Scanning the Damn Vulnerable Web App with StackHawk

The Damn Vulnerable Web App (DVWA), designed by DigiNinja, is a tool used for identifying and exploiting web application vulnerabilities, and it can be effectively tested using StackHawk's Dynamic Application Security Test (DAST) framework. By deploying DVWA via a Docker container, users can bypass the complexities of a LAMP stack, allowing for a streamlined setup process. Running StackHawk involves configuring a YAML file that outlines the application's environment, authentication protocols, and web crawling parameters. This setup includes handling form-based authentication, which requires specifying parameters such as user tokens for CSRF challenges, and excluding certain paths to prevent disruptions in scanning. The goal is to ensure that StackHawk can log in and spider the application without being logged out prematurely, thus allowing for comprehensive vulnerability testing. Overall, this process highlights the importance of understanding application behavior and making necessary adjustments to achieve accurate security assessment results.