Burp Suite Tutorial

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A few years back, Burp Suite was used by over 80% of all security testers, and over 70% of Fortune 500 companies use this tool for security testing today. The Burp Suite Tutorial has been downloaded over four million times and is employed in more than 40000 security testing projects. So, learning about Burp Suit becomes crucial.


This Burp Suite Tutorial covers configuring Burp Suite, intercepting traffic, manipulating requests, and discovering vulnerabilities. Below, we have listed a comprehensive overview of the features, toolsets, and techniques available in Burp Suite. Let's understand the Burp Suite Tutorial for Beginners and how to use them to test web applications effectively. You may check Burp Suite's latest versions here.

Burp Suite Tutorial - Table of Contents:

What is Burp Suite?

Burp Suite is an effective web application tester for penetration prevention. It's employed by security experts to identify and exploit security holes in web-based applications for sever businesses. Burp Suite uses various techniques and functions, such as an intruder proxy web application scanner, a spider, and repetition. The repeater can alter requests as well as solve problems. So, Burp Suite has become a vital tool for security professionals and ethical hackers.

An introduction to the Burp Suite tutorial includes tools that cooperate to facilitate the entire testing process, starting with assessing and mapping the application's attack to discovering and exploiting security holes. It offers features like web application scanning and automated spidering, manual tools to probe and manipulate web-based applications, an intruder to brute force parameters, extensibility of custom scripting, and integration with various devices. It's designed to be simple and user-friendly, which makes it a perfect option for security professionals.

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Features of the Burp Suite

1) Scanner:

One of the capabilities of the Burp Suite tutorial is the Scanner. Through scanners, experts find weaknesses in web applications through automated processes for identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities that are known to be vulnerable. It can perform the active scanning of the application, which can include the operation of fuzzing, identifying weaknesses and exploiting them, conducting authentication scans, and much more. It is an effective tool utilized by security researchers and ethical hackers to identify and fix flaws in software before malicious hackers target them.

2) Application-Aware spider:

Application-Aware spider is a component of the Burp Suite that provides an automated and efficient method for identifying the contents of web-based applications. It can detect specific behaviours and content, including hidden parameters, APIs with back-ends and dynamic range. It also conducts an extensive analysis of the application's response and can identify and investigate the structure of the application. Additionally, it detects and exploits specific vulnerabilities to the application, such as cross-site scripting and SQL injection, to discover new attack vectors. In turn, it helps to detect and address security concerns within web-based applications.

3) Intruder:

Another capability in Burp Suite is intruders that detect and exploits web vulnerabilities in applications. Intruder permits users to use custom attack payloads to attack the target application. It can identify vulnerabilities in authentication bypass, SQL injection attacks, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks, and other web-based security vulnerabilities in applications. Intruders can also support a variety of fuzzing and encryption methods used to create malicious requests. The Burp Suite's Intruder feature is an essential component of any web-based application's security audit and helps identify and exploit the weaknesses of web applications.

4) Repeater:

The Burp Repeater lets you alter requests manually and then play them back. The repeater offers a user-friendly design interface to create and change requests. It also allows you to manipulate and evaluate responses quickly. It can troubleshoot problems, perform manual security testing, and automate the exploitation of discovered vulnerabilities. The repeater can also assist in manipulating requests with an advanced scripting language. It is a useful and efficient tool for testing security.

5) Sequencer:

Sequencer is an automated function of Burp Suite designed to test whether session tokens have random properties created by web applications by analyzing the entropy of tickets. It is implemented by sending several queries to the app and recording the session tokens in the responses. It then conducts an analysis statistic of the receipts to determine the probability of randomness. Sequencer is a helpful tool for security professionals who want to guarantee the security of web-based apps and safeguard them from session fixation and other attacks.

6) Comparer and Decoder:

Comparer and Decoder are beneficial features of Burp Suite. Comparer is a tool used to analyze different inputs, like HTTP queries or replies, to detect the differences between the two. It can help see the differences between responses to requests and other web-based application data. A decoder is a software tool that can decode data in different formats, like URL-encoded, base64 encoded, or hex encoded. Decoders can also convert various kinds of data into text humans can read, for example, HTML, XML, and JSON. The two Comparers, along with Decoder, are vital tools utilized by security testers of web-based applications to discover and analyze possible security vulnerabilities.

