1. Broken Access Control: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: Broken access control occurs when a web application fails to restrict users from accessing data or performing actions they shouldn’t be able to. For example, a regular user might access admin features by simply guessing the URL or modifying their request.
Mitigation Strategies:
Implement role-based access control (RBAC).
Always verify user permissions on the server side.
Regularly test for access control vulnerabilities
2. Cryptographic Failures: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: Cryptographic failures often occur when sensitive data is not properly encrypted. For example, if a web application stores passwords in plain text, an attacker can easily read them.
Mitigation Strategies:
Use strong encryption algorithms (e.g., AES).
Store sensitive data hashed with a strong algorithm (e.g., bcrypt for passwords).
Regularly review cryptographic practices.
3. Injection: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: Injection attacks happen when an attacker sends malicious data to an application, causing it to execute unintended commands. For instance, SQL injection involves manipulating a query to access unauthorized data.
Mitigation Strategies:
Use prepared statements and parameterized queries.
Validate and sanitize user inputs.
Implement web application firewalls (WAFs).
4. Insecure Design: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: Insecure design refers to weaknesses in the application’s architecture that make it vulnerable. For example, an application that exposes sensitive data in URLs is poorly designed.
Mitigation Strategies:
Follow secure design principles from the outset.
Conduct threat modeling during the design phase.
Regularly review and update application designs.
5. Security Misconfiguration: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: Security misconfiguration occurs when an application has insecure default settings, unnecessary features enabled, or incomplete setups. For example, a web server may expose sensitive files due to misconfigured permissions.
Mitigation Strategies:
Harden server configurations.
Regularly review and update configurations.
Remove unused features and services.
6. Vulnerable and Outdated Components: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: Using outdated libraries or components can introduce vulnerabilities. Attackers often target known flaws in these components to exploit applications.
Mitigation Strategies:
Regularly update software and libraries.
Monitor for vulnerabilities in third-party components.
Use dependency scanning tools.
7. Identification and Authentication Failures: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: These failures arise when an application does not properly manage user authentication. For example, weak passwords or lack of multi-factor authentication can allow unauthorized access.
Mitigation Strategies:
Enforce strong password policies.
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Regularly test authentication mechanisms.
8. Software and Data Integrity Failures: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: Software integrity failures happen when there is no mechanism to verify that software and data haven’t been tampered with. This can allow malicious changes to go unnoticed.
Mitigation Strategies:
Use code signing to ensure software integrity.
Implement checksums to verify data integrity.
Regularly audit software and data changes.
9. Security Logging and Monitoring Failures: How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: Without proper logging and monitoring, it’s hard to detect breaches or anomalies. For example, if failed login attempts aren’t logged, an attack may go unnoticed.
Mitigation Strategies:
Implement comprehensive logging of security events.
Regularly review logs for suspicious activity.
Set up alerts for unusual behavior.
10. Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF): How It Works and Mitigation Strategies
How It Works: In an SSRF attack, the attacker tricks the server into making requests on their behalf, potentially accessing internal systems or data that should be protected
Mitigation Strategies:
Validate and sanitize user inputs.
Restrict server access to sensitive endpoints.
Implement network segmentation to isolate services.
