i just finished building an admin portal to control a services ordering app, i need step by step guide for a novice to pentest my admin panel as a hacker trying to access it would

Penetration testing (pentesting) is crucial to ensuring the security of your admin portal. Below is a step-by-step guide tailored for a novice to conduct a basic pentest on your admin panel. Always ensure you have permission to test the application to avoid legal issues. ### Step 1: Preparation 1. **Get Permission**: Ensure you have explicit permission to test the admin panel to avoid legal repercussions. 2. **Gather Tools**: Install tools commonly used in pentesting, such as: - **Burp Suite**: For web application security testing. - **OWASP ZAP**: An open-source web app scanner. - **Nmap**: For network scanning. - **Postman**: For testing APIs. - **Nikto**: A web server scanner. - **Metasploit**: If you're looking for exploit frameworks. ### Step 2: Information Gathering 1. **Identify the Admin Panel URL**: Note down the exact URL where your admin panel is hosted. 2. **Open Ports**: Use Nmap to scan open ports on the server. ``` nmap -sS -p- <Your Admin Panel IP> ``` 3. **Gather Information**: Use tools like `whois`, `nslookup`, and `dig` to gather DNS and server information. ``` whois <yourdomain.com> ``` ### Step 3: Vulnerability Scanning 1. **Run Automated Scans**: - Use **Burp Suite** or **OWASP ZAP** to spider the admin panel and detect vulnerabilities. - Utilize **Nikto** for discovering common vulnerabilities. ``` nikto -h <Your Admin Panel URL> ``` 2. **Review the reports** from these tools and note down any vulnerabilities. ### Step 4: Manual Testing 1. **Session Management**: - Check how session cookies are handled: - Are cookies secure and HTTP-only? - Test for session fixation by reusing session IDs. 2. **Authentication**: - Try weak username/password combinations. - Implement brute force attacks using tools like `Hydra` or `Burp Suite Intruder`. 3. **Input Validation**: - Check for SQL Injection vulnerabilities: - Input single quotes (`'`) in input fields to see if the application is vulnerable. - Use tools like `sqlmap` for automated testing. - Test for Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) by injecting scripts into input fields. 4. **Authorization**: - Attempt accessing restricted functionalities without proper permissions (e.g., changing user roles or accessing others' data). 5. **File Uploads**: - If your admin panel allows file uploads, try uploading a malicious file (e.g., a PHP web shell) to see if it executes on the server. ### Step 5: Testing APIs 1. **Analyze API Endpoints**: Use **Postman** or Burp Suite to test and analyze API endpoints. 2. **Parameter Manipulation**: Test parameter and query string values for unexpected behavior or vulnerabilities. ### Step 6: Reporting 1. **Document Findings**: Create a detailed report including: - Vulnerabilities found, how they were detected, and recommendations for mitigation. 2. **Prioritize Issues**: Focus on critical vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches or unauthorized access. ### Step 7: Mitigation and Retesting 1. **Fix Identified Vulnerabilities**: Work on the vulnerabilities found in the pentest. 2. **Retest**: After applying fixes, rerun the tests to ensure vulnerabilities have been addressed. ### Step 8: Continuous Monitoring and Education - Implement continuous security monitoring, regularly update your knowledge of the latest security practices, and keep your systems updated. ### Important Notes: - **Ethics**: Always stay ethical and respect legal boundaries during pentesting. - **Updates**: Keep your tools and techniques updated as the field of cybersecurity is ever-evolving. - **Education**: Consider taking courses on web security or ethical hacking for more in-depth knowledge. This guide provides a baseline for conducting a pentest on your admin portal. As you become more experienced, you can explore more advanced techniques and tools to enhance your security assessments.