Nov 9, 2024

Plants vs. Thieves: Automated Tests in the World of Web Security

Your existing test framework is your best first defense. Learn to write automated security tests with Cypress to catch vulnerabilities before they reach production.

#1about 4 minutes

Using automated tests as a web security defense

The game "Plants vs. Zombies" serves as an allegory for using existing testing frameworks as a cost-effective alternative to buying dedicated security tools.

#2about 3 minutes

Identifying top security risks with the OWASP Top 10

The OWASP Top 10 list is the best resource for identifying common web application vulnerabilities to focus your testing efforts on.

#3about 6 minutes

Writing end-to-end tests for injection vulnerabilities

A practical example shows how to write a Cypress test to detect an SQL injection vulnerability by asserting that a malicious login attempt fails.

#4about 2 minutes

Testing for broken access control with negative tests

A negative test case demonstrates how to verify that a user without proper permissions is blocked from accessing a protected administration page.

#5about 1 minute

How Cypress helps detect cryptographic failures

Cypress tests will automatically fail if an application attempts to navigate from an encrypted HTTPS page to an unencrypted HTTP page, helping enforce security.

#6about 2 minutes

Using plugins and tools for unknown vulnerabilities

Augment your custom test cases with open-source tools and plugins to discover security risks you may not be aware of.

#7about 2 minutes

Integrating security tests into your CI/CD pipeline

A five-step process outlines how to incorporate security testing into your workflow, from risk analysis and planning to execution in nightly builds.

#8about 2 minutes

Key takeaways for improving application security

Test automation is a powerful complement to your security strategy, especially when simple negative tests are combined with tools and applied across all testing types.