Web Application Penetration Testing Methodology

Web application penetration testing follows a structured methodology to ensure comprehensive coverage. The OWASP Testing Guide (OTG) provides the industry-standard framework with over 100 test cases organized by category.

Phases: Reconnaissance (passive and active), Mapping (spider, crawl, directory brute-force), Authentication Testing, Authorization Testing, Input Validation Testing, Business Logic Testing, and Reporting.

Scope definition is critical: what domains, subdomains, authenticated roles, and features are in scope? Always have written authorization before testing. Web app pentests typically reveal 3-5x more findings than network tests due to the complexity of application logic.