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10 Web Application Security Risks and Best Practices to Mitigate Them
Quick Summary: Web application security is more critical than ever today with their increasing use across organizations. Understanding the common web app security risks helps you take the right steps to strengthen your security posture. This article covers the top ten security threats for web apps. Check out these threats and make an appropriate security strategy to combat them.
The number of web applications has been on the rise due to easy accessibility to a wider audience. Also, they provide engaging experiences without heavy downloads. Thus, many organizations are moving towards web application development as they become the preferred solutions of their users.
The appealing characteristic of the web app also brings some dark side, which can create a question to the security concern. Due to easy accessibility, web applications tend to spread malicious code faster by hackers or cybercriminals. Basic web application attacks and vulnerabilities are the finest attack patterns, making web application security a serious concern.
Considering the facts and numbers, as per the report, the average cost of data breaches stands at $4.88 million at present. However, many of these attacks could have been mitigated or prevented if companies had used a proactive and defensive approach to web security.
To ensure adequate safety against web application security threats, in this article, we will explore what are common web application security threats. Also, we will delve into the best practices to prevent them and safeguard your application. We will also define how you can protect your web applications with ZeroThreat – the emerging DAST tool for your applications.
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Table of Contents
- 10 Web Application Security Threats
- What is the Biggest Security Threat to a Web Application?
- Prevent Security Risks to Your Web Application with ZeroThreat
10 Web Application Security Threats
There are many potential threats that web applications face and put your organization at risk. Let’s find out the most common threats and attacks against web applications and APIs below:
1. SQL Injection
SQL injection is a security vulnerability that arises in web applications utilizing structured query language for database operations. Here, the primary aim of SQL is to interact with multiple relational databases such as Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server. Exploiting a SQL injection vulnerability enables hackers to trick the database into performing unwanted actions by inserting malicious code into an SQL statement.
SQL injection attacks allow hackers to gain unauthorized access to personal data stored in the database. Also, hackers can manipulate the data or remove the essential information from the database.
How to Prevent SQL Injection
- Keep unauthorized or untrusted inputs away from queries.
- Opt for a parameterized API or choose an API that completely avoids the interpreter. On the other hand, you may move towards object-relational mapping technologies. It's similar to choosing a safer path to route to your destination.
- Implement positive server-side input validation. Think of it as a system that double-checks information to ensure that only accurate data is sent.
- Use constraints like LIMIT in your SQL queries to mitigate massive amounts of data from being exposed during an SQL injection.
- Lastly, refrain from displaying detailed error messages that an adversary would find extremely valuable.
2. Broken Authentication/Access Control
A vulnerability known as "Broken Access Control" occurs when a system or application fails to appropriately limit access to resources, enabling unauthorized users to carry out tasks they shouldn't be able to. This can happen if the system doesn't correctly enforce access control rules or authenticate and approve users. Broken authentication can result in serious security problems like data theft, manipulation, and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
This vulnerability can arise in different contexts, like web applications, databases, operating systems, and cloud-based services.
Broken access control, for instance, can occur in a web application when a hacker manages to get around authorization or authentication procedures or changes the parameters in a request to access resources that are restricted. Cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and session hijacking are the prime reasons behind this threat.
How to Prevent a Broken Access Control
- Your first step to prevent this threat should be secure coding practices and preventative measures like password management and identity verification. Additionally, you must consider enabling multi-factor authentication and turning off administrator accounts.
- The next step you have to consider is to implement access control methods consistently throughout your application. This is similar to ensuring that all your web application's gateways are secure. This practice can minimize cross-origin resource sharing by preventing unwanted users or inputs.
- To lessen the negative effects of automated attacks, restrict access to controllers and APIs.
- Awareness is the key. Ensure that access control failures are logged, and administrators are notified as needed.
- Implement suitable authorization measures at the appropriate user phases of web app usage.
3. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a client-side attack that involves injecting malicious code into a web application. The web application then executes the code or script in user’s browsers, which allows cybercriminals to steal sensitive user data, like session tokens and cookies, or perform other operations.
Reflective and cached XSS attacks are the two primary categories of XSS attacks. Reflective cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks entail inserting malicious code that is instantly executed into a website. In stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, malicious code is injected into a website and then stored for later execution.
