It is only after a system has been breached and losses have been incurred that most companies realize the importance of web security. Soon afterwards, they go around looking for the best web security service providers without realizing that the most effective, and indeed the best approach, is one that is proactive and defensive.
Hackers are always on the lookout for vulnerable systems and if yours is one, sooner or later it will get attacked. While it is recommended to maintain full security at all times, here we list a few web security vulnerabilities and fixes so you can address them instantly.
Vulnerability-Injection flaws
This is one most common type of problems and results from the failure to filter un-trustworthy input. It happens when unfiltered data is passed to the SQL server, to the browser, to the LDAP server or someplace else. Hackers can inject commands to these entities the result of which is hijacked browsers and loss of valuable data
Solution- Fortunately the solution in this case is pretty straightforward; but has a few implications of its own. While you can simply filter out input data from un-trusted sources, you have to filter it all. In a system of let’s say 10,000 inputs, filtering 9,999 is not enough. Usually, your own framework’s filtering functions do the job just fine.
Vulnerability- Sensitive or valuable data exposure
Data, whether in transit or stored is always vulnerable and therefore must be properly encrypted at all time. Moreover, sensitive information like passwords, bank account or credit card numbers and more must be hashed. In any case the algorithm must be a strong one.
Solution- In the case of stored data, encryption or hashing is the key. Make sure all payments are made using secure payment processors and any unwanted sensitive data is shredded. For transit data, using secure connections-HTTPS- along with secure flags on cookies are the way to go.
Vulnerability- Web server and application mis-configuration
This includes very basic yet very common mistakes like using default passwords or unnecessary services on the machines, running obsolete and outdated softwares, application running with debug enabled protection, having directories that leak information and more.
Solution- Using any legitimate build and deploy script or process can help you tackle almost all of these issues. If it is automated, that’s even better.
These are just a few of the hundreds and thousands of vulnerabilities that pose a 24/7 threat to your systems and, in turn, the business.
If you are looking to make your systems more secure, you should contact us. We provide comprehensive web and mobile application security testing and IT solutions for all types of businesses at affordable prices.