Beginner's Guide to Web Security: Common Attacks and Best Practices
Published
This beginner-friendly guide explains common web security vulnerabilities and best practices to prevent them. Each question is simplified with clear explanations so anyone can understand the basics of securing web applications. Extra tips and insights have been added for deeper learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. An attacker has injected your website with malicious scripts. These scripts are intended to run in another user’s browser. This script tries to steal the session cookies from users who visit your site. What type of attack has occurred?
Cross-site scripting
This attack, known as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), allows hackers to insert harmful scripts into web pages. When other users view the page, the malicious code runs in their browsers, potentially stealing session cookies, hijacking accounts, or redirecting them to harmful sites. Prevent XSS by validating inputs, escaping outputs, and using security headers like Content-Security-Policy (CSP).
2. An attacker has modified the WHERE clause of user authentication to always result in TRUE. What type of attack has occurred?
An SQL manipulation attack
In this attack, the WHERE clause is changed so the database always considers the login attempt valid, giving attackers unauthorized access. Using parameterized queries, prepared statements, and strict input validation can help prevent SQL manipulation attacks.
3. An attacker has inserted an additional SQL statement into another SQL statement so that two will execute as one. What type of attack has occurred?
A code injection attack
This is a form of SQL Injection where attackers combine multiple queries into a single statement. Limiting database privileges, using stored procedures, and applying strict input checks can reduce the risk significantly.
4. An attacker has infiltrated your organization and has stolen your application programming interface (or API) encryption keys. What could you have implemented to prevent this from occurring?
A secrets management solution
Secrets management solutions securely store API keys, passwords, and certificates, keeping them encrypted and rotating them regularly. Tools like HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager can prevent attackers from accessing sensitive keys even if servers are compromised.
5. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of times your application has crashed. Log analysis indicates tz_offset, a function that returns the time zone offset, was used to cause a buffer overflow. How could you have prevented this type of attack?
Use query parameters as placeholders
Buffer overflow attacks occur when applications do not properly handle input sizes. By using parameterized queries and validating input lengths, developers can prevent attackers from injecting oversized or harmful data into the system.
