5 Reasons Why Security in Web Applications is Important and How it Works?

Security is an important thing to take into consideration when developing any web application. Security should be integrated into all parts of the development lifecycle to ensure that applications are designed and developed with security in mind and security flaws are removed from the application before going live.

Why Security in Web Applications is Important

XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)

The most common web app security risk is XSS. XSS attacks happen when an attacker injects malicious code into a web page, which is then executed by the unsuspecting user who visits the page.

It can lead to the theft of sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, or even allow the attacker to take control of the victim’s browser. XSS is a serious security risk and needs to be addressed with care.

There are many ways to prevent XSS attacks, such as input validation and output encoding. Implementing these security measures can help protect your web application from this attack.

Injection Flaws

Injection flaws, such as SQL, OS, and LDAP injection, occur when untrusted data is sent to an interpreter as part of a command or query. The attacker aims to trick the interpreter into executing unintended commands or accessing sensitive data.

Path Traversal

Path traversal (also known as directory traversal) aims to access directories and files stored outside the web root. An attacker can modify variables that reference files with dot–dot–slash (../) and their variations to bypass security mechanisms and gain access to sensitive files on a server. These types of attacks can be used to exploit vulnerabilities in web applications that do not properly sanitize user input.

Path traversal attacks can also be used to access restricted directories and execute malicious commands on the server. In some cases, attackers can even modify or delete critical files on the server, leading to a denial of service for legitimate users.

Clickjacking and UI Redress Attacks

UI Redress attacks, also known as Clickjacking, are a type of attack where the attacker tricks a user into clicking on a button or link on a page they did not intend to. This can be used to perform any number of malicious actions, such as stealing data, redirecting the user to a malicious site, or installing malware.

Remote Code Execution and Local File Inclusion Attacks

A web application is only as secure as its hosted server. Any unpatched vulnerabilities in the operating system, web server or application can be exploited by an attacker to take control of the server.

Attackers commonly gain initial access to a server through a Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the server, leading to full compromise.

Another type of attack that can be used to take over a server is a Local File Inclusion (LFI) attack. This attack occurs when an attacker can inject malicious code into a local file on the server. The web server then executes this code, resulting in full compromise.

How Does Web Application Security Work?

Next, you need to understand how web application security works. You can learn more about it and take proactive steps to keep cybercriminals at bay.

After vulnerabilities are identified using various testing protocols, it is possible to address them. Due to the complexity of mobile and web applications, there is no single solution.

Developers implement different solutions to address different vulnerabilities. These solutions include:

• Web Application Firewalls: Web application firewalls use software and hardware. This preventative measure, also known as WAFs, effectively prevents web app attacks. Developers can implement a firewall without affecting your current application. The firewall will block any potential cyberattack attempts by analyzing incoming traffic.

• DDoS Protection: DDoS, or distributed denial of service attacks, are intended to interrupt the normal functioning of your network or services. Your customers are prevented from accessing your website because they overload your server with too much web traffic. DDoS protection software protects your server from these attacks by protecting your network and the relays that traffic to your site.

• DNS Filtering: DNS, or Domain Name System, is like a phonebook for the internet. DNS filtering prevents you and your staff members from visiting websites that could threaten your web application. It does this by identifying banned IP addresses.

DNS filtering is a vital security measure as 90% of successful data breaches are caused by human error.