Offensive Perspective - OWASP Security for Developers from Udemy

You will learn to protect your web application by attacking it, by performing penetration testing on it. This course is rather theoretical with only some labs and demos.

Objectives

Develop ”Out-of-box” thinking
See security from an offensive perspective
Learn best security practices and (most and less) common attacks
Learn to defend your applications and infrastructure

Topics

Overview of Web Penetration Testing
OWASP Top Ten Web Vulnerabilities
API Top Ten vulnerabilities
HTTP Security Headers
JSON Web Tokens
Technical measures and best practices
Cryptography

Overview of Web Penetration Testing

Core problems
Web Technologies basics
Security Audit vs Vulnerability Assessment vs Pentest
Information Gathering
Scanning and Enumeration
Mapping the target surface
Attacking Users. Cross Site Scripting
Attacking the Server
Attacking Authentication
Attacking Data Stores

Top 10 API Security Vulnerabilities

API Vulnerabilities
Examples of vulnerabilities found in publicly accessible applications

OWASP Top Ten Web Vulnerabilities

A1: Injection
A2 – Broken Authentication and Session Management
A3 – Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
A4 – Insecure Direct Object References
A5 – Security Misconfiguration
A6 – Sensitive data Exposure
A7 – Missing Function Level Access Control
A8 – Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
A9 – Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities
A10 – Unvalidated Redirects and Forwards
New Addition in
Best Practices for JSON Web Tokens

Technical measures and best practices

Input Validation
Encoding
Bind Parameters for Database Queries
Protect Data in Transit
Hash and Salt Your Users' Passwords
Encrypt Data at Rest
Logging - Best practices
Authenticate Users Safely
Protect User Sessions
Authorize Actions

Cryptography

Cryptographic concepts
Algorithms
Cryptography and cryptanalysis tools
Cryptography attacks

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction and Agenda

Agenda

VMs used to replicate the lab

Additional Resources

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Explores the OWASP Top Ten Web Vulnerabilities, which is a standard for identifying and mitigating common web application security risks

Covers API Top Ten vulnerabilities, which helps developers secure their APIs against common attacks and vulnerabilities

Examines HTTP Security Headers, which are essential for protecting web applications from various attacks, such as cross-site scripting and clickjacking

Discusses JSON Web Tokens, which are widely used for authentication and authorization in web applications and APIs

Teaches technical measures and best practices, which are crucial for building secure web applications and protecting them from attacks

Requires some labs and demos, which may require learners to have access to specific software or tools to fully participate

Reviews summary

Owasp security: offensive perspective for developers

According to learners, this course offers a solid foundation in web and API security from an offensive perspective, focusing heavily on the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. Students often praise the instructor's ability to explain complex topics clearly and find the overall content highly relevant for developers aiming to build more secure applications. While the course is acknowledged as being more theoretical than practical and having limited hands-on labs, many learners feel it provides essential knowledge. Some suggest that supplementary resources are helpful for gaining deeper practical experience. Overall, it's viewed as a valuable starting point for understanding application security threats.

Instructor explains concepts very well.

"The instructor does a fantastic job explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand manner."

"Really appreciated how clearly the vulnerabilities and attack vectors were broken down."

"His explanations made the theoretical concepts much more accessible."

Directly applicable to developer work.

"This course is highly relevant for any developer wanting to build more secure applications."

"Understanding these attacks helps me write safer code and identify potential flaws."

"As a developer, this perspective is invaluable for defensive programming."

Detailed coverage of key vulnerabilities.

"The deep dive into OWASP Top 10 for both web and API was very informative and directly applicable."

"Learned a lot about specific attack types like XSS, SQLi, and CSRF and how they work."

"The structure around the OWASP lists makes it easy to follow and understand common threats."

Provides essential concepts and overview.

"This course gives you a great base to understand the world of pentesting web applications."

"I got a solid foundation on how to think about security from an offensive perspective."

"It helped me grasp core concepts and vulnerabilities I encounter daily as a developer."

Needs additional resources for depth/practice.

"You'll likely need to find external labs or practice environments to get the hands-on experience."

"Good for overview, but for practical application, be prepared to do extra work."

"While it covers the 'why' well, you might need other resources for the 'how' in practice."

Lacks sufficient hands-on lab exercises.

