Assessing Web Application Security Through Vulnerabilities in Programming Languages and Environments

The rising of technology in the 21st century grows in a way that we never thought of before. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many organizations in different sizes, specialties, and sectors to work online, resulting in a critical need to secure their software, applications, and web-based applications. Furthermore, Organizations that do not implement security in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process often discover that their applications suffer from security flaws and security bugs, thus exposing their applications to attacks. Applying security measures to the SDLC will ensure that applications are secure from the early planning stages until release. Penetration testing is an essential security measure and is counted as one of the best security practices applied to applications because it focuses on the technical part of application security. Each kind of application the organization uses, in-house developed applications or on-the-shelf applications, has its method for penetration testing. This paper is a systematic literature review that examines the web application security measures and the penetration testing methods and tools to detect vulnerabilities on web applications. Moreover, it gives a general view of adapting penetration testing as a security approach to the SDLC.

The growth of web-based applications has increased tremendously from last two decades. While these applications bring huge benefits to society, yet they suffer from various security threats. Although there exist various techniques to ensure the security of web applications, still a large number of applications suffer from a wide variety of attacks and result in financial loses. In this article, a security-testing framework for web applications is proposed with an argument that security of an application should be tested at every stage of software development life cycle (SDLC). Security testing is initiated from the requirement engineering phase using a keyword-analysis phase. The output of the first phase serves as input to the next phase. Different case study applications indicate that the framework assists in early detection of security threats and applying appropriate security measures. The results obtained from the implementation of the proposed framework demonstrated a high detection ratio with a less false-positive rate.

The powerful Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)-Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) tool secures web applications with extensive security testing. Its main goal is to find and fix web application vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. The goal is to improve web application security using OWASP ZAP scans and inspections. Simulating SQL injection and cross-site scripting attacks using the tool reveals an application's security flaws. OWASP ZAP automates testing to protect sensitive data and web application integrity. The purpose is to protect online applications from attacks to reduce security breaches and ensure industry compliance. Modern online applications' security and dependability depend on OWASP ZAP's systematic vulnerability discovery and mitigation. By enhancing scan performance and providing actionable security information, the experimental results show that the OWASP ZAP helps safeguard online applications and reduce the danger of cyberattacks. The objective is to enhance its skills to provide comprehensive, prompt, dependable security evaluations across various situations.

In current information era, every small-scale industry, MNC's, Schools, and Colleges utilise Web Applications to promote their organizations and provide services to society. Web Applications have become a simple and vital medium for communicating with society. This leads to an increase in website utilization. Threats and cyber-attacks are increasing according to the rate of growth of Web Applications. Any organization must ensure the privacy and security of its users' data in order to maintain the company's and users' integrity. Web application vulnerabilities represent major security risks, making it critical to conduct extensive assessments and penetration testing to discover and remediate such flaws. The paper provides a complete overview of web application vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, emphasizing the need of proactive security measures in protecting sensitive data and preserving application integrity. This study aims to identify and categorize web application vulnerabilities (OWASPs) that may compromise the security of the application and result in user data breaches. The primary focus of this project is the security and privacy of user data. Integrating security practices into the software development life cycle through investigating real-world case studies and industry standards. Ultimately, our research adds to the growing body of knowledge in web application security, assisting organizations in creating resilient defenses against cyber threats.

The adoption of digital technologies in healthcare is growing rapidly, and with it, the associated cybersecurity risks are also increasing. In particular, web applications, which can be used to manage and share sensitive health and personal information, require strong security measures to prevent data breaches and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. This paper investigates the applicability of the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) guidelines in the healthcare domain. Through a literature review, we identified the most common security requirements considered and used in Digital Health (DH) technologies and assessed their alignment with OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS). Furthermore, a questionnaire, involving Italian healthcare facilities and Information Technology (IT) companies operating in the healthcare sector, highlighted a significant gap between the availability of security standards and guidelines, and their actual knowledge and use in practice. Based on these findings, we propose a context-aware tool that guides developers and testers in applying OWASP standards throughout the software development lifecycle. The proposed tool aims to provide tailored security recommendations, structured checklists, and test planning based on application context, offering a practical bridge between frameworks and real-world adoption in clinical environments.

In todays world, software security has become essential for protecting the overall organizations operations. Mostly software development companies are adopting various strategies to build secure software to cope with the challenges of the client organization. Information become threatened due to connection with the cyber world, and it requires better security mechanisms. Software development organizations are receiving pressure from their clients to focus on the enhancement of security during the whole software development life cycle (SDLC). This protocol aims to review the literature in a systematic way to identify the state-of-the-art of software security to be considered by Global Software Development (GSD) vendor organizations during the development of a secure software as it evolves from requirements engineering to its final disposal. In order to improve security processes in the context of software development, our current research developed a Systematic Mapping Study (SMS) protocol. Presently, we are in the implementation phase of the protocol for the development of secure software. The expected outcomes of this SMS will be a list of security measurements and their solutions to be incorporated by GSD vendor organizations in each phase of the SDLC. This will also give a direction for new research in this area.

