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Mohammad Waseem
Mohammad Waseem

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Automating Authentication Flows on a Zero-Budget QA Setup

#security #automation #testing

Automating Authentication Flows on a Zero-Budget QA Setup

In the realm of security and quality assurance, automation of authentication flows can significantly streamline testing processes and uncover vulnerabilities early. However, large-scale automation often incurs costs related to tools, infrastructure, or development resources. This guide explores how a security researcher can approach the challenge of automating auth flows using only free, open-source tools and a zero budget — turning limitations into opportunities for innovative testing.

Understanding the Challenge

Automating authentication flows involves programmatically mimicking user login processes, handling tokens, multi-factor auth, and session management, all within a controlled testing environment. Without financial resources, the focus must shift to leveraging open source solutions, free cloud platforms, and scripting capabilities.

Strategic Approach

1. Exploit Open-Source Testing Frameworks

Tools like Selenium WebDriver enable UI automation for web applications. Selenium supports multiple languages, but JavaScript (Node.js) offers a lightweight, flexible environment.

# Install Selenium WebDriver
npm install selenium-webdriver
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You can write scripts to navigate login pages, input credentials, and handle redirects.

const { Builder, By, Key, until } = require('selenium-webdriver');
(async function loginAutomation() {
  let driver = await new Builder().forBrowser('firefox').build();
  try {
    await driver.get('https://example.com/login');
    await driver.findElement(By.id('username')).sendKeys('testuser');
    await driver.findElement(By.id('password')).sendKeys('password123', Key.RETURN);
    await driver.wait(until.urlContains('/dashboard'), 10000);
    console.log('Login flow automated successfully');
  } finally {
    await driver.quit();
  }
})();
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2. Cloud-Based Free Environments

Leverage free tiers of cloud providers (e.g., Heroku, Render, Fly.io) to host your scripts if needed, or run them locally in containerized environments using Docker. Docker Hub offers free images to spin up simulated environments.

3. Mock External Dependencies

If your auth flow interacts with third-party APIs or SMS, use mocking frameworks or local stubs to simulate responses, avoiding costs associated with external services.

// Example of mocking an MFA API
const nock = require('nock');

nock('https://mfa-service.com')
  .post('/send')
  .reply(200, { status: 'sent' });
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4. Handling Multi-Factor Authentication

Automate MFA using predetermined codes or time-based one-time passwords (TOTP). Libraries like speakeasy generate TOTP tokens without external costs.

const speakeasy = require('speakeasy');

const secret = 'KZXW6YTBOI======'; // shared secret
const token = speakeasy.totp({ secret: secret, encoding: 'base32' });
console.log('Generated TOTP:', token);
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5. Data Management and Security

Store credentials securely using environment variables or local encrypted files. For example:

# Use a .env file
AUTH_USERNAME='testuser'
AUTH_PASSWORD='password123'
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Use libraries like dotenv to load these into your scripts.

Best Practices

  • Iterate incrementally: Start with simple login automation before tackling complex flows.
  • Maintain scripts: Keep them flexible to adapt to UI changes.
  • Document everything: For repeatability and collaborative review.
  • Prioritize security: Even in testing, protect credentials and sensitive data.

Conclusion

Automating auth flows without dedicated tools or budgets demands ingenuity and the strategic use of free resources. By leveraging open-source frameworks, cloud-free environments, and smart scripting, security researchers can efficiently test authentication mechanisms, identify flaws, and strengthen overall security posture. This approach exemplifies how constraint-driven innovation not only saves costs but also innovates testing methodologies.

References:

Feel free to adapt these strategies to suit your specific auth flows and security requirements. The key lies in resourcefulness and leveraging community-driven tools for robust automation.

🛠️ QA Tip

I rely on TempoMail USA to keep my test environments clean.

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