Authorization testing in Testing Fundamentals - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test checks if a user without proper permissions is prevented from accessing a restricted page. It verifies that the system correctly blocks unauthorized access and shows an error message.

Test Code - Selenium with unittest

Testing Fundamentals

import unittest
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC

class AuthorizationTest(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.driver = webdriver.Chrome()
        self.driver.get('https://example.com/login')

    def test_unauthorized_access(self):
        driver = self.driver
        # Log in as a regular user
        driver.find_element(By.ID, 'username').send_keys('regular_user')
        driver.find_element(By.ID, 'password').send_keys('password123')
        driver.find_element(By.ID, 'login-button').click()

        # Wait until login completes and dashboard loads
        WebDriverWait(driver, 10).until(
            EC.presence_of_element_located((By.ID, 'dashboard'))
        )

        # Try to access admin page directly
        driver.get('https://example.com/admin')

        # Wait for error message
        error_element = WebDriverWait(driver, 10).until(
            EC.presence_of_element_located((By.ID, 'error-message'))
        )

        # Assert error message text
        self.assertEqual(error_element.text, 'Access Denied: You do not have permission to view this page.')

    def tearDown(self):
        self.driver.quit()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

Execution Trace - 9 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts and opens Chrome browser	Browser opens at https://example.com/login page	—	PASS
2	Find username input and enter 'regular_user'	Login page with username field filled	—	PASS
3	Find password input and enter 'password123'	Login page with password field filled	—	PASS
4	Find and click login button	Login form submitted	—	PASS
5	Wait up to 10 seconds for dashboard element to appear	Dashboard page loaded after successful login	Dashboard element is present	PASS
6	Navigate directly to https://example.com/admin page	Browser attempts to load admin page	—	PASS
7	Wait up to 10 seconds for error message element to appear	Error message displayed on page	Error message element is present	PASS
8	Check that error message text equals 'Access Denied: You do not have permission to view this page.'	Error message text visible to user	Error message text matches expected	PASS
9	Close browser and end test	Browser closed	—	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: User is able to access the admin page without proper authorization

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the test verify after logging in as a regular user?

A That the user cannot access the admin page

B That the user can access the admin page

C That the login page shows an error

D That the dashboard is inaccessible

Key Result

Always verify that unauthorized users cannot access restricted pages by checking for proper error messages or redirects. This ensures your authorization controls work as intended.

Practice

1. What is the main goal of authorization testing in software applications?

easy

A. To find syntax errors in the code

B. To verify users can only access allowed resources

C. To test the speed of the application

D. To check if the software installs correctly

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of authorization testing

   Authorization testing checks if users have permission to access certain parts of the system.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other testing types

   Unlike installation or speed tests, authorization focuses on access control.

3. Final Answer:

   To verify users can only access allowed resources -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Authorization = Access control [OK]

Hint: Authorization means checking user access rights [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing authorization with authentication
• Thinking it tests software installation
• Mixing it with performance testing

2. Which of the following is the correct way to test if a user with role guest cannot access the admin page?

easy

A. Assert that accessing admin page returns status code 403

B. Assert that accessing admin page returns status code 200

C. Assert that the page loads without any error

D. Assert that the user can edit admin settings

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify expected behavior for unauthorized access

   A guest user should be denied access, usually indicated by HTTP status 403 (Forbidden).

2. Step 2: Match assertion with expected status code

   Checking for status 403 confirms access is blocked correctly.

3. Final Answer:

   Assert that accessing admin page returns status code 403 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Unauthorized access = status 403 [OK]

Hint: 403 means forbidden access, use it to test denial [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using status 200 which means success
• Ignoring error codes and only checking page load
• Testing edit rights for guest users

3. Consider this test code snippet for authorization:

def test_access(user_role):
    if user_role == 'admin':
        return 'Access granted'
    else:
        return 'Access denied'

result = test_access('guest')

What is the value of result after running this code?

medium

A. 'Access denied'

B. 'Access granted'

C. None

D. Error

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the function logic for 'guest' role

   The function returns 'Access granted' only if user_role is 'admin'. For 'guest', it returns 'Access denied'.

2. Step 2: Check the returned value for 'guest'

   Since 'guest' is not 'admin', the else branch runs, returning 'Access denied'.

3. Final Answer:

   'Access denied' -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Guest role = Access denied [OK]

Hint: Only admin gets access; others denied [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming guest has access
• Confusing return values
• Expecting None or error instead of string

4. You wrote this test to check if a user with role editor can access the edit page:

def test_editor_access():
    response = access_page('edit', 'editor')
    assert response.status_code == 200
    assert response.content == 'Access denied'

What is wrong with this test?

medium

A. It uses wrong role name 'editor'

B. It should assert status code 404 instead

C. It misses checking the response headers

D. It asserts success status but expects denial content

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand assertion conflict

   The test expects status code 200 (success) but also expects content 'Access denied', which is contradictory.

2. Step 2: Identify correct assertion logic

   If access is denied, status code should not be 200; usually 403 or similar. The test mixes success code with denial message.

3. Final Answer:

   It asserts success status but expects denial content -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Status 200 means success, can't deny access [OK]

Hint: Status and content must match access result [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing success status with denial message
• Ignoring role correctness
• Assuming 404 for access denial

5. You have three user roles: admin, editor, and viewer. The editor can edit content but cannot access user management. Which test case best verifies this authorization rule?

hard

A. Test that viewer can edit content

B. Test that editor gets 200 on user management page

C. Test that editor can access edit page and gets 403 on user management page

D. Test that admin cannot access edit page

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify editor permissions

   Editor role should have access to edit content but be denied access to user management.

2. Step 2: Match test case to permissions

   Testing editor access to edit page (expect success) and user management page (expect 403 forbidden) verifies the rule correctly.

3. Final Answer:

   Test that editor can access edit page and gets 403 on user management page -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Editor edits allowed, user mgmt denied [OK]

Hint: Test allowed and denied pages per role [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Testing wrong permissions for roles
• Expecting viewer to edit content
• Assuming admin cannot edit content