How to Audit Your Website for Security Vulnerabilities

Introduction

Regular security audits are essential for protecting your website from cyber threats. This comprehensive guide walks you through conducting a thorough security audit to identify and fix vulnerabilities.

Preparation

Define Scope

Before starting, define what's in scope:

• Web Assets: All domains and subdomains
• Applications: Web apps, APIs, mobile apps
• Infrastructure: Servers, databases, CDNs
• Third-Party: Plugins, libraries, external services

Gather Information

Create an inventory of:

• All domains and subdomains
• Technology stack
• Third-party dependencies
• User authentication flows
• Data handling processes
• API endpoints

Automated Scanning

1. Security Header Analysis

Check essential security headers:

// Quick security header check
const securityHeaders = [
  "Strict-Transport-Security",
  "Content-Security-Policy",
  "X-Frame-Options",
  "X-Content-Type-Options",
  "Referrer-Policy",
  "Permissions-Policy",
];

async function checkHeaders(url) {
  const response = await fetch(url);
  securityHeaders.forEach((header) => {
    const value = response.headers.get(header);
    console.log(`${header}: ${value || "MISSING"}`);
  });
}

2. SSL/TLS Configuration

Verify SSL/TLS setup:

Checks to perform:

• [ ] Certificate is valid and not expired
• [ ] Certificate issued by trusted CA
• [ ] HTTPS enforced everywhere
• [ ] HSTS header configured
• [ ] TLS 1.2+ only (older protocols disabled)
• [ ] Strong cipher suites
• [ ] No SSL vulnerabilities (Heartbleed, POODLE, etc.)

Tools:

• SSL Labs Server Test
• Qualys SSL Test
• testssl.sh (command line)

3. Dependency Scanning

Check for vulnerable dependencies:

npm (Node.js):

npm audit
npm audit fix

Composer (PHP):

composer audit

pip (Python):

pip-audit

RubyGems (Ruby):

bundle audit

4. Vulnerability Scanners

Run automated vulnerability scanners:

Popular options:

• OWASP ZAP (free)
• Burp Suite (paid)
• Nessus (paid)
• OpenVAS (free)
• Nikto (free, command line)

# Example: Nikto scan
nikto -h https://example.com -output report.txt

Manual Testing

5. Authentication Testing

Test authentication mechanisms:

Password Policy:

• [ ] Minimum length requirements
• [ ] Complexity requirements
• [ ] Password expiration
• [ ] No password reuse
• [ ] Secure password reset flow

Session Management:

• [ ] Secure session IDs
• [ ] Proper timeout
• [ ] Secure logout
• [ ] No session fixation

Multi-Factor Authentication:

• [ ] MFA available for sensitive accounts
• [ ] Backup codes available
• [ ] MFA not easily bypassable

6. Input Validation Testing

Test for injection vulnerabilities:

SQL Injection:

' OR '1'='1
' UNION SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL--
1' DROP TABLE users--

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS):

<script>alert('XSS')</script>
<img src=x onerror=alert('XSS')>
"onmouseover=alert('XSS')

Command Injection:

; ls -la
| cat /etc/passwd
` whoami
$(sleep 10)

7. Authorization Testing

Test access controls:

Horizontal Bypass:

• Can user A access user B's data?
• Can regular users access admin functions?

Vertical Bypass:

• Can regular users access admin panels?
• Can users escalate privileges?

IDOR Testing:

https://example.com/account/123 → Change to 124
https://api.example.com/orders?id=user_123 → Change to user_124

8. API Security Testing

Test API endpoints:

Common API Vulnerabilities:

• Broken authentication
• Broken authorization
• Exposed sensitive data
• Lack of rate limiting
• Parameter tampering
• Injection attacks

Testing Checklist:

• [ ] Test without authentication
• [ ] Test with another user's token
• [ ] Modify parameters
• [ ] Send malformed data
• [ ] Test rate limits

9. Business Logic Testing

Test application logic:

E-commerce examples:

• Negative quantities
• Price manipulation
• Coupon stacking
• Shipping cost bypass
• Payment amount modification

Workflow bypass:

• Skip required steps
• Reverse workflow order
• Parallel approvals

Configuration Review

10. Server Configuration

Review server hardening:

Web Server (Apache/Nginx):

• [ ] Hidden version information
• [ ] Disabled unnecessary modules
• [ ] Limited request size
• [ ] Timeout configuration
• [ ] File upload limits
• [ ] Directory browsing disabled

Application Server:

