SEC542: Web App Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking

This first section of the web application penetration testing course covers essential techniques such as interception proxies, HTTP basics, information gathering, virtual host discovery, target profiling, HTTPS testing, and content spidering. Labs include configuring Burp Suite and conducting thorough assessments.

Section 2 focuses on advanced web application security techniques, including fuzzing for vulnerability detection, information leakage analysis, and using Nuclei and Burp Suite Pro scanners. It also covers forced browsing for content discovery, API exploitation, various authentication methods, and federated identity protocols.

This section moves from username harvesting and blind password spraying through session management and authentication and authorization bypass, then into stored, reflected, and DOM-based XSS, payload construction, data exfiltration, and browser exploitation using tools such as Burp Suite, ffuf, DOM Invader, and BeEF.

Students progress from prototype pollution and database injection (SQL and NoSQL) through command injection, SSRF, and XML external entities, learning to move from input-level flaws to full data access and system impact using tools like Burp Suite and sqlmap.

This section advances from insecure deserialization, file inclusion, Python automation, SSTI, CSRF, and file upload exploitation to Metasploit-driven post-exploitation and the business side of penetration testing, tying technical attacks to logging, logic flaws, LLM risk, and reporting.

During section six, students compete in teams in the ranges.io platform, a powered web application penetration testing tournament. This Capture-the-Flag exercise lets them wield new or sharpened skills to answer questions, complete missions, exfiltrate data, and tackle progressive challenges with hints that support all skill levels and reinforce learning.