Chapter 9 — WebHawk
Based on: SIH1684 — Agent-less Vulnerability Scanner (NTRO)
Skills Required: Web application penetration testing (WAPT), Web security fundamentals, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python scripting, OWASP top 10, automated scan orchestration, Kali Linux
Project Description
WebHawk is an automated web application penetration testing toolkit designed to integrate with CI/CD pipelines for continuous security assessment. It supports crawling, scanning, and exploitation modules covering OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. The toolkit provides detailed reports with risk scoring and remediation recommendations. WebHawk emphasizes modularity, allowing integration with popular scanners such as Burp Suite and OWASP ZAP, and supports scripting custom security tests.
Tech Stack & Tools
- Python (core orchestration and scripting)
- Selenium / Puppeteer (web crawler and interaction automation)
- Burp Suite / OWASP ZAP APIs (vulnerability scanner integrations)
- Flask/FastAPI (backend API services)
- React/Angular (frontend dashboard)
- SQLite / Elasticsearch (database for scan results)
- Docker (containerized build and deployment)
- Kali Linux environment for development and testing
Weekly Plan
Week 1 — Environment Setup & Basic Crawling
- Set up Kali Linux environment and install necessary tools.
- Develop initial web crawler using Selenium or Puppeteer capable of traversing web pages and capturing URLs.
- Implement HTTP request logging and session management.
- Deliverable: Basic crawler capable of discovering web application pages.
Week 2 — Vulnerability Scanner Integration
- Integrate Burp Suite or OWASP ZAP scanning APIs.
- Automate scan initiation and retrieval of scan results.
- Map scanning plugins to OWASP Top 10 categories.
- Deliverable: Automated scanner integration with result parsing.
Week 3 — Dynamic Interaction & Authentication
- Enhance crawler to handle dynamic web content and authenticate using credential pairs.
- Support CSRF tokens and session cookies.
- Implement form submission and input fuzzing modules.
- Deliverable: Authenticated and interactive crawling support.
Week 4 — Custom Security Test Plugins
- Develop plugin framework for custom security tests.
- Write sample plugins for common vulnerabilities such as SQL Injection, XSS, CSRF.
- Test plugins against known vulnerable applications (DVWA, Juice Shop).
- Deliverable: Plugin framework with sample security tests.
Week 5 — Reporting & Risk Scoring
- Design risk scoring algorithm based on CVSS and exploitability factors.
- Develop reporting module generating comprehensive HTML/PDF reports.
- Support filtering and sorting of vulnerabilities by severity and affected endpoints.
- Deliverable: Automated risk scoring and report generation system.
Week 6 — CI/CD Pipeline Integration
- Build API endpoints to trigger scans from CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI.
- Implement webhook support for scan status updates.
- Test scan automation in full DevOps workflows.
- Deliverable: CI/CD integration with scan orchestration APIs.
Week 7 — User Management & Dashboard
- Implement user authentication with roles and permissions.
- Develop frontend dashboard for managing scans, viewing results, and scheduling.
- Support multi-user environments with access control.
- Deliverable: User management system with interactive dashboard.
Week 8 — Final Testing & Deployment
- Conduct performance testing under load.
- Execute regression testing on sample applications.
- Prepare deployment guides, containerized builds.
- Package and document entire system for handoff.
- Deliverable: Fully tested, documented, and containerized WebHawk toolkit.
Testing and Deliverables
- Set up testing environments with vulnerable web apps.
- Validate scan coverage, false positives, and result accuracy.
- Produce final codebase, Docker images, user manuals, test reports, and demo videos.