Web Application Penetration Testing
At Kairos Sec, we deliver boutique penetration testing services with a deep focus on expert-led, manual testing methodologies. Our approach is grounded in industry best practices, including the OWASP Testing Guide (v4), OWASP Top 10, and NIST SP 800-115, but goes well beyond automated scans. Each engagement is conducted with precision, tailored to the specific risks and architecture of the application under test.
1. Engagement Scoping & Intelligence Gathering
Every engagement begins with a structured discovery phase to align expectations, identify technical scope, and define critical paths.
- Scoping: Determine attack surface — applications, endpoints, authentication methods, environments (staging vs. production), and user roles.
- Information Gathering: Passive reconnaissance of public assets (e.g., subdomains, exposed credentials, source code leaks).
- Threat Modeling: Based on business logic, data sensitivity, and attack vectors relevant to your application stack.
2. Enumeration & Mapping
We manually enumerate all reachable assets and application pathways to create an accurate map of the attack surface.
- Identify all exposed endpoints, APIs, third-party integrations, and dynamic content.
- Explore parameter behavior, request/response patterns, and authentication flows.
- Catalog technologies in use (e.g., frameworks, CMS, CDN, libraries).
3. Vulnerability Analysis
Rather than relying on automated scanners, we perform deep manual testing to detect both technical and logic-based vulnerabilities.
We focus on:
- Authentication & Session Management Flaws
- Broken authentication, session fixation, token entropy analysis
- Access Control Issues
- Vertical/horizontal privilege escalation, IDOR, forced browsing
- Input Validation & Injection
- SQLi, XSS (stored/reflected/DOM), Command Injection, Template Injection
- Application Logic Flaws
- Circumventing workflows, abusing rate limits, or misusing trust boundaries
- API Security
- OWASP API Top 10 including broken object-level and function-level authorization
- Cryptographic Weaknesses
- Misuse of encryption, token predictability, JWT analysis
- Client-Side Vulnerabilities
- CSP bypasses, JavaScript prototype pollution, DOM-based attacks
4. Exploitation & Proof of Concept
Where applicable, we safely exploit verified vulnerabilities to demonstrate real-world impact. Exploits are controlled and non-destructive.
- Impact Simulation: Show how data exfiltration, account takeover, or privilege escalation could occur.
- Screenshots, Logs, and Replication Steps: Provided for all findings.
- Zero false positives: Every issue is manually validated.
5. Reporting & Risk Analysis
We deliver a clear, actionable report that balances technical depth with executive readability.
- Executive Summary: Business risk aligned with severity ratings.
- Technical Details: For each finding — description, affected components, reproduction steps, and remediation guidance.
- Remediation Consulting: Optional support to help your dev team understand and resolve issues effectively.
6. Retesting & Continuous Support
Security doesn’t end at the report.
- Retesting: Included to verify that vulnerabilities are properly remediated.
- Follow-up Advisory: Access to our consultants for clarification, secure code advice, and remediation validation.
Why Kairos Sec?
Confidentiality & Discretion — always boutique, never outsourced
Real Business Risk Analysis — not just technical checklists
Deep API and Business Logic Testing — where automation fails