• [ ] Debug mode off in production
• [ ] Error messages don't leak information
• [ ] Detailed logging enabled
• [ ] Secure session storage

11. Database Security

Review database configuration:

• [ ] Strong passwords
• [ ] Restricted network access
• [ ] Encrypted connections
• [ ] Principle of least privilege
• [ ] Regular backups
• [ ] Encrypted backups

12. File System Security

Check file permissions:

• [ ] Proper file permissions (644 for files, 755 for directories)
• [ ] Sensitive files outside web root
• [ ] No .git/.env暴露
• [ ] Proper upload directory permissions
• [ ] No executable permissions in upload dirs

Content Security

13. Content Security Policy

Verify CSP configuration:

Elements to check:

• [ ] CSP header present
• [ ] Default-src restricted
• [ ] Script-src properly defined
• [ ] Object-src set to 'none'
• [ ] Base-uri restricted
• [ ] Form-action restricted
• [ ] Report-uri configured

14. Cross-Origin Restrictions

Check CORS configuration:

// Check CORS headers
fetch("https://api.example.com").then((res) => {
  console.log(
    "Access-Control-Allow-Origin:",
    res.headers.get("Access-Control-Allow-Origin"),
  );
  console.log(
    "Access-Control-Allow-Methods:",
    res.headers.get("Access-Control-Allow-Methods"),
  );
  console.log(
    "Access-Control-Allow-Headers:",
    res.headers.get("Access-Control-Allow-Headers"),
  );
});

Best practices:

• [ ] Specific origins (not *)
• [ ] Specific methods (not all)
• [ ] Specific headers
• [ ] Credentials handled correctly
• [ ] Preflight requests handled

Third-Party Security

15. External Dependencies

Audit all third-party components:

JavaScript Libraries:

• [ ] Version check
• [ ] Known vulnerabilities
• [ ] Unused dependencies removed
• [ ] Integrity hashes (SRI) for CDN resources

WordPress Plugins:

• [ ] Updated versions
• [ ] Reputable source
• [ ] Regular updates
• [ ] Necessary vs. unnecessary plugins

Embeds and Widgets:

• [ ] Analytics scripts
• [ ] Chat widgets
• [ ] Social media embeds
• [ ] Payment forms

Data Protection

16. Sensitive Data Handling

Review data security:

Data in Transit:

• [ ] HTTPS enforced everywhere
• [ ] Strong TLS configuration
• [ ] No mixed content
• [ ] API calls use HTTPS

Data at Rest:

• [ ] Database encryption
• [ ] Backup encryption
• [ ] File encryption
• [ ] Secure key management

Data in Use:

• [ ] Minimal data displayed
• [ ] Data masking where appropriate
• [ ] Logs don't contain sensitive data
• [ ] Error messages don't leak data

17. Privacy Compliance

Verify privacy requirements:

• [ ] Privacy policy present
• [ ] Cookie consent working
• [ ] Data collection disclosed
• [ ] User data export available
• [ ] Data deletion available
• [ ] GDPR/CCPA compliance

Reporting and Remediation

Create Security Report

Document findings:

# Security Audit Report

## Executive Summary

- Overall risk level
- Critical findings count
- Recommendations summary

## Findings

### Critical Vulnerabilities

1. SQL Injection in search
   - Location: /search?q=
   - Impact: Full database access
   - Recommendation: Parameterized queries
   - Priority: Immediate

### High Vulnerabilities

...

### Medium Vulnerabilities

...

### Low Vulnerabilities

...

## Methodology

Tools used, testing timeline, scope

## Recommendations

Prioritized remediation plan

Prioritization Matrix

| Severity | Impact | Timeline | | -------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------- | | Critical | Business critical, data exposure | Immediate (24h) | | High | Significant impact | Urgent (1 week) | | Medium | Moderate impact | Soon (1 month) | | Low | Minor impact | Next cycle (3 months) |

Remediation Steps

1. Immediate actions - Patch critical vulnerabilities
2. Short-term fixes - Address high/medium findings
3. Long-term improvements - Security architecture updates
4. Process changes - Improve security practices

Ongoing Monitoring

Set up continuous security monitoring:

• [ ] Automated dependency scanning
• [ ] Regular vulnerability scanning
• [ ] Security headers monitoring
• [ ] Log monitoring and alerts
• [ ] Threat intelligence feeds
• [ ] Regular penetration testing

Conclusion

A thorough security audit requires both automated tools and manual testing. Use this checklist regularly to identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

Remember: security is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Schedule regular audits and stay informed about new threats.

Run a comprehensive security scan to automatically check many of these items on your website.