Web Application Penetration Testing

What you will be able to do

• Set up a safe, legal test lab and drive Burp Suite as your intercepting proxy for capturing, editing, and replaying web traffic.
• Scope an engagement responsibly and map an application's full attack surface before you send a single payload.
• Find and exploit injection flaws, including Structured Query Language (SQL) injection, command injection, and cross-site scripting (XSS).
• Test authentication and session handling for the weaknesses attackers use to take over accounts.
• Break access control by exploiting insecure direct object references (IDOR) and privilege gaps, and safely demonstrate SSRF impact.
• Rate each finding's real-world risk with a repeatable method such as the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
• Write a clear, evidence-backed report with reproduction steps and remediation guidance a developer can act on right away.
• Run a full web application test end to end, from kickoff and scoping through to a professional final report.

What is inside

4 modules, 8 lessons. Each module ends in a graded quiz and most carry an assignment.

1. 01

   Foundations, Recon, and Your Toolkit

   Every professional test starts well before the first payload. You will stand up a safe, legal practice lab, configure Burp Suite as your intercepting proxy, and adopt a repeatable methodology so your work is thorough and defensible. Then you will map the target so you know exactly where its attack surface lies.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions

2. 02

   Injection and Input-Handling Flaws

   Injection sits at the top of the OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) Top 10 because an application that trusts user input can be made to do the attacker's bidding. You will discover and exploit the major input-handling flaws, using Burp Suite to read responses and sharpen your payloads. Just as important, you will learn why each flaw happens, which is what lets you explain the fix with confidence.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions · assignment

3. 03

   Broken Authentication, Access Control, and SSRF

   The costliest bugs are often not about malformed input; they are about broken trust. In this module you attack the machinery that decides who a user is and what they are allowed to do, taking over accounts and reaching data that should be off limits. You will also exploit server-side request forgery to make the application itself reach internal systems an outsider should never touch. These are among the highest-impact findings in modern web application testing, and they are where real engagements are won.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions

4. 04

   Reporting That Gets Bugs Fixed

   A finding no one understands is a finding no one fixes. You will turn raw results into a clear, structured report that rates risk honestly, proves impact with evidence, and gives developers a practical path to remediation. To close the loop, you will practice retesting and confirming that fixes actually hold.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions · assignment