Planning-based security testing of web applications

Web applications are deployed on machines around the globe and offer almost universal accessibility. The systems ensure functional interconnectivity between different components on a 24/7 basis. One of the most important requirements represents data confidentiality and secure authentication. However, implementation flaws and unfulfilled requirements can result in security leaks that can be eventually exploited by a malicious user. Here different testing methods are applied in order to detect software defects and prevent unauthorized access in advance. Automated planning and scheduling provides the possibility to specify a specific problem and to generate plans, which in turn guide the execution of a program. In this paper, a planning-based approach is introduced for modeling and testing of web applications. The specification offers a high degree of extendibility and configurability but overcomes the limits of traditional graphical representations as well. In this way, new testing possibilities emerge that eventually lead to better vulnerability detection, thereby ensuring more secure services.