Defining Test Scope and Authorization

Before initiating security testing on a GitHub application, establish clear boundaries and obtain written authorization from the repository owner. The testing scope must specify exact repositories, branches, and API endpoints subject to assessment. Determine which testing methodologies are authorized: dynamic application security testing (DAST), static application security testing (SAST), or both approaches combined.

Document all agreed-upon constraints, including testing timeframes and prohibited actions such as data deletion or service disruption. Ensure all team members understand and respect these boundaries throughout the engagement. Exceeding the defined scope may result in legal consequences and reputational damage to the testing organization.

  • Obtain written authorization before commencing testing activities
  • Define specific repositories and API endpoints within testing scope
  • Establish temporal boundaries and operational restrictions

Reconnaissance and Information Gathering

Begin with passive information collection about the target application. Examine public repositories, branches, commit history, and project dependencies. Analyze configuration files, environment variables, and credentials that may be inadvertently exposed in the Git history. Use specialized tools to identify credential leaks or sensitive information in repository records.

Identify the application's technology stack: programming languages, frameworks, libraries, and version numbers. This identification enables detection of known vulnerabilities within dependencies. Review project documentation, API endpoints, database structures, and authentication mechanisms. Gather infrastructure details, hosting providers, and deployed services that support the application.

  • Examine repository history, branches, and commit patterns
  • Search for exposed secrets and authentication credentials
  • Catalog dependencies and identify library versions

Vulnerability Classification Using OWASP Top 10

Use OWASP Top 10 as the standard framework for test prioritization. This reference document identifies the most critical web application security risks and provides a foundation for effective testing planning. Focus testing efforts on the ten major vulnerability categories, including injection attacks, authentication failures, sensitive data exposure, and other critical threats.

For each vulnerability category, identify application entry points and potential attack vectors. Develop a comprehensive checklist based on the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide, which provides detailed testing methodologies for each vulnerability type. This systematic approach ensures complete coverage and identifies critical security issues before malicious actors exploit them.

  • Reference OWASP Top 10 2025 for current risk classification
  • Apply OWASP Web Security Testing Guide methodologies
  • Create structured checklists for each vulnerability category

HTTP Traffic and Communication Analysis

Conduct detailed analysis of HTTP messages exchanged by the application. Examine request and response structures, including metadata in HTTP headers that may leak server or application information. Verify proper HTTP method usage: ensure the application correctly handles GET, POST, PUT, DELETE and other methods according to their intended purpose.

Analyze authentication mechanisms and session management: examine cookie usage, token implementation, and authorization headers. Verify correct implementation of CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing), CSP (Content Security Policy), and other HTTP-level security controls. Test proper handling of HTTP redirects, conditional requests, and caching mechanisms to prevent confidential data leakage.

  • Analyze HTTP headers for server information disclosure
  • Verify CORS and CSP policy implementation correctness
  • Examine session management and cookie security practices

Authentication and Access Control Testing

Conduct comprehensive testing of application authentication mechanisms. Test for authentication bypass vulnerabilities, weak password policies, brute force attacks, and dictionary attacks. Evaluate password recovery functions, multi-factor authentication implementation, and other account protection mechanisms. Verify that passwords are not stored in plaintext and that the application uses cryptographically secure hashing algorithms.

Test session management correctness: ensure session tokens are generated unpredictably, possess sufficient length, and have appropriate expiration. Test for token theft and reuse vulnerabilities, session fixation attacks. Verify proper logout implementation and token invalidation. Confirm that sensitive data is not transmitted via URL parameters or stored in logs.

  • Test authentication bypass and credential brute force attacks
  • Verify secure password storage and token generation
  • Analyze session management and proper invalidation

Injection and Input Manipulation Testing

Injection vulnerabilities represent one of the most critical categories. Test the application for SQL injection by submitting various SQL syntax payloads to search fields, login forms, and filters. Test for operating system command injection in functions executing system commands. Examine for LDAP injection, XPath injection, and other query language injection vectors if the application uses them.

Conduct XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) testing by attempting to inject JavaScript code into various application entry points. Test both reflected and stored XSS variants. Verify application defenses against CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) attacks and confirm implementation of CSRF token protection. Test for HTTP header injection and parameter pollution that may lead to cache poisoning or response splitting attacks.

  • Test SQL injection in search fields and user input forms
  • Verify XSS (reflected and stored) and CSRF protections
  • Examine HTTP header injection and cache poisoning vectors

Results Documentation and Remediation Guidance

Upon test completion, prepare a detailed report documenting all discovered vulnerabilities, their severity, and potential security impact. Each vulnerability must describe exact location (URL, parameter, header), reproduction steps, and proof-of-concept. Classify vulnerabilities by severity: critical, high, medium, and low, based on exploitability and potential impact.

Provide specific, actionable remediation recommendations for each vulnerability. Include code examples, references to security standards such as OWASP, and best practice guidance. Beyond technical recommendations, suggest organizational improvements: developer security training, static code analysis integration into development pipelines, and regular dependency updates. Ensure the report is accessible to both technical personnel and management stakeholders.

  • Document each vulnerability with location, reproduction steps, and proof
  • Classify by severity: critical, high, medium, and low
  • Provide practical remediation guidance with code examples

Sources

PENTEST.RED / RED JOURNAL