripting and client-side vulnerabilities
• Exploit vulnerabilities that allow the insertion of code into web applications
• Exploit vulnerabilities that require complex setups
• Improve testing efficiency using automated vulnerability scanners
• Learn how to circumvent security controls put in place to prevent attacks

Who this book is for

Kali Linux Web Penetration Testing Cookbook is for IT professionals, web developers, security enthusiasts, and security professionals who want an accessible reference on how to find, exploit, and prevent security vulnerabilities in web applications. The basics of operating a Linux environment and prior exposure to security technologies and tools are necessary.

Table of Contents

1. Setting up Kali Linux and the Testing Lab
2. Reconnaissance
3. Using Proxies, Crawlers and Spiders
4. Testing Authentication and Session Management
5. Cross-Site Scripting and Client-Side Attacks
6. Exploiting Injection Vulnerabilities
7. Exploiting Platform Vulnerabilities
8. Using Automated Scanners
9. Bypassing Basic Security Controls
10. Mitigation of OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities

Gilberto Najera-Gutierrez is an experienced penetration tester currently working for one of the top security testing service providers in Australia. He obtained leading security and penetration testing certifications, namely Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), EC-Council Certified Security Administrator (ECSA), and GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester (GXPN); he also holds a Master's degree in Computer Science with specialization in Artificial Intelligence.

Gilberto has been working as a penetration tester since 2013, and he has been a security enthusiast for almost 20 years. He has successfully conducted penetration tests on networks and applications of some the biggest corporations, government agencies, and financial institutions in Mexico and Australia.