Dissertation/ Thesis

Automated GUI Security Testing : SQL Injection Detection

Bibliographic Details
Title: Automated GUI Security Testing : SQL Injection Detection
Authors: Nakka Chandrasekhar, Aryan, Lekkala, Sumanth Chowdary
Publisher Information: Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för programvaruteknik, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Subject Terms: Automated Testing, SQL Injection, Programvaruteknik, Testing, Automated GUI Testing, Software Engineering, Security Testing
Description: The growing sophistication of SQL Injection (SQLi) attacks and the limitations of traditional security testing methods present a pressing need for innovative approaches, particularly in GUI-level security testing. Conventional tools often overlook vulnerabilities in user-facing elements such as input fields and login pages, focusing predominantly on backend systems. Automated GUI testing offers a solution by enabling the detection of these vulnerabilities directly at the user interface level. However, many existing tools require extensive technical knowledge or security testing expertise. Our approach leverages automated GUI testing, offering a more user-friendly and effective method for identifying SQLi vulnerabilities within graphical user interfaces (GUIs), specifically in login pages. This thesis introduces a proof-of-concept plugin developed for the Scout tool, which integrates the plugin into its augmented testing framework. Scout overlays a visual layer between the system under test (SUT) and the tester, facilitating intuitive interaction with the application. The primary goal of the plugin is to automate SQLi detection at the GUI level, combining security testing with Scout’s augmented testing paradigm, hence enabling non-security-trained testers. While augmented testing is established in GUI testing, its combination with security testing—particularly SQLi—has not been extensively studied. This research aims to fill that gap by evaluating the plugin's effectiveness in streamlining SQLi detection and improving the overall security testing process. The plugin was evaluated through a quasi-experiment, where its effectiveness in identifying SQLi vulnerabilities was measured across three open-source platforms: OWASP Juice Shop, bWAPP, and AltoroJ. A total of 906 test executions, spanning 302 SQLi test cases, were conducted. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including bar graphs and box plots. The findings suggest that the plugin effectively detects SQLi vulnerabilities, particularly in login pages. The perception study further revealed that non-security-expert practitioners perceived the plugin to be useful and effective but recommended enhancements to further expand the plugin's capabilities. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the potential of combining augmented testing with automated GUI security testing to detect SQLi vulnerabilities. While the plugin shows promise in improving both test effectiveness and usability, a more formal study is required to fully validate its effectiveness in real-world environments. Future work should focus on expanding the plugin's functionality, incorporating more types of SQLi, and validating the approach in real-world environments.
Document Type: Bachelor thesis
File Description: application/pdf
Language: English
Access URL: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-27034
Accession Number: edsair.od.......135..7ce9ca8c5d0ffa128e6bde17f1467193
Database: OpenAIRE
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  Data: Automated GUI Security Testing : SQL Injection Detection
– Name: Author
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nakka+Chandrasekhar%2C+Aryan%22">Nakka Chandrasekhar, Aryan</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lekkala%2C+Sumanth+Chowdary%22">Lekkala, Sumanth Chowdary</searchLink>
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  Data: Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för programvaruteknik, 2024.
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  Label: Publication Year
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: Subject
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  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Automated+Testing%22">Automated Testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22SQL+Injection%22">SQL Injection</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Programvaruteknik%22">Programvaruteknik</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Testing%22">Testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Automated+GUI+Testing%22">Automated GUI Testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Software+Engineering%22">Software Engineering</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Security+Testing%22">Security Testing</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Description
  Group: Ab
  Data: The growing sophistication of SQL Injection (SQLi) attacks and the limitations of traditional security testing methods present a pressing need for innovative approaches, particularly in GUI-level security testing. Conventional tools often overlook vulnerabilities in user-facing elements such as input fields and login pages, focusing predominantly on backend systems. Automated GUI testing offers a solution by enabling the detection of these vulnerabilities directly at the user interface level. However, many existing tools require extensive technical knowledge or security testing expertise. Our approach leverages automated GUI testing, offering a more user-friendly and effective method for identifying SQLi vulnerabilities within graphical user interfaces (GUIs), specifically in login pages. This thesis introduces a proof-of-concept plugin developed for the Scout tool, which integrates the plugin into its augmented testing framework. Scout overlays a visual layer between the system under test (SUT) and the tester, facilitating intuitive interaction with the application. The primary goal of the plugin is to automate SQLi detection at the GUI level, combining security testing with Scout’s augmented testing paradigm, hence enabling non-security-trained testers. While augmented testing is established in GUI testing, its combination with security testing—particularly SQLi—has not been extensively studied. This research aims to fill that gap by evaluating the plugin's effectiveness in streamlining SQLi detection and improving the overall security testing process. The plugin was evaluated through a quasi-experiment, where its effectiveness in identifying SQLi vulnerabilities was measured across three open-source platforms: OWASP Juice Shop, bWAPP, and AltoroJ. A total of 906 test executions, spanning 302 SQLi test cases, were conducted. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including bar graphs and box plots. The findings suggest that the plugin effectively detects SQLi vulnerabilities, particularly in login pages. The perception study further revealed that non-security-expert practitioners perceived the plugin to be useful and effective but recommended enhancements to further expand the plugin's capabilities. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the potential of combining augmented testing with automated GUI security testing to detect SQLi vulnerabilities. While the plugin shows promise in improving both test effectiveness and usability, a more formal study is required to fully validate its effectiveness in real-world environments. Future work should focus on expanding the plugin's functionality, incorporating more types of SQLi, and validating the approach in real-world environments.
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Automated Testing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: SQL Injection
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Programvaruteknik
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Testing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Automated GUI Testing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Software Engineering
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Security Testing
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Automated GUI Security Testing : SQL Injection Detection
        Type: main
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Nakka Chandrasekhar, Aryan
      – PersonEntity:
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            NameFull: Lekkala, Sumanth Chowdary
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2024
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