The internet has become an integral part of our lives. We use it for everything from communicating with friends and family, to shopping, to banking.
As our reliance on the internet has grown, so has the number of ways that criminals can exploit it for their own gain. One of the most common ways that criminals exploit the internet is by attacking web applications.
Web applications are the programs that we use to interact with the internet. They are what we use when we want to check our email, or post on social media.
Because web applications are so common, and because they are the gateway to so much of our personal information, they are a prime target for attack.
There are a number of different ways that criminals can attack web applications. In this post, we will take a look at some of the most common attacks, and what you can do to protect yourself.
SQL injection is one of the most common web application attacks. It is a type of attack that allows the attacker to execute SQL commands on the database that the web application is using.
This can be used to delete data, or to extract sensitive information such as credit card numbers or passwords.
SQL injection is usually carried out by submitting malicious input to the web application. This input is then executed by the web application, without the user's knowledge.
To protect against SQL injection, it is important to validate all user input. This means checking that the input is of the correct type, and that it is not longer than the maximum length.
It is also important to use prepared statements when interacting with databases. Prepared statements ensure that the SQL commands are not executed until they are explicitly told to do so. This means that even if an attacker is able to submit malicious input, the SQL commands will not be executed.
Cross-site scripting (XSS) is another common web application attack. It is a type of attack that allows the attacker to inject malicious code into the web page that the user is viewing.
This code is then executed by the web browser, without the user's knowledge. The code can be used to redirect the user to a malicious website, or to steal sensitive information such as passwords.
To protect against XSS, it is important to validate all user input. This means checking that the input is of the correct type, and that it is not longer than the maximum length.
It is also important to escape all user input before displaying it on the web page. This means that any special characters are converted to HTML entities. This prevents the browser from interpreting the input as code, and ensures that the user sees the input as plain text.
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) is another common web application attack. It is a type of attack that tricks the user into submitting a malicious request to the web application.
This request is then executed by the web application, without the user's knowledge. The request can be used to delete data, or to extract sensitive information such as credit card numbers or passwords.
To protect against CSRF, it is important to check the HTTP referer header on all requests. This header contains the URL of the page that the request came from. By checking this header, you can ensure that the request came from a trusted source.
It is also important to use a unique token for each user session. This token is then included in all requests that are submitted to the web application. By checking the token, you can ensure that the request came from the correct user.
Session hijacking is another common web application attack. It is a type of attack that allows the attacker to take over the user's session.
This can be done by stealing the user's session cookie, or by guessing the session ID. Once the attacker has access to the user's session, they can then do anything that the user can do. This includes accessing sensitive information, or making changes to the user's account.
To protect against session hijacking, it is important to use a secure connection (HTTPS) for all web applications. This ensures that all data that is transmitted between the user and the web application is encrypted.
It is also important to use a strong session ID. This means that the ID is long, and contains a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. This makes it much harder for an attacker to guess the ID, and therefore hijack the session.
Denial of service (DoS) is another common web application attack. It is a type of attack that prevents the user from accessing the web application.
This is usually done by flooding the web application with requests. This overwheltical causes the web application to become overloaded, and prevents it from responding to the user's requests.
To protect against DoS attacks, it is important to rate limit all requests. This means limiting the number of requests that a user can make in a given period of time. By doing this, you can ensure that the web application is not overwhelmed by requests, and that the user can still access the application.
It is also important to have a backup system in place. This system can be used to take over if the primary system becomes unavailable. By having a backup system, you can ensure that the user can still access the application, even if the primary system is under attack.
As you can see, web application security is a very important topic. There are a number of different attacks that can be used to exploit web applications, and it is important to be aware of these attacks.
In this post, we have looked at some of the most common attacks, and what you can do to protect yourself. However, this is just a small part of web application security. There is a lot more to learn, and we encourage you to do more research on this topic.
Here are some resources that you can use to learn more about web application security: