Web Application Penetration Testing Services

OWASP Top 10

The OWASP Top 10 is a globally recognized standard that highlights the most critical web application security risks. While it’s a great starting point for understanding common vulnerabilities, it represents only a baseline—not a comprehensive security strategy.

Current OWASP Top 10 List Released for 2021-2024:

• Broken Access Control
• Cryptographic Failures
• Injection
• Insecure Design
• Security Misconfiguration
• Vulnerable and Outdated Components
• Identification and Authentication Failures
• Software and Data Integrity Failures
• Security Logging and Monitoring Failures
• Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

While these are essential to address, many real-world attacks exploit complex vulnerabilities not listed in OWASP. That’s where most penetration testing providers fall short.

At Artifice Security, we go beyond the OWASP Top 10. Our web application penetration testing uncovers logic flaws, chained vulnerabilities, and business logic abuse that automated scanners and checklist-based testing often miss. We provide detailed proof-of-concept examples and developer-friendly remediation guidance tailored to your specific environment—whether you’re running traditional applications or modern APIs in cloud-native ecosystems.

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Automated vulnerability scanners are useful for quickly detecting basic issues like reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), missing HTTP headers, and outdated components. However, they fall short when it comes to identifying context-aware threats, logical flaws, and multi-step attack chains that real-world adversaries exploit.

At Artifice Security, our approach is different.

We use automated scanning tools for initial enumeration—typically less than 10% of the engagement. From there, our penetration testers apply deep manual testing techniques that go far beyond what scanners can detect. This includes identifying:

• Business logic vulnerabilities
• Authentication bypasses
• Authorization issues across role types
• Abuse of application workflows
• Chained vulnerabilities that elevate overall risk

Our testers don’t just point out low-rated findings—they demonstrate how they can be escalated into critical attack paths with real-world impact. By understanding your application’s logic, architecture, and user roles, we tailor each test to your environment—not a generic checklist.

Manual penetration testing reveals what scanners miss—and that’s where real security begins.

Methodology

At Artifice Security, we use a refined, manual penetration testing methodology that’s been shaped by years of real-world assessments across industries and technologies. Our process is repeatable, precise, and always tailored to your application’s architecture and threat profile.

As a manual-first penetration testing firm, we guarantee zero false positives in your report. Every finding is backed by clear, reproducible proof-of-concept (PoC) examples that your team can independently validate and act on.

Our penetration testers bring more than tools—they bring deep operational experience. From former system administrators and cloud architects to red team operators and former NSA-cleared security consultants, our team understands how applications work from the inside out. Many of our experts have:

• Spoken at leading cybersecurity conferences

• Created tools used by the security community

• Discovered 0-days in live enterprise environments

We don’t just test your app — we think like adversaries who want to break it. That’s what sets our methodology apart.

Our security experts are diverse with experience working as system administrators, web developers, network engineers, and cloud specialists to military veterans and former NSA employees who held Top Secret clearances. Artifice Security consultants have also taught and spoken at cybersecurity conferences and created tools used by many penetration testers today. Each of our consultants is not only highly passionate about security, but they are also highly credentialed.

01

Define the Scope

Before testing begins, Artifice Security works closely with your team to establish a precise and effective testing scope. This ensures we accurately target your web application’s components while aligning with your business priorities and technical environment.

During this planning phase, we will:

• Identify all applications, domains, and IP addresses involved in testing

• Clarify which directories, endpoints, or systems (if any) are out of scope

• Confirm whether testing will be conducted in a production or staging (QA/test) environment

• Determine the testing schedule, including preferred dates and time windows

• Exchange key personnel and emergency contact details in case a critical vulnerability is discovered during the assessment

Our goal is to minimize disruption and maximize clarity, so your team knows what to expect—every step of the way.

02

Information Gathering & Reconnaissance

The first phase of our web application penetration testing methodology involves comprehensive information gathering through passive reconnaissance techniques. Using Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), our consultants identify exposed data and overlooked risks that malicious actors could use as a starting point to compromise your systems.

We collect publicly accessible information—without direct interaction with your environment—to uncover what attackers might already know about your organization. This includes:

• Searching for exposed documents (e.g., PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPT) that may unintentionally contain sensitive internal or customer information

• Scanning the public Internet and dark web for compromised credentials found in known data breach repositories

• Reviewing platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and developer forums for leaked API keys, passwords, or configuration files tied to your web application

• Identifying lookalike or typo-squatted domain names that could be exploited in phishing and domain spoofing campaigns

• Inspecting your publicly accessible robots.txt file for indications of hidden or sensitive directories

This OSINT phase sets the foundation for a targeted, risk-informed penetration test by simulating the first steps an attacker would take—before ever touching your network.

