Scope and fit
A web test should follow how users and administrators actually use the product. Feature journeys reveal security boundaries that a list of scanner findings may miss.
Model the application roles
Document anonymous, customer, support, and administrator journeys with their data and actions. Identify trust boundaries, external integrations, and state changes that matter to the service.
Test controls and business logic
Review authentication, authorization, session management, input validation, file handling, error behavior, and workflow abuse. Include object-level access and race conditions where transactions or approvals are involved.
Use repeatable references
Map tests to a versioned OWASP Web Security Testing Guide or verification standard and state what was not tested. Standards guide coverage; they do not prove a particular application is secure.
Decisions and tradeoffs
Use this table as a working review record. Replace assumptions with evidence from the target environment.
| Decision area | Working guidance |
|---|---|
| Model the application roles | Document anonymous, customer, support, and administrator journeys with their data and actions. Identify trust boundaries, external integrations, and state changes that matter to the service. |
| Test controls and business logic | Review authentication, authorization, session management, input validation, file handling, error behavior, and workflow abuse. Include object-level access and race conditions where transactions or approvals are involved. |
| Use repeatable references | Map tests to a versioned OWASP Web Security Testing Guide or verification standard and state what was not tested. Standards guide coverage; they do not prove a particular application is secure. |
Implementation questions
What should the team decide about model the application roles?
Document anonymous, customer, support, and administrator journeys with their data and actions. Identify trust boundaries, external integrations, and state changes that matter to the service. Use a named owner and a written acceptance check so this decision can be reviewed after deployment.
What should the team decide about test controls and business logic?
Review authentication, authorization, session management, input validation, file handling, error behavior, and workflow abuse. Include object-level access and race conditions where transactions or approvals are involved. Use a named owner and a written acceptance check so this decision can be reviewed after deployment.
What should the team decide about use repeatable references?
Map tests to a versioned OWASP Web Security Testing Guide or verification standard and state what was not tested. Standards guide coverage; they do not prove a particular application is secure. Use a named owner and a written acceptance check so this decision can be reviewed after deployment.
Plan, build, verify, operate
Model the application roles: Document anonymous, customer, support, and administrator journeys with their data and actions. Identify trust boundaries, external integrations, and state changes that matter to the service. Record the result and the next owner before changing the next boundary.
Test controls and business logic: Review authentication, authorization, session management, input validation, file handling, error behavior, and workflow abuse. Include object-level access and race conditions where transactions or approvals are involved. Record the result and the next owner before changing the next boundary.
Use repeatable references: Map tests to a versioned OWASP Web Security Testing Guide or verification standard and state what was not tested. Standards guide coverage; they do not prove a particular application is secure. Record the result and the next owner before changing the next boundary.
Deployment checks
Turn the page into a reviewable handover by assigning each check to a person and retaining its result.
Build a Web Application Security Test Plan Around User Journeys: decision 1
Write down the boundary, owner, dependency, and proof required for build a web application security test plan around user journeys before implementation begins.
Build a Web Application Security Test Plan Around User Journeys: decision 2
Write down the boundary, owner, dependency, and proof required for build a web application security test plan around user journeys before implementation begins.
Build a Web Application Security Test Plan Around User Journeys: decision 3
Write down the boundary, owner, dependency, and proof required for build a web application security test plan around user journeys before implementation begins.
Handover and ownership
Before handover, name the system owner, support path, access boundary, backup or recovery responsibility, and the condition that pauses a change.
Keep a short record of what was tested, what remains outside scope, and when the review should happen again.