"As stated in the description, this course is quite theoretical, which might not be enough for hands-on learners."

"I wish there were more practical labs to follow along and try the attacks myself."

"The balance leans heavily towards lectures, needing separate practice environments to truly master the concepts."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Offensive Perspective - OWASP Security for Developers with these activities:

Review HTTP Fundamentals

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Reinforce your understanding of HTTP fundamentals, as a solid grasp of HTTP is crucial for understanding web application vulnerabilities and security measures.

Browse courses on HTTP

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Review the structure of HTTP requests and responses.
Study HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.).
Familiarize yourself with common HTTP status codes.

Read 'OWASP Testing Guide'

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Familiarize yourself with the OWASP Testing Guide to learn about different web application security testing techniques.

View CISO Survey and Report 2013 on Amazon

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Read the chapters related to different testing phases (information gathering, vulnerability analysis, etc.).
Understand the different testing techniques described in the guide.
Apply the testing techniques to a test environment.

Read 'The Web Application Hacker's Handbook'

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Gain a deeper understanding of web application vulnerabilities and exploitation techniques by studying this comprehensive handbook.

View Ethical Hacking and Web Hacking Handbook and... on Amazon

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Read the chapters related to OWASP Top Ten vulnerabilities.
Practice the exploitation techniques described in the book on a test environment.
Take notes on key concepts and vulnerabilities.

Four other activities

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Practice SQL Injection on PortSwigger's Web Security Academy

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Sharpen your SQL injection skills by completing the SQL injection labs on PortSwigger's Web Security Academy.

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Set up a Burp Suite proxy to intercept and modify HTTP requests.
Attempt to exploit SQL injection vulnerabilities in the provided labs.
Analyze the responses to understand the impact of successful injections.

Write a Blog Post on a Specific OWASP Top Ten Vulnerability

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Deepen your understanding of a specific OWASP Top Ten vulnerability by researching and writing a blog post explaining the vulnerability, its impact, and how to prevent it.

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Choose a specific OWASP Top Ten vulnerability to focus on.
Research the vulnerability and its impact.
Write a blog post explaining the vulnerability and how to prevent it.
Publish the blog post on a platform like Medium or your own website.

Build a Vulnerable Web Application

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Solidify your understanding of web application vulnerabilities by building your own intentionally vulnerable web application.

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Design a simple web application with common features (login, data storage, etc.).
Intentionally introduce vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF.
Document the vulnerabilities and how they can be exploited.
Attempt to exploit the vulnerabilities yourself.

Participate in a Capture the Flag (CTF) Competition

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Test your web application security skills by participating in a Capture the Flag (CTF) competition focused on web vulnerabilities.

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Find a CTF competition that focuses on web application security.
Register for the competition and form a team (optional).
Attempt to solve the challenges by exploiting web vulnerabilities.
Learn from the solutions and write-ups after the competition.

Career center

Learners who complete Offensive Perspective - OWASP Security for Developers will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Penetration Tester

The role of a Penetration Tester is to ethically probe systems for vulnerabilities, mirroring the attacker's mindset. This course helps refine your 'out-of-the-box' thinking. It is directly relevant to many tasks of a penetration tester. By covering web penetration testing, the OWASP Top Ten, API vulnerabilities, and techniques such as information gathering and scanning, this course will help you discover and exploit vulnerabilities in a simulated environment. Learning about attacks, vulnerabilities, and cryptography helps you to defend applications and infrastructure which would be most beneficial to a Penetration Tester.

See salaries and explore the career path for Penetration Tester

Vulnerability Analyst

Vulnerability Analysts scan systems and applications for weaknesses. This course is directly relevant to your daily tasks. The course provides a thorough understanding of web penetration testing, OWASP Top Ten, and API vulnerabilities. This will significantly enhance your ability to identify and assess vulnerabilities as a Vulnerability Analyst, as well as defend infrastructure and applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Vulnerability Analyst

DevSecOps Engineer

A DevSecOps Engineer integrates security practices into the software development lifecycle. You would perform penetration testing. This course provides the knowledge of both development and security. The course's coverage of the OWASP Top Ten, API vulnerabilities, and best practices may help you automate security testing and integrate security into the development pipeline as a DevSecOps Engineer.

