This blog is a short but informative guide to understanding common web application security risks and threats. It will help organizations understand them in detail and how they protect their IT systems and users from malicious attacks with mitigation strategies and best practices. Web application security can be compromised by sending a corrupted email, which can effectively result in massive data loss.
The process of protecting websites and web services against different web application security attacks that are capable of exploiting code vulnerabilities is called web application security. Commonly targeted attacks include content management systems, SaaS applications, and database administration tools.
The importance of web application security, also called Web AppSec, lies in the aim of building websites that function as expected, even when they are under attack. The concept works on collecting the security standards and controls that serve as a protection layer for the assets.
Web application hacking poses a significant threat to organizations and individuals, with hacked sites used for various malicious activities. A 2018 study shows common attacks include SQL Injection, Path Traversal, and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and they still remain three top attacks in 2024.
DoS attacks target single servers, while DDoS attacks involve multiple compromised devices, amplifying the impact and complicating mitigation.
1. XSS (Cross-site Scripting) 2. Remote File Execution 3. Broken Access Control
Organizations must ensure their web application vulnerability testing produces easily understandable reports summarizing detected issues. Some application security testing tools include Dynamic Application Security Test (DAST), Static Application Security Test (SAST), Penetration Test, and Rapid Application Self-Protection (RASP).
Web apps need free traffic movement through different ports and hence require robust authentication. For that, a scanner for web application vulnerability is also important.
1. Build Web Application Firewall (WAF) 2. Promote HTTP Security Headers 3. Secure Session Management 4. Conduct Threat Assessment