The OWASP Top 10 is a starting point, not a ceiling. The vulnerabilities that cause real breaches — IDOR chains, authentication bypasses, race conditions, business logic abuse — require an adversary mindset, not a checklist.
Our manual web application security assessments are conducted by senior engineers who approach your application the way a sophisticated attacker would: mapping functionality, understanding intent, and finding where that intent can be subverted. Engagements start at $8,000 — scoped and quoted before any commitment.
Automated web application scanners excel at known CVEs and simple injection patterns. They cannot reason about your application's authorization model or understand how its features interact.
IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) flaws let authenticated users access other users' records by manipulating predictable identifiers. Privilege escalation through application logic occurs when role-enforcement is implemented client-side or inconsistently server-side — a standard user can reach admin endpoints by modifying request parameters. These vulnerabilities require understanding the application's intended behavior; no scanner can model that intent.
We test for credential stuffing susceptibility (no rate limiting, no lockout, no MFA enforcement), JWT algorithm confusion attacks (accepting 'alg: none' or RS256 key confusion with HS256), session fixation and session token entropy weaknesses, OAuth 2.0 misconfiguration (open redirectors, missing state parameter, code reuse), and password reset flow vulnerabilities including predictable tokens and host header injection.
SQL injection variations that scanners miss: time-based blind SQLi in JSON bodies, second-order injection where payloads are stored and executed in a different context, NoSQL injection against MongoDB and similar backends, Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) in Jinja2/Twig/Freemarker, and insecure deserialization chains in Java and PHP applications that achieve remote code execution through gadget chains.
Our assessments go beyond the OWASP Top 10 to cover the complete modern web application attack surface.
We tailor the engagement model to your threat scenario, timeline, and compliance requirements.
We test from the perspective of an unauthenticated external attacker. No credentials, no source code, no internal documentation. This approach is valuable for validating your perimeter controls and authentication mechanisms, and closely mirrors the opportunistic threat actor scenario. Best for: public-facing applications, pre-launch security validation.
We receive standard user credentials and basic application documentation. This is the most realistic scenario — it mirrors a compromised user account, a malicious insider, or a phishing victim. Gray box testing produces the most actionable findings for the time invested because testers can focus on logic flaws and authorization failures rather than spending days on reconnaissance.
We receive source code, admin credentials, API documentation, and architecture diagrams. This enables the most thorough assessment: we can identify vulnerabilities in code paths that are difficult or impossible to reach through black-box testing. White box engagements are most efficient for compliance-driven testing where maximum coverage is required within a defined budget.
Our deliverables are designed to satisfy the specific evidence requirements of the major compliance frameworks your organization operates under.
External penetration testing must be performed at least once every 12 months and after any significant infrastructure or application upgrade or change, by a qualified tester who is organizationally independent (PCI DSS v4.0.1, Req. 11.4.3). Our web application assessments are scoped to satisfy this testing requirement. Note that since 31 March 2025, Requirement 6.4.2 separately mandates an automated technical solution (e.g., a WAF) for public-facing web applications — testing complements but does not replace it.
The entity implements logical access security software, infrastructure, and architectures over protected information assets. Web application testing provides evidence of control effectiveness.
The Application Security Verification Standard provides three levels of coverage. Our assessments map to ASVS Level 2 by default, with Level 3 available for high-assurance applications in regulated industries.
Covered entities must conduct annual penetration testing of their information systems — including web applications — from both inside and outside the systems' boundaries, by a qualified internal or external party (23 NYCRR § 500.5, as amended Nov. 2023).
Every web application assessment produces a complete documentation package suitable for your engineering team, your executive leadership, and your auditors.
A non-technical narrative covering overall application risk posture, the most critical findings and their business impact, and recommended remediation priorities for board, CISO, and product leadership.
Detailed write-up for every identified vulnerability: CVSS v3.1 score, affected endpoint and parameter, complete reproduction steps with request/response evidence, and specific code-level or configuration remediation guidance.
Prioritized remediation plan organized by severity and remediation complexity. Includes estimated developer effort for each fix category and recommended sprint sequencing for your engineering team.
Signed attestation confirming a manual web application security assessment was conducted, by whom, within a defined scope and date range. Accepted by PCI QSAs and SOC 2 auditors as evidence of control testing.
Start with a scoping call. We will walk through your application, define a realistic scope, and give you an honest assessment of what a thorough manual test will cost and find.
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