QA Series: Automated Security Headers Testing

• The Smart Way: Automated Security Crawling
• Configure Your Security Standards
• Two Levels to Match Your Needs
• Schedule It and Forget It
• Get Notified When Issues Arise
• Example Output
• Why Automated Security Headers Testing Matters
• Page Type Intelligence
• Example Output
• Ready to Start?

Security header misconfigurations aren't just technical oversights—they create real vulnerabilities that expose your users to XSS attacks, clickjacking, and data breaches. But manually checking security headers across every page? That's time-consuming and error-prone at scale.

¶The Smart Way: Automated Security Crawling

Instead of manually auditing headers page by page, modern QA teams use automated crawlers that systematically discover and validate security headers across your entire website. Here's how it works:

Intelligent Site Discovery

• Starts from your homepage and follows every internal link
• Discovers pages organically, including dynamic routes and deep pages
• Tests real user paths through your site architecture
• Validates security headers continuously during load testing

Comprehensive Security Headers Validation

• Checks HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) configuration
• Validates X-Frame-Options for clickjacking protection
• Tests X-Content-Type-Options for MIME sniffing prevention
• Verifies Referrer-Policy implementation
• Optional Content Security Policy validation

¶Configure Your Security Standards

The best part? You can easily configure which headers are required for your security posture:

REQUIRED_HEADERS = {
    'Strict-Transport-Security': True,      # HSTS - highly recommended
    'X-Frame-Options': True,                # Clickjacking protection
    'X-Content-Type-Options': True,         # MIME type sniffing protection
    'Referrer-Policy': True,                # Referrer information control
    'Content-Security-Policy': False,       # CSP - optional by default
}

Simple Configuration Options:

• Required vs Optional: Choose which headers are mandatory
• Header Value Validation: Ensure proper configuration, not just presence
• Page Type Requirements: Different security standards for login, API, and admin pages
• HSTS Settings: Configure minimum max-age and subdomain requirements

¶Two Levels to Match Your Needs

Choose the validation depth that matches your security requirements:

Simple Security Headers Crawler

• Core security headers with configurable requirements
• Perfect for getting started with security header validation
• Lightweight and fast for continuous monitoring

Comprehensive Security Validation

• Advanced header value validation and page type classification
• Detailed security statistics and compliance reporting
• HSTS configuration analysis and CSP directive checking

¶Schedule It and Forget It

Run these security validations automatically to maintain protection:

• Pre-deployment validation to prevent security regressions
• Weekly security audits to maintain consistent protection
• Post-configuration-change checks after infrastructure updates
• Continuous monitoring integrated with your load testing

¶Get Notified When Issues Arise

When security header issues are detected, you'll know immediately through:

• Detailed severity classification (High, Medium priority)
• Page-specific reporting showing exactly which pages lack protection
• Header value validation with specific configuration recommendations
• LoadForge dashboard integration with clear pass/fail status for each page

This proactive approach means you can fix security gaps before they're exploited by attackers.

¶Example Output

LoadForge automatically passes/fails tests for you, but this script also provides detailed security reporting:

[from worker loadforge-684fb9541238f9] Starting security headers validation...
[from worker loadforge-684fb9541238f9] Required headers: ['Strict-Transport-Security', 'X-Frame-Options', 'X-Content-Type-Options', 'Referrer-Policy']
[from worker loadforge-684fb9541238f9] SECURITY ISSUE [HIGH]: Missing required header: X-Frame-Options on /login
[from worker loadforge-684fb9541238f9] SECURITY ISSUE [HIGH]: Missing required header: Strict-Transport-Security on /api/users
[from worker loadforge-684fb9541238f9] SECURITY ISSUE [MEDIUM]: Invalid X-Content-Type-Options: text/html on /admin
[from worker loadforge-684fb9541238f9] SECURITY HEADERS STATUS: 12 total issues (8 high, 4 medium) across 47 pages

¶Why Automated Security Headers Testing Matters

Manual security header audits are inconsistent and can't keep up with deployment frequency. Automated testing:

• Catches configuration drift when headers get removed during deployments
• Tests at scale across hundreds of pages simultaneously
• Validates header values not just presence, ensuring proper configuration
• Integrates with CI/CD to prevent security regressions

¶Page Type Intelligence

The comprehensive version automatically classifies pages and applies appropriate security requirements:

• Login Pages: Stricter requirements including X-Frame-Options and HSTS
• API Endpoints: Focus on X-Content-Type-Options and HSTS
• Admin Pages: Full security header suite including optional CSP
• General Pages: Standard security header requirements

¶Example Output

LoadForge will automatically flag bad URLs as failing, but also logs debug info as shown below:

[from worker loadforge-684fc7e32bcec4_2412bf02c8414657931f88cf4d1a2dbb] Starting security headers validation...
[from worker loadforge-684fc7e32bcec4_2412bf02c8414657931f88cf4d1a2dbb] Required headers: ['Strict-Transport-Security', 'X-Frame-Options', 'X-Content-Type-Options', 'Referrer-Policy']
[from worker loadforge-684fc7e32bcec4_2412bf02c8414657931f88cf4d1a2dbb] SECURITY ISSUE [MEDIUM]: Invalid X-Frame-Options: sameorigin on /pricing
[from worker loadforge-684fc7e32bcec4_2412bf02c8414657931f88cf4d1a2dbb] SECURITY ISSUE [MEDIUM]: Invalid X-Frame-Options: sameorigin on /apps/static-site
[from worker loadforge-684fc7e32bcec4_84c630ef916e4cbfab305883efd8f10e] SECURITY ISSUE [MEDIUM]: Invalid X-Frame-Options: sameorigin on /
[from worker loadforge-684fc7e32bcec4_84c630ef916e4cbfab305883efd8f10e] SECURITY ISSUE [MEDIUM]: Invalid X-Frame-Options: sameorigin on /pricing

¶Ready to Start?

Setting up automated security headers testing is straightforward. We've created LoadForge scripts at two complexity levels to match your security maturity.

Get the complete security headers validation scripts →

Choose your level:

• Simple: Configurable header requirements with basic validation
• Comprehensive: Advanced validation with page type classification and detailed reporting

Don't let missing security headers expose your users to attacks. Automate the validation, maintain consistent security standards, and protect every page without the manual overhead.