See salaries and explore the career path for DevSecOps Engineer

Application Security Engineer

An Application Security Engineer is responsible for ensuring the security of software applications. An important part of the job is finding security flaws. This course helps you understand the security implications of different coding practices. The focus on the OWASP Top Ten and API vulnerabilities, along with mitigation techniques like input validation and encoding, ensures that you develop applications with security in mind as an Application Security Engineer. The course directly enables the role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Application Security Engineer

Security Software Developer

Security Software Developers create tools and applications designed to protect systems and data. This course enhances your ability to build secure software. By covering penetration testing, the OWASP Top Ten, cryptography, and security best practices, the course provides the knowledge to develop effective security solutions as a Security Software Developer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Software Developer

Security Architect

As a Security Architect, you design and implement security systems for an organization. The course helps you build a deep understanding of potential vulnerabilities. By covering the OWASP Top Ten, API vulnerabilities, and penetration testing techniques, the course will help you design more robust and secure systems as a Security Architect. This course directly allows one to see security from an offensive perspective.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Architect

Security Consultant

As a Security Consultant, you would advise organizations on how to improve their security posture. You would assess vulnerabilities, recommend security measures, and help implement security policies. This course directly supports risk analysis by teaching you how to think offensively. The curriculum's emphasis on the OWASP Top Ten and API vulnerabilities, combined with methods for scanning and enumeration, helps build a foundation for identifying potential risks. This course may improve your ability to offer informed security advice to clients as a Security Consultant.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Consultant

Security Researcher

Security Researchers investigate security vulnerabilities and develop new methods to protect systems. Some positions require a master's degree or a doctorate. This course helps you think like an attacker, which is essential for research. The course helps to build an understanding of web penetration testing, API vulnerabilities, and cryptography. This course will allow the Security Researcher to thrive, and understand how to defend applications and infrastructure.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Researcher

Security Analyst

A Security Analyst monitors systems for security breaches, investigates incidents, and implements security measures. This course will help elevate your understanding of attack vectors. Learning about the OWASP Top Ten, API vulnerabilities, and penetration testing methodologies covered in this course, may allow you to better identify and respond to security threats as a Security Analyst. This course helps build out-of-box thinking.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Analyst

Web Developer

Web Developers create and maintain websites and web applications, and should be versed in security risks. This course may help you write more secure code. By covering the OWASP Top Ten, API vulnerabilities, and security best practices, the course helps you to proactively address potential vulnerabilities during development as a Web Developer. You will see security from an offensive perspective.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer

Cloud Security Engineer

Cloud Security Engineers focus on securing cloud-based infrastructure and applications. This course helps you understand the unique security challenges in the cloud. By covering API vulnerabilities, authentication, and cryptography, the course may help you implement security measures specific to cloud environments as a Cloud Security Engineer. This course may also help develop 'out-of-box' thinking.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Security Engineer

Software Developer

Software Developers design, code, and test software applications, and should be versed in security risks. This course teaches you to identify and prevent vulnerabilities from the start. The emphasis on the OWASP Top Ten and secure coding practices, such as input validation and encryption, gives you the knowledge to build more secure software as a Software Developer. With the knowledge gained from this course, you may think with an offensive perspective.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

System Administrator

System Administrators are responsible for maintaining and securing computer systems, and often need to respond to security incidents. This course helps you understand the mindset of an attacker. By learning about common attacks, vulnerabilities, and security measures, you can better protect your systems and respond more effectively to security incidents as a System Administrator. This course may greatly improve your ability to defend your infrastructure.

See salaries and explore the career path for System Administrator

Information Security Manager

An Information Security Manager is responsible for developing and implementing an organization's security policies and procedures. You would need to think from an offensive perspective. This course’s exploration of web penetration testing, OWASP Top Ten vulnerabilities, and technical security measures may help you create more effective security strategies and policies as an Information Security Manager.

See salaries and explore the career path for Information Security Manager

Network Engineer

A Network Engineer designs, implements, and manages computer networks, which includes security considerations. This course may improve how you defend network infrastructure. While the course focuses on web application security, the underlying principles of vulnerability assessment and security best practices, particularly those related to cryptography and authentication, will help you design and maintain secure networks as a Network Engineer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Network Engineer

Offensive Perspective - OWASP Security for Developers

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Owasp security: offensive perspective for developers

Activities

Career center

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