Description
Burp Suite is the industry-standard toolkit for web application security testing. It functions as an intercepting proxy, vulnerability scanner, and exploitation framework. The Community Edition is free; the Professional edition adds the automated scanner, advanced Intruder, and Collaborator for OOB testing. Every serious bug bounty hunter uses Burp.
Installation
BASH
# Download from PortSwigger
# https://portswigger.net/burp/communitydownload
# Kali (pre-installed)
burpsuite
# CLI launch with custom memory
java -Xmx4g -jar burpsuite_community.jar
Core Tools
- Proxy — Intercept, inspect, and modify all HTTP/S traffic between browser and target
- Repeater — Manually modify and resend individual requests for testing
- Intruder — Automated payload delivery for brute force, fuzzing, and parameter testing
- Scanner (Pro) — Automated active and passive vulnerability scanning
- Decoder — Encode/decode data in Base64, URL, HTML, Hex, and other formats
- Comparer — Visual diff between two requests/responses
- Sequencer — Analyze the quality of randomness in session tokens
- Collaborator (Pro) — Out-of-band interaction server for blind vulnerability testing
Setup
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# Browser Proxy Configuration
1. Set browser proxy → 127.0.0.1:8080
2. Visit http://burp → Download CA certificate
3. Install CA in browser certificate store (for HTTPS interception)
# Recommended: Use FoxyProxy browser extension for easy switching
Essential Workflow
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# Passive Reconnaissance
1. Set scope: Target → Scope → Add target domain
2. Browse the application normally
3. Review Sitemap for discovered endpoints
4. Check HTTP history for interesting parameters
# Active Testing
1. Send interesting requests to Repeater (Ctrl+R)
2. Modify parameters — test for SQLi, XSS, IDOR
3. Use Intruder for automated fuzzing (Ctrl+I)
4. Mark payload positions with § markers
5. Load wordlists and start attack
# Blind Testing (Pro)
1. Use Collaborator for OOB testing
2. Insert Collaborator URLs in SSRF, XXE, blind XSS payloads
3. Monitor Collaborator for DNS/HTTP callbacks
Must-Have Extensions
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# Install from BApp Store (Extender tab):
Autorize — Automated IDOR/authorization testing
Logger++ — Enhanced HTTP logging with filters
Param Miner — Hidden parameter discovery & cache poisoning
Active Scan++ — Enhanced active scanning rules
JWT Editor — JWT token manipulation
Turbo Intruder — High-speed request sending for race conditions
Backslash Scanner — Server-side injection detection
Retire.js — Detect vulnerable JavaScript libraries
Pro Tips
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# Match and Replace (auto-modify requests)
Proxy → Options → Match and Replace
# Auto-add headers, replace values, force HTTP methods
# Macro-based authentication
Project options → Sessions → Add Macro
# Keep session alive during scanning
# Scope filtering
Target → Scope → Use advanced scope control
# Only show in-scope items in HTTP history
# Hotkeys
Ctrl+R — Send to Repeater
Ctrl+I — Send to Intruder
Ctrl+U — URL-encode selection
Ctrl+Shift+U — URL-decode selection