This XSS attack results in stealing user session IDs, website defacing, and redirection to malicious websites (which opens the door for phishing attacks).
How to Prevent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
- Verify user input.
- Make use of output encoding methods.
- Make use of auto-sanitization tools like OWASP AntiSamy.
- Implement a content security policy.
In order to prevent XSS and related attacks, utilizing advanced web frameworks encourages developers to use secure coding practices.
4. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is an attack that forces authenticated users to submit requests or perform actions to a web application against which they are currently authenticated. The entire activity is performed without users’ knowledge. To accomplish this, a malicious link or form can be injected into a website where the victim has already authenticated. CSRF attacks exploit to take advantage of a web application's trust in a verified user.
A cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attack uses a flaw in a web application that makes it difficult to distinguish between a request made by a specific user and one made by a user without authorization.
How to Prevent CSRF
- Use the cutting-edge framework that offers built-in CSRF protections.
- Use CSRF tokens. These are unique, randomized values linked to a user’s session that are used in links and forms to verify the request’s legitimacy.
- Use SamSite cookies. These are the only cookies that are sent with requests to the same origin from which they were originally created. Since they wouldn't have access to the victim's SameSite cookies, this can assist in preventing attackers from sending requests on the victim's behalf.
5. Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR)
Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) is a type of access control vulnerability that occurs when an application exposes direct object references, including database keys or URLs. This enables hackers or cybercriminals to manipulate these references and access unauthorized data.
For instance, some of the application lets users access their account information by just entering their account number in a URL (http://www.domain.com/accountnumber/123)
. Here, hackers could easily manipulate the URL and get access to their account details by just changing the account number.
How to Prevent IDOR
- Follow the approach of implementing proper access control and session management. This allows configuring the right techniques to ensure that only authorized or valid users can access certain data. You will find the best practices on the OWASP Cheat Sheets on authentication and authorization.
- Verify the information entered by the user. Make sure that user input is the correct type, length, and format to prevent attackers from changing direct object references to data forbidden from access.
- Do not use predictable references. Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIDs) are a better option if you want to stop attackers from figuring out the direct object references, they need to access restricted data.
- Instead of revealing references to objects in the URL, use POST-based information transmission over GET.
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6. Security Misconfiguration
As per the OWASP Top 10, security misconfiguration vulnerability is the most common web application security threat. This vulnerability occurs when developers and administrators “miss/forget” to change their default settings, like usernames, passwords, IDs, and error messages.
The consequences of such a vulnerability can be extensive upon going live, ranging from complete database access to administrative privileges, considering how simple it is to identify and take advantage of default settings that were initially placed to provide a basic user experience.
Numerous systems, including firewalls, databases, web servers, cloud-based services, and internet-connected devices, are susceptible to security configuration errors. For instance, misconfigured firewalls may permit unauthorized users to access networks, and improperly configured databases may expose attackers to private information.
How to Prevent Security Misconfiguration
- Make the operational, QA, and development teams synchronized. This makes it easier to grant varying user capabilities and sets the stage for automated deployments, which will keep your apps up-to-date and secure against any upcoming attacks.
- Eliminate unused APIs, tools, or features.
- Building a solid platform devoid of extraneous components, functionalities, or extensive documentation could raise the likelihood of vulnerable configuration points.
- Make sure to change default configurations.
- Implement penetration tests regularly.
7. Remote Code Execution (RCE)
Attackers run any code on a server through Remote Code Execution (RCE) assaults, which compromise the entire system and grant unauthorized users access to private information.
RCE attacks can take place in various forms, like exploiting vulnerabilities in code libraries or injecting malicious code via user input fields.
An RCE attack may lead to several consequences, like exposing private data, mining of cryptocurrencies without authorization, execution of malware, and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.
How to Prevent Remote Code Execution (RCE)
- User input sanitization.
- Follow a safe memory management approach. RCE attackers may exploit buffer overflows and other memory management issues. You can find memory-related and buffer overflow vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit by regularly running security vulnerability assessments on your applications.
- Always keep your operating system and third-party applications upto date to ensure you have the latest security fixes.
- Restrict the attacker's path via the network by putting access control, network segmentation, and zero-trust security measures in place.
