Top 10 Security Threats Detected Through Penetration Testing

• 14 August, 2025
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Top 10 Security Threats Detected Through Application Penetration Testing

In various domains, Application Penetration Testing helps protect confidential data against online threats. But do you know why you need such services? Here, we will talk about the need and uses related to application penetration testing services.

In the end, we will introduce you to a reputed services provider offering these services to needy organizations working in the IT Industry. What are we waiting for? Let’s get started!

What is Application Penetration Testing?

Application penetration testing is a methodical, manual procedure used to identify and take advantage of security flaws in web or mobile applications by simulating a real-world cyberattack. In order to determine how resilient the system is against an attack, ethical hackers actively attempt to compromise it.

The objective is to give a thorough, useful report on the security posture of an application before malevolent actors can take advantage of its flaws. Let’s talk about what Application Penetration Testing is!

Top 10 Security Threats Detected Through Application Penetration Testing

Following are the Top 10 Security Threats detected through application penetration testing:

1. Broken Access Control

An attacker can get around permission in this significant category to access data or functions that they shouldn’t be able to see. Testers search for flaws that let them access administrative features without being an administrator or view or change the data of other users.

2. Cryptographic Failures

Testers evaluate an application’s handling of private information while it’s in transit and at rest. This involves identifying weaknesses that could expose sensitive data, such as inadequate encryption, poor key management, or a total lack of encryption.

3. Injection

An attacker can fool the interpreter into executing commands by sending untrusted data to an application. This is a classic and extremely severe vulnerability. One of the best examples is SQL injection, which allows an attacker to change a database by inserting malicious SQL code into an input field.

4. Insecure Design

This category concentrates on underlying defects in the architecture or design of the application rather than just its execution. Inadequate security principles, including a lack of threat modeling, can result in a variety of other vulnerabilities, which is why testers search for them.

5. Security Misconfiguration

Vulnerabilities resulting from incorrect application, server, or cloud environment configuration are frequently discovered by penetration testers. Examples include exposing superfluous services, having permissions that are too permissive, or maintaining the default credentials.

6. Vulnerable and Outdated Components

A lot of programs make use of third-party frameworks or libraries. Testers look for known vulnerabilities in these components that an attacker could take advantage of. This is a typical observation because companies frequently neglect to maintain their dependencies.

7. Identification and Authentication Failures

This refers to flaws in the way a program handles user sessions and authentication. Testers attempt to take advantage of vulnerabilities that can result in credential stuffing or account takeover, such as inadequate password restrictions, poor session management, or a lack of multi-factor authentication.

8. Software and Data Integrity Failures

Testers search for flaws in CI/CD pipelines, essential data, or software updates that lack integrity checks. This may make it possible for an attacker to upload or insert malicious code into the source of the application.

9. Security Logging and Monitoring Failures

Insufficient tracking and monitoring to identify and address a security issue is a threat. A penetration test can show how an attacker might navigate a system undetected, emphasizing the need for improved alerting and logging.

10. Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

A penetration tester can use this technique to have a web application send queries to an unexpected location. They may be able to access or alter internal resources that shouldn’t be made available to the general public as a result.

Benefits of Application Penetration Testing

Industries that need Application Penetration Testing professionals

The following are some industries that need application penetration testing professionals:

• Financial Services: Pen testing is necessary in this sector to protect payment systems, online banking platforms, and consumer financial information from fraud and penalties such as those imposed by PCI DSS.
• Healthcare: Experts are required to protect patient data and electronic health records (EHRs) in order to guarantee adherence to stringent laws like HIPAA and to shield patients from harm caused by compromised medical equipment.
• Government and Defense: To adhere to standards like FISMA and NIST and safeguard vital infrastructure and national security data from state-sponsored attacks, these industries require testers.
• E-commerce and Retail: In order to stop fraud, preserve consumer confidence, and comply with PCI DSS and GDPR, pen testers assist in protecting consumer credit card information, personal data, and payment gateways.
• Technology and Software: Pen testing is used by this industry to validate the security of their own goods, create secure applications from the ground up, and defend their intellectual property against rivals.

Conclusion

Now that we have talked about Application Penetration Testing, you might want to get the best experience with these services. For that, you can rely on Craw Security offering the Application Penetration Testing Service in Singapore to several organizations.

During the process, professionals will use various techniques and tools to find vulnerabilities in the application. After that, they will offer solutions to improve the security measures. What are you waiting for? Contact, Now!

Frequently Asked Questions

About Application Penetration Testing

1. What is Application Penetration Testing?

To identify and exploit security flaws and evaluate an application’s resistance to actual assaults, application penetration testing involves a manual, simulated cyberattack.

2. Why is Application Penetration Testing important for security?

Application Penetration Testing is important for security for the following reasons:

1. Identifies Real-World Risks,
2. Uncovers Complex Vulnerabilities,
3. Validates Security Controls,
4. Helps with Prioritization, and
5. Ensures Regulatory Compliance.

3. How can SQL injection attacks be prevented?

In the following ways, SQL injection attacks can be prevented:

1. Use Parameterized Queries (Prepared Statements),
2. Implement Input Validation & Sanitization,
3. Apply the Principle of Least Privilege,
4. Regularly Update & Patch Your Database, and
5. Use an Object-Relational Mapper (ORM).

4. What is Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and how can it be mitigated?

An online security flaw known as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) allows an attacker to insert malicious code into a page that other users are viewing.

5. What is an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR), and why is it dangerous?

By merely altering a parameter value, like a user ID, in a web application’s URL or form data, an attacker can get access to a resource using an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability.

6. How do broken authentication and session management affect application security?

Broken authentication and session management can affect application security in the following ways:

1. Account Takeover,
2. Session Hijacking,
3. Elevation of Privileges,
4. Sensitive Data Exposure, and
5. Bypassing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

7. What are security misconfigurations, and how can they be fixed?

Incorrect settings on a server, application, or cloud environment that reveal vulnerabilities are known as security misconfigurations. These can be resolved by hardening systems, eliminating superfluous functionality, and making sure all security settings are applied correctly.

8. What is Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), and how can it be prevented?

An online security flaw known as Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) allows an attacker to fool a victim’s browser into carrying out an undesirable activity on a legitimate website where the user has authenticated.

9. How can penetration testing help in protecting sensitive data?

Penetration testing can help in protecting sensitive data in the following ways:

1. Uncovers Data Exposure Points,
2. Validates Encryption Controls,
3. Assesses Access Control Mechanisms,
4. Simulates a Breach to Understand Impact, and
5. Identifies Weaknesses in Third-Party Integrations.

10. What are the best practices to follow after discovering vulnerabilities during penetration testing?

The following are the best practices to follow after discovering vulnerabilities during penetration testing:

1. Prioritize Findings Based on Risk,
2. Develop a Remediation Plan,
3. Implement the Fixes & Re-test,
4. Update Security Policies & Procedures, and
5. Integrate Findings into a Continuous Security Program.

11. How often should an application undergo penetration testing?

If an application handles sensitive data, is in a high-risk business, or has undergone substantial modifications, it should be subjected to penetration testing at least once a year, and more frequently, such as quarterly or semi-annually.

12. Can penetration testing be automated, or is manual testing always required?

No, a thorough penetration test cannot be entirely automated; both automated tools and human expert testing are necessary.

13. What are the main benefits of conducting regular penetration tests?

The following are the main benefits of conducting regular penetration tests:

1. Continuous Risk Reduction,
2. Validation of Security Controls,
3. Enhanced Regulatory Compliance,
4. Improved Incident Response Capabilities, and
5. Protection of Brand Reputation & Customer Trust.

14. What tools are commonly used for application penetration testing?

The following tools are commonly used for application penetration testing:

1. Burp Suite,
2. Metasploit Framework,
3. OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy),
4. Nmap, and
5. SQLmap