 

Enterprise Edition of Burp Suite

Enterprise Edition of Burp Suite is a toolbox and capabilities designed to aid in automated security testing of web applications. It offers advanced scanning for vulnerabilities, automatized penetration testing, and reports. It allows teams of testers to analyze and test web applications in a teamwork and automated way.

The Enterprise Edition of Burp Suite performs security testing on websites like assessing vulnerability, auditing compliance and penetration tests. It is designed to help organizations test their web applications' security and ensure they are secure from malicious attacks. It allows organizations to swiftly find and correct any flaws in their web-based applications, as well as provide the assurance that their web applications are secure.

Burp Suite Enterprise Edition is simple to use and cost-effective. It offers a quick and secure method for companies to test the level of security for their website applications and ensure they are safe from malicious attacks. It is the ideal solution for businesses that require verification for security issues with their website applications swiftly and effectively.

 

Professional Edition of Burp Suite

Burp Suite Professional Edition is a powerful security testing tool utilized by pen testers and security experts. It's designed to find vulnerabilities in web-based apps, websites and mobile applications with advanced options like automated scanning, advanced manual testing and integration of third-party tools. Additionally, it provides comprehensive reports that allow you to monitor progress and pinpoint issues.

Security professionals and pen testers use Burp Suite Professional Edition to ensure the security of web applications. It helps identify and fix security issues before they become problems. It allows organizations to comply with security rules and standards, such as the OWASP Top 10. It can also identify and remove malicious content from a website or application.

Burp Suite Professional Edition is also used to assess the safety of mobile apps. It helps to find weaknesses that attackers can exploit. It also helps ensure that applications are safe before making them available to the general public.

Burp Suite Professional Edition is a must-have instrument for security professionals and pen testers. It helps identify and fix security issues, ensures compliance with security regulations, and tests the security of mobile applications.

 

Community Edition of Burp Suite

Burp Suite Community Edition is an open-source and free web security testing platform for applications. This platform offers a collection of tools for various security-related tasks for web-based applications and web-based services. It is a popular tool for security professionals because it provides an array of options to assist them in their security checks.

In the Burp Suite Community Edition, the users can conduct manual checks, automate tests, and utilize the robust Burp Suite Proxy feature to modify and intercept traffic. It also has options like an intruder and spider that can detect vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection and XSS.

Furthermore, Burp Suite Community Edition generates reports and identifies potential security issues. In short, Burp Suite Community Edition is a powerful and comprehensive security tool that detects and prevents security issues in web applications.

Read these latest Burp Suite Interview Questions that help you grab high-paying jobs

Getting Started with Burp Suite:

Burp Suite supports the entire testing process, from initial mapping and analysis of an application's attack surface to finding and exploiting security vulnerabilities. Burp Suite is a standalone application and a plugin for various other platforms.

1) Downloading and installation of Burp Suite

To install Burp Suite, download the latest version from the official website. 

Once downloaded, you can run the installation wizard to install Burp Suite and open Burp Suite software (During the installation, you will select the components you wish to install and the install location for Burp Suite).

After the installation, you can start using Burp Suite by launching the application from the start menu.

Main interface

It's the primary interface of the Burp Suite that you'll see after you start the program, divided into six parts with several panels that you can work with:

 Tab 1 provides tools and options available to perform various actions based on the current circumstances.

  • Tab 2 displays the sitemap view, updated when you manually visit the websites or by spidering the sites using Burp Proxy.
  • Tab 3 displays the requests sent to the URLs present on the sitemap view.
  • Tab 4 provides information about HTTP requests and responses, which can be reviewed in depth by selecting the particular query from the queue of requests.
  • Tab 5 is the section where you can see the vulnerabilities and the other functional issues with the website by choosing the specific website from the sitemap view.
  • Tab 6 is the section in which issues are described in depth about how they impact the areas the most, how severe they are, and the best way to fix the situation.

Configuring outbound SOCKS Proxy

Sometimes in the context of your project, it is possible to redirect all of your Burp Suite web traffic via an outbound SOCKS proxy. It ensures that all traffic to the web application you want to access will pass through the SOCKS proxy instead of your IP address.

To set it up for configuration, access the user Options tab within section 1, as mentioned prior, then click on the Connection tab and then go to the section labelled by the name SOCKS Proxy and input information about your SOCKS Proxy in the area.

2) Intercepting the HTTP/S Traffic

When utilizing the Burp Suite as a proxy, it is necessary to set up the broker to ensure it is operational. Otherwise, it will be unable to record and display the URLs or data transmitted or received by the server. This Burp Suite tutorial has provided ways to set up your Burp Proxy in the browser. In section 1, click the Proxy tab and then click on the Options tab on the second row. You will find the Proxy Listener section labelled in which you can enter the proxy information of your local machine to take the traffic.

After the proxy configuration has been completed within the Burp Suite tutorial, navigate to your browser and configure the proxy settings to ensure that the browsers forward the traffic directly to Burp Suite. Since Internet Explorer and Chrome share identical proxy settings, they will appear across both anytime you alter the settings in either.

When you open Chrome, you must go into Settings > Advanced Settings > System > Open Proxy Settings, and then enter the same proxy details you input in Burp Suite.

Alternatively, with Chrome, you can install an extension called Proxy SwitchySharp that lets you establish the proxy and later change between the no proxy settings or the proxy settings with one click.

The next step is the Firefox configuration section; it doesn't share its proxy with any other program and uses its configuration to use the broker. To set the proxy settings within Firefox, it is necessary to go into Options and then Networks, then General Settings, and then input the proxy information that you input in Burp Suite. 

Alternatively, with Firefox, it is possible to install an extension called FoxyProxy that lets you define the proxy and change between the proxy settings and no proxy configurations in one click.

3. Configuring Intercept

The proxy intercept feature configures the other element of the Burp Suite tutorial. It is essential to configure and set it up to intercept, capture or reject the request to or from the server hosting the site you like to target. To set it up, you will need to go through the Proxy tab, then in the sub-tabs, then go to Options, and then to the second and third sections known as Intercept client request and Intercept Server Request. You will need to set the rules according to them.

Let them be the default setting, as they're well-suited to that. In comparison, the Interceptor can be used to function like the Man in the Middle and controlled via proxy > intercept.

4. Configuring the target scope

The next step is the method by which the Burp Suite will analyze the intended application by examining the application's GETs and post requests. Before beginning any testing, it's recommended to establish the scope first. When you place a web-based application into its content, Burp, you can focus on the specific web application. Executing any procedure against the area will only focus on those web application(s) included within the scope.  

It ensures that any potentially damaging website or payload(s) won't be able to access any application on the internet that is not yours to use. Select the Target tab and select the Scope sub-tab. Click Add and enter the URL of your target that you have the authority to test and determine your scope.

5. Searching for a specific term

You can count on Burp Suite to make complex tasks simple for you. Searching any phrase or keyword in the vast amount of information and data is achievable by typing a search term. It is useful when searching for information such as usernames or passwords from the results pages for bugs, as we have done to find the "test" and have found the "test" parameter, which we will further analyze in the future.

If you are looking for a distinctive phrase or keyword in the data in the Request or Response, you must pick an option from the Request Queue. Then, navigate to either the Request tab or the Response tab from the account you want to search and then Enter your desired keywords in the text box below. The text will be highlighted in yellow to highlight the words that match your query keyword.

6. Using the spider

In the language of the internet, the term spider refers to an action where a robot connects on the web and then crawls through the various websites accessible in the web application that is targeted. The pages the spider goes through within the particular web application will be updated on the Sitemap, which is found in section 2 in the interface's main area.

To get the spider to start at any given host, click on the Spider tab in section 1. Then, under the Control tab, choose your scope first. In the following Burp Suite, we have set the extent that we have previously set within the Burp Suite and then hit the Spider running button to start it. 

7. Using the Repeater

The Repeater tab is one of the most useful functions within the Burp Suite. It is used multiple times during the duration of a penetration test. It permits you to alter any aspect of the HTTP request, including its header, and monitor the behaviour of the data that comes back from the server.

To send and process a request to the repeater, you must select and right-click on any request from the queue of Requests and then select "Send to Repeater". Alternatively, you can use a shortcut key, Command + R, to complete this process.

Click on the "Repeater" tab, and then modify the settings you want to make to the HTTP request. In the following Burp Suite, we changed the parameter's value from 1 to 100 and then clicked the Go button. You will see the responses from the server for web applications in response to the request that you modified.

