Penetration Testing

Web application and API

Uncover and eliminate critical vulnerabilities in your web applications before attackers do.

Discuss an engagement
Objective
exploitable flaws in web applications and APIs
Maturity
testing beyond automated scanning
Approach
detailed manual testing with automation, source code optional
Result
a prioritised remediation roadmap for developers

Protecting your web applications and APIs

Web applications and APIs are key attack vectors for adversaries, providing access to sensitive data and core systems. SilentGrid's Web Application and Services Penetration Testing identifies vulnerabilities that evade automated scans by simulating real-world attack scenarios.

Hands-on testing informed by security research examines how modern web architectures withstand emerging attack techniques.

What sets us apart

Realistic threat simulation

Consultants replicate attacker techniques to identify exploitable vulnerabilities and assess how applications withstand targeted attacks.

Tailored for complex environments

Each engagement is scoped around the application's architecture, frameworks and business logic so testing addresses risks specific to its technology stack.

Advanced manual testing

Deep manual testing combined with automation identifies hard-to-spot vulnerabilities that generic testing tools often overlook. We focus on uncovering complex flaws such as business logic errors, chained exploits, and misconfigurations that can't be detected through automation alone.

Technical innovation

SilentGrid investigates emerging web attack techniques through active research and custom tool development. The team develops tools to identify complex vulnerability chains across modern web applications and APIs.

Methodology

SilentGrid's methodology combines current adversarial techniques with established frameworks such as OWASP and ASVS (Application Security Verification Standard). These ensure comprehensive application coverage and assessment of critical vulnerabilities against recognised security standards.

  1. 01

    Reconnaissance and threat modelling

    • Mapping application components and services
    • Identifying potential attack vectors
  2. 02

    Automated and manual testing

    • Running automated scans to detect standard vulnerabilities
    • Performing detailed manual analysis to uncover complex flaws
  3. 03

    Exploitation and validation

    • Safely exploiting vulnerabilities to demonstrate real-world impacts
  4. 04

    Reporting and remediation

    • Delivering technical reports with clear remediation paths and development-friendly recommendations

Code-assisted penetration testing

Optional code-assisted assessments combine black-box testing with source code analysis to uncover issues that would be difficult or impossible to identify through black-box methods alone.

Deeper analysis

Access to source code allows consultants to identify vulnerabilities that are often invisible to standard black-box testing techniques.

Improved coverage

Source code analysis ensures thorough evaluation of security-sensitive areas.

Customised insights

Recommendations address your application's architecture and codebase so developers can fix the underlying flaws.

Plan the year

Test the application once, or through the year.

A single web application and API test finds the business logic errors and chained exploits that scanners miss. Where applications ship changes through the year, an annual program batches them across quarters by business criticality and validates releases each month.

Explore annual programs

Deliverables and reporting

Reports give technical teams guidance for immediate remediation and executives a record of the risks and recommended actions.

Comprehensive vulnerability report

Detailed technical insights into risks

Proof of concept (PoC)

Demonstrations of vulnerability exploitation

Remediation roadmap

Prioritised, actionable fixes

Executive summary

High-level overview tailored for leadership

Consultation and support

Guidance to assist development teams during remediation

Why SilentGrid

SilentGrid's consultants are hand-picked, and between them they have delivered penetration testing globally over decades. Their sector experience covers banking and financial services, insurance, government, critical infrastructure and healthcare, so findings are assessed in the context of how those systems operate.

Consultants find 0-day vulnerabilities in commercial software and speak or teach at security conferences. That research produces the custom tooling used to investigate flaws automated scanning misses and keeps testing techniques current. Testing follows concepts set out in NIST, OWASP, PTES and OSSTMM.

CREST ANZApproved company

Individual credentials across our team include

  • OSEE
  • OSCE3
  • OSED
  • OSEP
  • OSWE
  • GXPN
  • CRTO
  • CRTE
  • CRTP
  • OSCP
Meet the team

Common questions

What is web application penetration testing?

Web application penetration testing examines an application and its APIs the way an attacker would: consultants map the components, combine automated scanning with manual testing to find business logic errors, chained exploits and misconfigurations, and safely exploit what they find to demonstrate impact. Testing aligns with OWASP and ASVS, and can be code-assisted where source code is available.

What does a web application penetration test cover?

Application components and services are mapped and threat modelled, then tested for vulnerabilities. Automated scans detect standard vulnerabilities and detailed manual analysis uncovers complex flaws such as business logic errors, chained exploits and misconfigurations that automation alone cannot detect.

How is this different from an automated vulnerability scan?

Automated scanning detects standard vulnerabilities. Deep manual testing identifies the hard-to-spot vulnerabilities that generic testing tools often overlook, and vulnerabilities are safely exploited to demonstrate real-world impact rather than reported as a scanner rating.

Do you test APIs as well as the application itself?

Yes. Web applications and APIs are both key attack vectors, and application components and services are mapped during reconnaissance so the assessment covers modern web architectures.

Can you test with access to our source code?

Yes. Code-assisted penetration testing combines traditional black-box testing with insights gained from source code analysis. It identifies vulnerabilities that are invisible to standard black-box techniques, ensures thorough evaluation of security-sensitive areas, and produces recommendations tailored to your architecture and codebase.

What standards does the testing align with?

The methodology reflects current adversarial techniques and aligns with established industry frameworks such as OWASP and the Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS), so assessments address the most critical vulnerabilities against recognised security standards.

What do we receive at the end of the engagement?

A comprehensive vulnerability report with detailed technical insight, proof-of-concept demonstrations, a prioritised remediation roadmap, an executive summary for leadership, and post-engagement consultation to assist development teams during remediation.

How often should applications be retested?

Ongoing penetration testing programs run in regular cycles, commonly every 6 or 12 months. Each cycle retests prior vulnerabilities, applies new attack methods and expands scope to cover new features and updates, which aligns security with your development pipeline.

Secure your applications

Get started with web application and services testing

Take control of your web application security

Discuss the application, APIs and release decisions that testing needs to support.