Penetration Testing for Web Services

BC.

The penetration tester is tasked with evaluating the security of a set of web services with API endpoints, some of which are available to unauthenticated users and some of which are only available to authenticated users. The tester will need to identify potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers and provide recommendations for remediation.

Based on this scenario, the two tools or activities that the penetration tester is MOST likely to use or do during the engagement are:

1. Intercepting proxy: An intercepting proxy is a tool that allows the tester to intercept and analyze traffic between the web services and the clients. This can help the tester identify vulnerabilities such as insufficient authentication or authorization controls, injection attacks, and other vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. By intercepting and modifying requests and responses, the tester can also test for input validation and output encoding issues.

2. Reconnaissance gathering: Reconnaissance gathering is the process of gathering information about the target environment and identifying potential vulnerabilities. This can involve using tools such as port scanners to identify open ports and services, analyzing the web application servers to identify potential vulnerabilities in the software, and analyzing the API endpoints to identify potential weaknesses. The tester may also use social engineering techniques to gather information about the target environment, such as phishing emails or phone calls.

While the other tools and activities listed in the answer choices may be useful in other scenarios, they are not the most likely to be used in this particular scenario.

For example:

• Static code analyzer: A static code analyzer is a tool that analyzes source code for potential vulnerabilities. While this could be useful in identifying vulnerabilities in the web application servers hosting the APIs, it may not be as effective in identifying vulnerabilities specific to the APIs themselves.
• Port scanner: A port scanner is a tool that can be used to identify open ports and services on a network. While this could be useful in identifying potential attack vectors, the tester may already have access to this information and may focus more on analyzing the web application servers and API endpoints themselves.
• Reverse engineering: Reverse engineering involves analyzing software to understand how it works and to identify potential vulnerabilities. While this could be useful in identifying vulnerabilities in the APIs, it may not be the most effective approach in this particular scenario.
• User acceptance testing: User acceptance testing involves testing the system to ensure that it meets the requirements and expectations of the users. While this could be useful in ensuring that the APIs are working as intended, it may not be the most effective approach for identifying security vulnerabilities.