 8. Using the Intruder

The intruder can be used when you run a computerized test instead of a manual test. The Burp Intruder is a useful tool for automating or semi-targeted fuzzing. It can be targeted against any parameters of the HTTP request simultaneously.

To process and send a request in the intruder, it is necessary to select and right-click on one of the requests in the Request queue and then select "Send To Intruder". A shortcut key can also be used by pressing Control + I to accomplish the task.

Go into the Intruder tab and select your presently active Intruder instance. Click on the tab titled Positions. The location of the input for the payload is already marked through Burp Suite. You are unrestricted to choose your option of position or any location suggested by the Burp Suite. In the Burp Suite, we are following the Burp Suite offered classes. 

Head to the Payloads tab, select the kind of payload you desire to target against a particular area, and press "Start attack" or click the "Start attacking" button. It will then push all payloads to that input parameter and display the outcomes in detail. 

9. Decoder

The Decoder feature can be used to encode or decode the data by operating different kinds of encoding techniques. It is possible to input encoded text into the encoded field and convert it to plaintext or any other type of encoding you prefer. For this Burp Suite, we have decoded a Base64 encoded string and then cracked it to plaintext. It is likely to do the same reverse. 

10. Comparer

The Comparer is a component of the Burp Suite used to compare any two responses, requests, or other types of information. It is useful to compare the reactions using different outcomes or inputs. The comparison will be displayed by highlighting the colour.

11. Saving the Burp Session

A lot of times during a penetration test, you will need to stop or hold the test and then continue it anytime later. Alternatively, you could be asked to give your session to another security analyst. In these scenarios, the most efficient alternative is to create a backup of your session which can be done by choosing. 

"Save the old state file" in the menu Burp on the top.

It will deliver an unstructured file you can recreate at any time or share with any consultant.

 

Checking for vulnerabilities with Burp Suite

Burp Suite is a means for detecting vulnerabilities as it lets security experts see and exploit vulnerabilities on the web quickly and efficiently. It offers a broad set of tools that can be utilized to analyze, detect and use a variety of security vulnerabilities in web applications.

Burp Suite can be described as a combined platform with several tools, including an interception proxy, a web-based application scanner, an automated spider, and an application fuzzer. These tools can monitor, modify, and analyze web traffic and identify potential security threats. The proxy feature lets security professionals observe the responses and requests between a browser and a web server, which allows them to detect and stop malicious requests. This will enable them to see security weaknesses that could be vulnerable, for example, SQL injection or cross-site scripting (XSS) and Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).

The scanner feature in Burp Suite will automatically scan web-based applications for weaknesses, like insufficient patches or misconfigurations. Additionally, it provides comprehensive reports that enable security experts to spot and fix security vulnerabilities quickly. The spider feature in Burp Suite can scan web pages and find security concerns that could be a problem. The fuzzier part is used to assess the security of an application by supplying unanticipated inputs and identifying any unpredictable behaviour.

Burp Suite is a strong tool that allows security professionals to rapidly and effectively detect and exploit web-based application security problems. It's an excellent tool for identifying and using security holes.

 

Benefits of Burp Suite

Burp Suite is an effective tool that has multiple uses. It allows manual and automated testing of vulnerabilities and can be used to identify and exploit security flaws. 

Following are the few benefits of Burp Suite:

1) Improved Productivity

Employing automated workflows and tools makes it possible to accelerate the web-based applications' testing process. Expert assistance with remediation and a boost in productivity by coordinating busy workloads is also achieved.

2) Robust Integration 

Burp Suite can be integrated with ticketing systems. Additionally, feedback from CI/CD can be beneficial to developers.

3) Automated Processing 

With automated processes, you can discover more vulnerabilities in web-based applications by analyzing them.

4) Vast Extensions

Burp Suite allows for customizing BApps for professional use and robust APIs, increasing scanning effectiveness.

5) Better reporting

Scanning may be carried out at a large scale, thanks to the help of HTML or XML scan reports. Furthermore, easy dashboards display complete scan reports.

 

Conclusion:

Overall, Burp Suite delivers a comprehensive set of elements that can help identify and exploit web application vulnerabilities. It is a powerful tool that can be used to determine, analyze, and control security flaws in web applications.

In this article, we have covered a lot of details regarding the Burp Suite tutorial. Hopefully, after reading this piece, you will be satisfied with executing a web application penetration test. 



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