With the dramatic increase in the number of software security problems, a growing body of research in how to integrate security within software development is notable. Many security approaches have appeared to solve security problems by applying a set of activities through Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Among the top approaches are McGraw's Touchpoints, Comprehensive Lightweight Application Security Process (CLASP) from Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) organization, and Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle (SDL). In this paper, we evaluate these three security approaches by discussing their common process, strength, and limitations. Moreover, we discuss why these approaches do not effectively increase software security. Finally, we set the stage for a future framework to enhance and simplify the application of various security activities within the SDLC.

In recent years, web applications have evolved from small websites into large multi-tiered applications. The quality of web applications depends on the richness of contents, well structured navigation and most importantly its security. Web application testing is a new field of research so as to ensure the consistency and quality of web applications. In the last ten years there have been different approaches. Models have been developed for testing web applications but only a few focused on content testing, a few on navigation testing and a very few on security testing of web applications. There is a need to test content, navigation and security of an application in one go. The objective of this paper is to propose Dual Security Testing Model to test the security of web applications using UML modeling technique which includes web socket interface. In this research paper we have described how our security testing model is implemented using activity diagram, activity graph and based on this how test cases is generated.

Cybersecurity risks are increasing in frequency and complexity, but many organizations struggle to plan and implement adequate protections at all stages of the software development life cycle (SDLC). Security is frequently added at the end of development (afterthought), and making effective use of safeguard space is difficult for IT leaders. The purpose of this study is to produce an all‐encompassing framework to adopt and ensure security throughout each phase of the SDLC, from planning through maintenance. The aim is to minimize vulnerabilities and improve the resilience of software by making “security by design” a structure that not only adopts security elegantly as a living document but also is built to be part of the development process. This study adopted a mixed‐methods approach. The initial stage of inquiry involved a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify common cybersecurity issues associated with each SDLC phase. The SLR was followed by an empirical survey of 71 software professionals from a variety of organizations. The survey was designed to gather perceived threats, current practices, and challenges associated with software development for survey participants' organizations. The data collected were analyzed and reviewed statistically, through chi‐square tests and ANOVA, to profile the variance relative to the size of the organization, geographic region, and experience level of the practitioner. The results noted several high‐risk challenges across the SDLC: underfunded security controls, imprecise requirements, insecure architecture, software bugs (i.e., injection vulnerabilities), inadequate testing, misconfigured production environments, and unreliable maintenance. The proposed framework provides cybersecurity mitigation techniques for each stage of the SDLC, such as leveraging security‐oriented design patterns, secure coding policies (i.e., input validation and authentication protocols), robust testing (i.e., penetration testing and code review), and continuous monitoring after deployment. The implementation of these measures leads to a significant risk reduction in the overall organizational security posture. The framework is a formalized end‐to‐end approach to secure software development by embedding security throughout the cycle. Embedding security as a part of the process versus an afterthought at every stage of the cycle creates a risk reduction impact. This integrated approach also provides organizations with the opportunity to foresee and mitigate events earlier in the cycle, along with general compliance mandates (i.e., GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI‐DSS), to provide more resilient, trustworthy software systems.

Integrating security in the software development life cycle has been a significant concern for researchers, security professionals and software developers. Security frameworks help to improve security in SDLC and mitigate threats by promoting the use of best practices. While in the presence of such best practices, security is somehow considered to be an afterthought and often leaves us with insecure software. Insecure web development makes web applications vulnerable to security threats like injection attacks, data breaches, privilege escalation, CSRF and other threats. This research based on mixed methods approach aims to provide valuable insights for security professionals and web application developers regarding the use of security frameworks to map threats for secure web development. Security frameworks including NIST SSDF, OWASP top 10, OWASP SAMM, SAFECode 3rd edition and BSIMM13 are involved for this purpose. The goal is to address the gap by leveraging these security frameworks to systematically map threats in web development environment. The research will aim to provide a comprehensive methodology for identifying potential security risks, analysing their impact and recommending security measures tailored to specifically web development environment. To achieve this, a comparative study of security frameworks, testing of web applications has been conducted to achieve the results.

