{"id":29143,"date":"2020-10-24T16:02:58","date_gmt":"2020-10-24T10:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/?p=29143"},"modified":"2024-03-21T15:23:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T09:53:23","slug":"top-vulnerabilities-in-web-apps-and-ways-to-prevent-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/mobile-apps\/top-vulnerabilities-in-web-apps-and-ways-to-prevent-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Vulnerabilities in Web Apps and Ways to Prevent Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Web apps are attractive software solutions for organizations due to their availability, simplicity, and security. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, while they do address some of the common security flaws, web apps are certainly not impenetrable to cyberattacks. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For these reasons,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">digital transformation consulting<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> services often include safeguarding against vulnerabilities in their programs. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To enhance preparedness, here is a list of the most relevant vulnerabilities and approaches to addressing them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Constitutes_Top_Vulnerabilities\"><\/span><b>What Constitutes<\/b><b> Top Vulnerabilities?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before moving on to the list of threats, we should first determine the criteria for the top ones. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is more than one reason a vulnerability can be considered dangerous, and different parties will have different priorities. To be consistent, one may start with the three dimensions of vulnerabilities:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Exploitability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: How difficult is it to make use of a vulnerability? (highly exploitable ones do not require technical expertise or sophisticated tools)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Detectability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: How difficult are they to discover? (highly detectable ones do not require code audit)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Impact<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: How damaging are they? (some are harmless, others result in system shutdown and valuable data loss)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<span class=\"seethis_lik\"><span>Also read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/top-10\/top-10-programming-languages-for-kids-to-learn\/\">Top 10 Programming Languages for Kids to learn<\/a><\/span>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Top_Ten_Vulnerabilities\"><\/span><b>Top Ten Vulnerabilities<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on these criteria, analytical agencies and cybersecurity companies compile their lists of threats. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most noteworthy of these is Open <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/development\/know-about-web-applications-with-its-best-examples\/\">Web Application Security Project<\/a>, or OWASP \u2013 a community-led non-profit foundation dedicated to raising awareness and educating organizations about software security. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They maintain a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/owasp.org\/www-project-top-ten\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">list of web application vulnerabilities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that is regularly updated, open, and optimized for sharing. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The OWASP community works hard to make their documentation as accessible as possible. Still, for convenience, here is a simplified version stripped down of any technical terms:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Injection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The ability to send malicious code as a part of a legitimate command and trick the software into running it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Broken authentication<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A weakness in the mechanism that authenticates users, allowing the attacker to hijack the identity and take control of the software (e.g. compromise the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dev.to\/sophiezoria\/supply-chain-digitization-a-powerful-opportunity-most-of-us-are-missing-32kn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">digital supply chain<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to sabotage the company\u2019s operations).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Sensitive Data Exposure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Any flaw in protection that exposes sensitive data or makes it available for interception (anything from<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/industrytoday.com\/is-your-erp-the-target-of-cyber-criminals-this-is-how\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ERP software<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> records to employees\u2019 financial credentials).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>XML External Entities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Essentially, a way to obtain information about internal system files through a poorly configured service using one of the common attack methods.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Broken Access Control<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The exploitation of accounts that are (erroneously) given unrestricted permissions to important files and configurations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Security Misconfiguration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Basically what it says on the tin \u2013 any breach resulting from a poorly configured security system (unprotected networks, unrestricted access to corporate cloud storage, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Cross-Site Scripting XSS<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A type of flawed web page configuration that permits executing malicious code in the user\u2019s browser and takes control of some activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Insecure Deserialization<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A technical flaw that allows executing attacks or malicious code remotely.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Using software components to sneak exploits into the system and take over the server (e.g. steal or delete important<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dev.to\/sophiezoria\/top-business-intelligence-trends-and-use-cases-2kd9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BI data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) or give way to other attacks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Insufficient Logging and Monitoring<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The absence of security mechanisms that detect persisting attacks which allows the hacker to continue dismantling the protection.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Preventing_Web_Application_Vulnerabilities\"><\/span>Preventing Web Application Vulnerabilities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As can be seen from the list, the problem is multifaceted. Some vulnerabilities are caused by technical shortcomings, others are due to human error or even simple negligence. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So it is fair to expect more than one possible solution. Instead of going through every possible method, here are three broad categories that should cover most of the concerning areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Secure_Data_Exchange\"><\/span><b>Secure Data Exchange<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As shown by the list above, there are two main ways to get a hold of sensitive data \u2013 either by stumbling upon an insecure storage location or by intercepting it traveling on the network. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The latter applies not only to the datasets someone sends to colleagues but any information submitted to the system remotely, like logins and passwords. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, there is a broadly available and fairly popular method to protect the network \u2013 the VPN. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lauded as commercial-grade security solutions, virtual private networks actually originated as a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudflare.com\/learning\/access-management\/what-is-a-business-vpn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">corporate security solution<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aside from protecting the data, VPNs have a range of other advantages, like tightening access permissions and masking IPs of users.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Code_Audit\"><\/span><b>Code Audit<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter how many layers of external protection are applied to the software, there is always a possibility that a hacker will bypass them by exploiting an undetected internal vulnerability. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, there is only one known solution to the problem: try and find those weaknesses before the hacker does. This is a long and laborious process that can persist as long as the code is modified. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is why<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hackernoon.com\/how-the-devops-model-redefines-qa-best-practices-8f1t3t7u\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">QA is integral to the modern DevOps model<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The only way to stay ahead of the attacker is to be consistent in finding errors.<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"seethis_lik\"><span>Also read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/mobile-apps\/best-time-to-post-on-instagram\/\">What Is The Best Time \u231b and Day \ud83d\udcc5 To Post On Instagram? It Is Definitely NOT \u274c Sunday (A Complete Guide)<\/a><\/span>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Awareness\"><\/span><b>Awareness<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technical means aside, the most feasible direction to explore is user proficiency in cybersecurity. The OWASP\u2019s list above is one example of freely distributed knowledge but there are<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many more<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, so don\u2019t skip on informing your staff about threats and protection measures. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also note that software developers are recognizing the issue and trying to address it by<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mozilla.org\/en-US\/security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">making their products more informative<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on security flaws, so be sure to keep everything up-to-date.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Web apps are a step forward in terms of security. Nevertheless, they still need a lot of tweaking to be entrusted with sensitive data. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, most of these measures can be achieved at little to no cost. Moreover, it will have a lasting effect on the culture of safety in the organization, so make sure to integrate them into the deployment process.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Web apps are attractive software solutions for organizations due to their availability, simplicity, and security. However, while they do address<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1255,"featured_media":29147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[132],"tags":[379,2341,1250,2887],"class_list":["post-29143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobile-apps","tag-app-development","tag-digital-transformation","tag-software-development","tag-web-apps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/1255"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/29147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}