03

Enumeration Phase

The enumeration phase of a web application penetration test is critical for building a complete picture of the application’s attack surface. Following the reconnaissance stage, our testers shift focus to actively interact with the application, identifying how it’s built, how it behaves, and where potential vulnerabilities may lie.

Using tools like Burp Suite, we crawl through every reachable component of the application to uncover details about endpoints, supported HTTP methods, authentication mechanisms, and user roles. Our goal is to map the full structure and behavior of your app so we can later identify weak points with maximum context.

Our enumeration process includes:

• Mapping and crawling the application using intercepting proxy tools

• Enumerating directories, hidden paths, and exposed files via brute forcing and other discovery methods

• Identifying all subdomains, including checks for potential subdomain takeover vulnerabilities

• Analyzing third-party integrations and cloud services (e.g., AWS S3) for misconfigurations or exposures

• Scanning for open ports and services on any exposed infrastructure supporting the application

• Determining the application’s underlying technologies—including web frameworks, server software, libraries, and third-party components

• Researching known vulnerabilities (CVEs) associated with the technologies in use

This thorough enumeration sets the stage for identifying and exploiting real-world weaknesses based on the structure and logic of your specific application.

04

Attack and Exploitation Phase

In the attack and exploitation phase, Artifice Security conducts targeted, manual exploitation of the vulnerabilities discovered during enumeration. This stage of the web application penetration test demonstrates how real-world attackers could exploit flaws to gain unauthorized access, exfiltrate data, or compromise critical systems.

All exploitation is performed safely and methodically, ensuring there is no disruption to your business operations or data integrity. Our senior consultants use industry-standard tools and custom techniques to safely demonstrate the risk, validate findings, and provide proof-of-concept (PoC) evidence.

This phase includes thorough testing across multiple security domains:

• Configuration and Deployment Management – Detecting insecure default settings, unnecessary services, and outdated components

• Identity and Authentication Testing – Testing how users authenticate, including MFA and credential handling

• Authorization Testing – Verifying that users can only access resources permitted by their role

• Session Management – Evaluating session tokens, timeouts, and hijacking protections

• Data Validation – Identifying injection flaws, XSS, and input handling issues

• Error Handling – Discovering error leaks that expose sensitive information

• Cryptographic Testing – Reviewing how data is encrypted in transit and at rest

• Business Logic Testing – Uncovering flaws in the intended behavior of the application (e.g., bypassing purchase limits or pricing controls)

• Client-Side Testing – Evaluating browser-side logic, DOM-based XSS, and storage risks

• API Testing – Reviewing RESTful or GraphQL APIs for improper authorization, input validation, and rate-limiting controls

This structured approach ensures complete and actionable insight into how each layer of your application can be targeted—and how to defend it.

05

Reporting Phase

Following the completion of the assessment, Artifice Security delivers a comprehensive, manually-validated penetration testing report tailored to your web application and business environment. As a manual penetration testing company, we ensure that every finding is verified—with zero false positives in your results.

Our reports are designed to be useful for both technical and executive audiences:

• Executive Summary – A high-level overview written in plain language, outlining the overall risk posture of your web application. This section highlights key findings, business impact, and a summary of strengths observed during the engagement.

• Threat Ranking and Severity Scoring – We explain how vulnerabilities are prioritized based on likelihood and impact, referencing industry frameworks such as NIST 800-30 and CVSS.

• Technical Findings – Each vulnerability includes:

  • A clear summary of the issue

  • The affected endpoint(s) or component(s)

  • Proof-of-concept (PoC) examples

  • Detailed remediation guidance tailored to your technology stack

Our reports are actionable. Your team can replicate each PoC step-by-step, helping them understand both the exploit and the fix. This makes remediation faster and more effective.

If needed, Artifice Security also provides:

• Customer-facing summary report suitable for audits or compliance documentation

• Attestation letter validating that a professional web application penetration test was conducted against your environment

Our goal is to ensure you’re not only secure, but also able to demonstrate it clearly to stakeholders, partners, and regulatory bodies.

06

Remediation Testing (Retesting)

As part of every web application penetration test, Artifice Security includes one round of remediation testing (also known as retesting) to validate that identified vulnerabilities have been properly resolved.

Once your team has addressed the issues outlined in the original report, our consultants will retest each finding manually to ensure that the fixes are effective and that no new security risks were introduced. This process helps you:

• Confirm that all vulnerabilities have been successfully remediated

• Gain assurance that your security posture has measurably improved

• Demonstrate closure of findings to auditors, stakeholders, and customers

• Support compliance efforts with updated risk posture documentation

After the retest is completed, you’ll receive an updated penetration testing report clearly marking which vulnerabilities have been resolved, which remain open, and any new issues that may have emerged. This updated documentation can be shared with third parties as proof of due diligence and improved security.

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