Web application vulnerabilities refer to weaknesses in the design, development, or deployment of web applications that can be exploited by attackers. Here is a guide on how to identify and mitigate common web application vulnerabilities:
Injection vulnerabilities: These occur when an attacker is able to insert malicious code into a web application, usually through user input fields. To prevent this, validate and sanitize all user input, and use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of concatenating user input into SQL queries.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): This occurs when an attacker is able to inject malicious scripts into a web page viewed by other users. To prevent this, validate and sanitize all user input, and use contextually-aware encoding when displaying user input on a web page.
Broken Authentication and Session Management: This occurs when an attacker is able to gain unauthorized access to a user's account or session. To prevent this, use secure authentication and session management methods such as multi-factor authentication and session timeouts.
Insecure Direct Object References: This occurs when an attacker is able to manipulate a web application's reference to a direct object, such as a file or database record, to gain unauthorized access. To prevent this, validate user input and use access controls to ensure that users can only access the objects they are authorized to access.
Security Misconfiguration: This occurs when a web application is not properly configured, leaving it open to attack. To prevent this, keep all software up to date, use secure configurations and password, and regularly scan your application for vulnerabilities.
Sensitive Data Exposure: This occurs when sensitive data such as credit card numbers or personal information is not properly protected. To prevent this, use secure protocols such as HTTPS, encrypt sensitive data, and properly secure all storage of sensitive data.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): This occurs when an attacker is able to trick a user into performing actions on a web application without their knowledge or consent. To prevent this, use anti-CSRF tokens and validate all requests made to the web application.
Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities: This occurs when a web application is using a component such as a library or framework that has known vulnerabilities. To prevent this, keep all components up to date and regularly scan your application for known vulnerabilities.
It's important to note that this is not an exhaustive list, and new vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered. It's important to stay informed about the latest threats and to regularly test and monitor your web applications for vulnerabilities.