Strong security in web applications is critical to the success of your online presence. Security importance has grown massively, especially among web applications. Dealing with web application or website security issues requires deep insight and planning, not only because of the many tools that are available but also because of the industry immaturity. Thus, finding the proper tools requires deep understanding and several steps, including analyzing the development environment, business needs, and the web applications’ complexity. In this paper, we demonstrate the architecture of web applications then list and evaluate the widespread security vulnerabilities. Those vulnerabilities are: Fingerprinting, Insufficient Transport Layer Protection, Information Leakage, Cross-Site Scripting, SQL Injection, and HTTP Splitting. In addition, this paper analyzes the tools that are used to scan for these widespread vulnerabilities in web applications. Finally, it evaluates tools due to security vulnerabilities and gives recommendations to the web applications’ users and administrators aiming to educate them.

Accessibility modifications are required for individuals with situational, temporary, or permanent impairments to properly interact with web applications. Incorporating accessibility guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), into software development, along with the software development life cycle and other paradigms, poses challenges. The linear progression of steps in a conventional software development process leads to the identification of problems at a later stage because testing is typically conducted toward the end. Limited attention to accessibility until the final development phase results in prolonged efforts, increased resource allocation, and higher expenses to address accessibility issues. Consequently, numerous software applications remain inaccessible to users with impairments. This study focuses on a Shift Left-based model to improve accessibility in the software development process. Employing the Shift Left a11y Model that emphasizes early integration for accessibility and coupling it with the Extreme Programming Development Life Cycle would enhance the integration of various testing practices and facilitate the development of software that is accessible to all users, including those with impairments. Keywords: Accessibility, accessible software, shift-left, model, methodology for accessible software

Design architecture is the edifice that strengthens the functionalities as well as the security of web applications. In order to facilitate architectural security from the web application’s design phase itself, practitioners are now adopting the novel mechanism of security tactics. With the intent to conduct a research from the perspective of security tactics, the present study employs a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach named fuzzy analytic hierarchy process-technique for order preference by similarity ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) method for selecting and assessing multi-criteria decisions. The adopted methodology is a blend of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS). To establish the efficacy of this methodology, the results are obtained after the evaluation have been tested on fifteen different web application projects (Online Quiz competition, Entrance Test, and others) of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India. The tabulated outcomes demonstrate that the methodology of the Multi-Level Fuzzy Hybrid system is highly effective in providing accurate estimation for strengthening the security of web applications. The proposed study will help experts and developers in developing and managing security from any web application design phase for better accuracy and higher security.

The software development process model or what is commonly called SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) is one of the Software Engineering (RPL) course materials in the Information Engineering Education (PTI) undergraduate study program where one of the competencies is understanding and knowing the concepts of device engineering software that can be applied in the software development life cycle which is summarized in the material for the SDLC software development process model. This material is the initial material that must be mastered by students to develop quality software. The use of interactive and interesting computer assisted learning media is expected to help the stages of the student learning process properly. This requires an interactive learning multimedia application. The purpose of this research is to develop interactive learning media as an alternative to independent learning tools to assist students in mastering the Software Development Process Model (SDLC) material for students and to find out the feasibility of multimedia application products for learning the Software Development Process Model (SDLC). The research and development methodology used in this research is Research and Development (R&D) with Borg and Gall's development steps which include: (1) Research and data collection; (2) Planning; (3) Development of product drafts; (4) Initial field trials; (5) Revision of trial results (6) Field trials; (7) Product improvement; (8) Field implementation test; (9) Completion of the final product; and (10) Dissemination of implementation. This methodology covers all matters relating to development to produce quality interactive learning media software. Based on the trials, the results obtained were 90.63 percent from media experts, 98.08 percent from material experts, 85.46 percent from initial field trials, 84.56 percent from field trials, and 86.27 percent from field implementation trials. The average value obtained is 89 percent based on the results of the overall data analysis. The conclusion of this research is that the development of multimedia applications for learning the Software Development Process Model (SDLC) is feasible as an independent learning medium. The product produced in this development research is a multimedia application for learning flash-based software development process (SDLC) models.

Web applications are frequent targets of attack due to their widespread use and round the clock availability. Malicious users can exploit vulnerabilities in web applications to steal sensitive information, modify and destroy data as well as deface web applications. The process of exploiting web applications is a multi-step process and the first step in an attack is reconnaissance, in which the attacker tries to gather information about the target web application. In this step, the attacker uses highly efficient automated scanning tools to scan web applications. Following reconnaissance, the attacker proceeds to vulnerability scanning and subsequently attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities discovered to compromise the web application. Detection of reconnaissance scans by malicious users can be combined with other traditional intrusion detection and prevention systems to improve the security of web applications. In this paper, a method for detecting reconnaissance scans through analysis of web server access logs is proposed. The proposed approach uses an LSTM network based deep learning approach for detecting reconnaissance scans. Experiments conducted show that the proposed approach achieves a mean precision, recall and f1-score of 0.99 over three data sets and precision, recall and f1-score of 0.97, 0.96 and 0.96 over the combined dataset.