Protect Your Web Application: Top 10 Common Attacks and How to Mitigate Them

The threat of web application attacks has increased as web-based apps play a significant role in our daily lives. Since cybercriminals are constantly evolving their strategies, businesses, and organizations must be cautious in safeguarding themselves and their consumers from these attacks. A successful attack can have disastrous repercussions, including data breaches, financial loss, and irreparable reputation damage to an organization, among other things.

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Top 10 Web Application Attacks:?

1.???Cross-site scripting (XSS):?XSS attacks involve injecting malicious code into a web page executed when a user visits the page. This can be done through input fields or by manipulating the URL. The attack can allow an attacker to steal user information, such as login credentials or personal information.?

Mitigation:

• Input validation and output encoding: Ensure all user input is properly validated and all output is properly encoded to prevent malicious code from being injected into the page.?
• Content Security Policy (CSP): Use a CSP to restrict the types of content that can be loaded on the page and prevent XSS attacks.?

Reference:?https://owasp.org/www-community/attacks/xss/?

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2.???SQL injection (SQLi):?SQLi attacks occur when an attacker uses a vulnerable input field to inject SQL code into a database query. This can allow the attacker to retrieve sensitive information, modify or delete data, or execute arbitrary commands on the server.?

Mitigation:

• Parameterized queries: Use parameterized queries to prevent attackers from injecting SQL code into a query.?
• Input validation: Validate all user input to ensure that it only contains the expected data types and formats.?

Reference:?https://portswigger.net/web-security/sql-injection?

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3.???Cross-site request forgery (CSRF):?CSRF attacks exploit a user's trust in a particular website. An attacker can create a malicious website that sends requests to the target website on behalf of the user, allowing the attacker to perform actions as if they were the user.?

Mitigation:?

• Use anti-CSRF tokens: Include anti-CSRF tokens in all requests to prevent attackers from forging requests on behalf of the user.?
• SameSite cookies: Use SameSite cookies to restrict the scope of cookies to the same site, preventing CSRF attacks from other domains.?

Reference:?https://owasp.org/www-community/attacks/csrf?

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4.???Broken authentication and session management: Authentication and session management vulnerabilities can allow attackers to bypass login pages or hijack user sessions. This can give the attacker access to sensitive user information, such as login credentials, personal information, and financial data.?

Mitigation:

• Strong passwords: Ensure that users are required to use strong passwords and that they are hashed and salted properly.?
• Session timeouts: Set appropriate timeouts to ensure inactive sessions are terminated automatically.?

Reference:?https://hdivsecurity.com/docs/broken-authentication-session-management/?

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5.???XML external entity (XXE):?XXE attacks exploit vulnerabilities in XML parsers that allow an attacker to send malicious XML data to a web application. This can allow the attacker to read or write files on the server, steal sensitive data, or execute arbitrary commands.?

Mitigation:

• Disable external entity parsing: Disable the parsing of external entities in XML documents to prevent XXE attacks.?
• Input validation: Validate all user input to ensure it only contains the expected data types and formats.?

Reference:?https://portswigger.net/web-security/xxe?

6.???Remote code execution (RCE):?RCE attacks involve injecting code into a web application that allows the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the server. This can give the attacker full control over the server and access to sensitive data.?

Mitigation:?

• Input validation: Validate all user input to ensure it only contains the expected data types and formats.?
• Sandboxing: Use sandboxing techniques to restrict the execution of code in a separate environment from the main application.?

Reference:?https://www.crowdstrike.com/cybersecurity-101/remote-code-execution-rce/?

7.???Directory traversal:?Directory traversal attacks involve exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications that allow an attacker to access files outside the intended directory. This can allow the attacker to read or write files on the server, steal sensitive data, or execute arbitrary commands.?

Mitigation:

• Input validation: Validate all user input to ensure it only contains the expected data types and formats.?
• Use absolute paths: Use absolute paths instead of relative paths to prevent attackers from accessing files outside of the intended directory.?

Reference:?https://portswigger.net/web-security/file-path-traversal?

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8.???File inclusion:?File inclusion attacks exploit vulnerabilities in web applications that allow an attacker to include arbitrary files on the server. This can allow the attacker to read or write files on the server, steal sensitive data, or execute arbitrary commands.?

Mitigation:

• Input validation: Validate all user input to ensure it only contains the expected data types and formats.?
• Use whitelisting: Use whitelisting to restrict the types of files that can be included in the application.?

Reference:?https://brightsec.com/blog/file-inclusion-vulnerabilities/?

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9.???Clickjacking:?Clickjacking attacks involve tricking a user into clicking on a link or button that performs an unintended action. This can allow an attacker to perform actions on behalf of the user, such as sending spam emails or stealing sensitive data.?

Mitigation:

• X-Frame-Options header: Use the X-Frame-Options header to prevent the application from being loaded in an iframe on a malicious website.?
• Content Security Policy (CSP): Use a CSP to restrict the types of content that can be loaded on the page and prevent clickjacking attacks.?

Reference:?https://owasp.org/www-community/attacks/Clickjacking?

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10.?Server-side request forgery (SSRF): SSRF attacks exploit vulnerabilities in web applications that allow an attacker to send requests to internal systems or third-party services. This can allow the attacker to retrieve sensitive information, modify or delete data, or execute arbitrary commands.?

Mitigation:

• Whitelisting: Use whitelisting to restrict the types of requests sent from the application.?
• Input validation: Validate all user input to ensure it only contains the expected data types and formats.?

Reference:?https://portswigger.net/web-security/ssrf