Web Application & API Penetration Testing
Manual. Operator-Validated. Business-Impact Focused.
Your application layer is your most exposed surface. Every web application, API endpoint, and mobile interface you ship is a potential entry point — and automated scanners catch less than half of what a skilled operator finds manually.
Evaluris conducts manual penetration testing across web applications, REST and GraphQL APIs, mobile platforms, and thick-client applications. Every finding is confirmed as exploitable, documented with full business impact context, and paired with prioritized remediation guidance your development team can act on immediately.
The Problem With Most Web Application Testing
Automated scanning tools are fast, inexpensive, and consistently miss the vulnerabilities that cause real breaches. Business logic flaws, chained multi-step exploits, authentication bypass through sequence manipulation, and insecure direct object references between API endpoints are invisible to scanners — because scanners test inputs, not intent.
Evaluris operators approach your application the way an attacker would: understanding the business logic, mapping the data flows, and testing the assumptions your developers made when they built it. The result is a finding set that reflects your actual risk exposure — not a list of CVEs recycled from an automated report.
The OWASP Top 10 has not changed because developers stopped making these mistakes. It has stayed consistent because automated tools keep missing the same class of vulnerabilities that matter.
Methodology
Testing follows the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide (WSTG) with operator-customized hypothesis-driven workflows layered on top. Every engagement begins with a thorough reconnaissance and mapping phase before a single test payload is sent.
Reconnaissance & Attack Surface Mapping
Application architecture review, endpoint enumeration, authentication flow mapping, third-party integration identification, and business logic understanding. We build a complete picture of the application before testing begins.
Authentication & Session Management Testing
Credential brute force resistance, session token analysis, multi-factor authentication bypass attempts, OAuth/OIDC flow abuse, and password reset chain exploitation.
Authorization & Access Control Testing
Horizontal and vertical privilege escalation, IDOR enumeration across all object types, forced browsing, role boundary testing, and multi-tenant isolation validation.
Injection & Input Validation Testing
SQL injection (manual and blind), NoSQL injection, GraphQL injection, XXE, SSTI, SSRF, command injection, and deserialization attacks against all input surfaces.
Business Logic & Application Flow Testing
Price manipulation, workflow bypass, race conditions, batch request abuse, and feature flag exploitation — vulnerabilities that only emerge when an operator understands what the application is supposed to do.
API-Specific Testing
GraphQL introspection abuse, REST verb tampering, mass assignment, API key exposure, JWT manipulation, and insecure direct object reference chains across API endpoints.
Reporting & Remediation Walkthrough
Every finding is severity-ranked using CVSS v4.0, mapped to OWASP WSTG categories, and documented with full reproduction steps, business impact narrative, and developer-ready remediation guidance.
What We Test
- Web applications (internal and external facing)
- REST APIs and GraphQL APIs
- Mobile applications (iOS and Android, client-side and server-side)
- Thick-client and desktop applications
- Single-page applications (React, Angular, Vue)
- OAuth 2.0 / OIDC authentication flows
- API gateways and microservice architectures
- Third-party integrations and webhook endpoints
Common Findings
Vulnerabilities Evaluris operators consistently identify that automated tools miss:
Chained IDOR to account takeover
object reference flaws that individually appear low-risk but combine to full account compromise
JWT algorithm confusion attacks
RS256-to-HS256 downgrade enabling token forgery
GraphQL batching abuse
rate limit bypass through batched query execution
Business logic price manipulation
checkout flow sequence tampering in e-commerce and fintech platforms
Race condition exploitation
concurrent request abuse leading to double-spend, duplicate resource creation, or balance manipulation
Second-order injection
stored payloads that execute in administrative contexts never reached by automated scanners
Compliance Alignment
| Framework | Requirement |
|---|---|
| PCI DSS v4.0.1 | Req. 11.4 — annual penetration testing of all cardholder data environment applications |
| DORA Art. 25 | Annual ICT security testing including application layer |
| NIS2 Art. 21 | Security measures including application vulnerability management |
| OWASP WSTG | Full methodology coverage |
| ISO 27001:2022 | A.8.8 — management of technical vulnerabilities |
| GDPR / HIPAA | Evidence of security controls for data-processing applications |
Deliverables
- Executive Summary — risk-rated findings in non-technical language for leadership and board-level audiences
- Technical Report — full reproduction steps, evidence screenshots, HTTP request/response captures, and CVSS v4.0 scores for every finding
- OWASP WSTG Mapping — every test case documented against the relevant WSTG category
- Developer Remediation Guide — code-level fix recommendations and secure coding references per finding
- Retest Confirmation — findings verified as remediated in a dedicated retest engagement window
Ready to scope this engagement?
Tell us about your environment, regulatory drivers, and timeline. We will align methodology, scope, and evidence requirements before testing begins.