web-vulnerability-and-hardening-project

Educational cybersecurity project featuring vulnerable and hardened web applications with a custom scanner to simulate real-world attacks and defenses. Designed to showcase secure coding practices, threat detection, and practical vulnerability mitigation.

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Web Vulnerability and Hardening Project

A hands-on cybersecurity lab that demonstrates common web application vulnerabilities and their secure mitigations.

This project contains two versions of the same web application:

  • Vulnerable application (for learning attacks)
  • Hardened application (for learning defenses)

It also includes an automated scanner and dynamic security report generator.

Project Purpose

The goal of this lab is to understand:

  • How real web attacks work
  • How insecure coding leads to exploitation
  • How proper security controls prevent attacks
  • How automated security testing can be implemented

This project is designed for cybersecurity students, penetration testing beginners, and secure coding practice.

Features

Vulnerability Demonstrations

The vulnerable app intentionally contains:

  • SQL Injection authentication bypass
  • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in search functionality
  • Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) in profile access
  • Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in email update

Security Fixes in Hardened Version

The hardened app implements:

  • Parameterized SQL queries
  • Input sanitization / HTML escaping
  • Session-based authorization checks
  • CSRF token validation
  • Secure authentication flow

Automated Vulnerability Scanner

The scanner performs:

  • SQL injection test
  • XSS payload test
  • IDOR access test
  • CSRF forged request simulation

The scanner produces a dynamic security assessment.

Dynamic Security Report

The report generator provides:

  • Executive security summary
  • Exploited vulnerabilities count
  • Fixed vulnerabilities count
  • Security rating before mitigation
  • Security rating after mitigation
  • Detailed vulnerability explanations
  • Recommended fixes

Project Structure

web-security-lab/
│
├── vulnerable_app/
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── init_db.py
│   ├── templates/
│   └── static/
│
├── hardened_app/
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── init_db.py
│   ├── templates/
│   └── static/
│
├── scanner.py
├── demo_test.py
├── report_generator.py
└── security_report.txt

Installation

Clone repository

git clone https://github.com/tsiddiquea/web-security-lab.git
cd web-security-lab

Install dependencies

pip install flask requests

Running the Vulnerable App

cd vulnerable_app
python init_db.py
python app.py

Open in browser:

http://localhost:5000

Running the Hardened App

cd hardened_app
python init_db.py
python app.py

Running Automated Scanner

Make sure application is running.

Then execute:

python scanner.py

Running Full Dynamic Test Suite

python demo_test.py

This will:

  • Launch all attack simulations
  • Generate a complete security report

Example Output

After running the automated scanner and report generator:

===== Vulnerability Scanner =====

Testing SQL Injection
Result: Authentication bypass successful

Testing XSS
Result: Script executed in browser

Testing IDOR
Result: Private profile accessed

Testing CSRF
Result: Email changed via forged request

===== Generating Dynamic Security Report =====

Vulnerable Web App Security Report
Target: http://localhost:5000

Executive Summary
4 vulnerabilities discovered and exploited
4 vulnerabilities successfully mitigated

Overall security rating (before fixes): Critical
Overall security rating (after fixes): Secure

Detailed Findings
• SQL Injection – login endpoint vulnerable to authentication bypass
• XSS – search page reflects unsanitized user input
• IDOR – unauthorized access to user profile data
• CSRF – sensitive action allowed without verification

Conclusion
Hardened version mitigates all identified vulnerabilities.

Educational Use Only

This project is created strictly for:

  • Cybersecurity learning
  • Secure coding practice
  • Penetration testing lab simulation

Performance Characteristics

  • Lightweight Flask-based application
  • Fast vulnerability scanning (typically < 3 seconds on localhost)
  • Minimal memory usage (< 50 MB during execution)
  • Multi-request testing using Python requests library
  • Suitable for lab environments, virtual machines, and low-spec systems

Scanner complexity:

  • SQLi test → O(1) request
  • XSS test → O(1) request
  • IDOR test → O(1) request
  • CSRF test → O(1) request

Overall scan complexity: constant time for single target

Security and Ethical Use

This project is developed strictly for:

  • Cybersecurity education
  • Ethical hacking practice
  • Secure coding demonstration
  • Penetration testing training labs

Important guidelines:

  • Only test systems you own or have explicit permission to test
  • Do not deploy vulnerable applications on public networks
  • Do not use attack techniques for illegal activities
  • Follow responsible disclosure practices

Misuse of this tool may violate laws and ethical standards.

Author

Developed as part of an independent cybersecurity learning initiative focused on practical secure coding, vulnerability analysis, and defensive system design. This project reflects hands-on exploration of real-world web security risks and mitigation techniques.

License

This project is intended for educational and research purposes only. Use responsibly and perform testing only on systems where you have proper authorization.

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