Web Application Reconnaissance and Mapping

Web Application Reconnaissance and Mapping

Effective web application testing begins with comprehensive mapping of application structure, functionality, and technologies. Manual browsing provides initial understanding of application purpose, user workflows, and interesting functionality. Click through every link, submit forms with various inputs, and observe application behaviors. This human-driven exploration reveals context that automated tools miss, developing intuition about potential vulnerability locations.

Automated crawling accelerates discovery of hidden content and functionality. Tools like Burp Suite Spider, OWASP ZAP Spider, or hakrawler systematically follow links and parse responses for additional content. Configure crawlers to handle authentication, respect scope, and parse JavaScript for dynamically generated content. However, automated crawling misses functionality requiring specific input sequences or state changes, necessitating manual supplementation.

Directory and file brute-forcing uncovers content not linked within applications. Gobuster, dirb, feroxbuster, and wfuzz excel at discovering hidden directories, backup files, and administrative interfaces. Customize wordlists based on identified technologies, observed naming conventions, and industry-specific terms. Common discoveries include backup files (.bak, .old, ~), configuration files (.conf, .config, .xml), and source code archives (.zip, .tar.gz).

Technology fingerprinting guides subsequent testing strategies. Identify web servers, programming languages, frameworks, and third-party components through headers, cookies, error messages, and URL patterns. Tools like WhatWeb and Wappalyzer automate identification, but manual analysis often provides more accurate results. Version information proves particularly valuable for identifying known vulnerabilities in frameworks or content management systems.