8. Insufficient Logging & Monitoring
Insufficient logging and monitoring is an attack that occurs due to a lack of proper logging and monitoring processes in place to detect, respond to, and prevent security threats. Logging records information entails system events, user activities, and other relevant data in a secure and easily accessible manner. The process of continuously examining and evaluating log data in order to spot security events and possible dangers is known as monitoring.
You must know what is being logged in to the web application. If password details or credit card numbers are being written to logs, hackers may exploit this information and use it maliciously. It would be simple to carry out fraudulent credit card charges or unauthorized system access.
How to Prevent Insufficient Logging & Monitoring
- Ensure your application logs essential events and actions and keep an eye on the logs.
- Make use of log analysis software. These can speed up and improve the efficiency of the log review process by automating the identification of possible anomalies or security problems.
- Configure alerting systems to instantly inform administrators of any possible security problems, enabling them to react to threats faster.
- Make sure that private data is appropriately masked or excluded from logs.
- Implement established strategies like NIST 800-61r2 or the latest version. This offers a robust framework for managing incidents effectively.
9. Cryptographic Failures
Formerly known as ‘Sensitive Data Exposure’, cryptographic failures refer to the improper handling of cryptographic keys, such as storing them in plain text or using weak keys. This allows hackers to access sensitive data via compromised cryptographic keys.
How to Prevent Insecure Cryptographic Storage
- Use robust, salted, adaptive hashing algorithms (e.g., Script or PBKDF2) with delay factors when storing passwords.
- Avoid outdated protocols like File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for sensitive data transfer.
- Use authenticated encryption over simple. A legally binding contract and a simple handshake agreement differ; the latter provides greater security.
- Lastly, when it comes to keys, be careful to create and save them as arrays of bytes that are cryptographically random. Additionally, if passwords are being utilized, use a password-based key generation technique to generate a key in their place.
10. Vulnerable and Outdated Components
Vulnerable and outdated components like libraries, frameworks, and third-party apps may lead to known vulnerabilities.
Many organizations leverage complex components to build their websites, which can make it difficult for the development team to understand their operations and internal workings. If known security issues are not properly addressed, this could lead to possible vulnerabilities.
How to Prevent Threat from Weak and Outdated Components
- Choose verified or secured components or tools.
- Monitor track of component versions. You can analyze and mitigate any vulnerabilities by regularly checking for updates and staying up to date with the latest version of components.
- Eliminate any unused components, items, documents, folders, or features.
- Use security scanners to find known vulnerabilities in components and notify developers of such issues.
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What is the Biggest Security Threat to a Web Application?
No specific security threats or vulnerabilities are considered the biggest to the web application. It actually depends on the specific web application and its unique vulnerabilities.
However, the OWASP Top 10 lists injection (including SQL injection and cross-site scripting) and broken access control as the most frequent application security threats. Developers and their organizations can reduce their exposure by implementing the newest secure coding practices and security scanning and monitoring tools like ZeroThreat.
In a nutshell, it’s essential to maintain a 360-degree security vision. Consider the OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities as a starting point and add create strategies based on your specific requirements.
Prevent Security Risks to Your Web Application with ZeroThreat
Since web applications are an integral part of modern life, they have become a common target for cybercriminals. The proper practice is to understand security threats and mitigate them before they cause any damage. Therefore, web application developers and administrators have to follow the right security approach to protect the systems and users. To assist with this process, consider using a versatile and easy-to-use Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) platform like ZeroThreat to scan your application thoroughly and safeguard it from any threat.
ZeroThreat provides 5x time faster scanning operations and reports by adding penetration testing into your CI/CD pipelines. ZeroThreat examines the running application for threats or vulnerabilities that are listed by OWASP Top 10 and more. This allows developers to examine the reports for each test that’s executed, discover vulnerabilities, and fix issues. The best part about ZeroThreat is that all of this is possible prior to the application going live. To leverage multiple features and benefits of ZeroThreat, sign up today for a free trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are OWASP Top 10 web application security risks?
OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities are common web app vulnerabilities that security experts need to be aware of to secure their web apps. The following is the complete list of these vulnerabilities.
- Cryptographic failures
- Broken access control
- Insecure design
- Security misconfiguration
- Injection attacks
- Vulnerable and outdated components
- Security logging and monitoring failures
- Software and data integrity failures
- Server-side request forgery
- Identification and authentication failures