Web Application Attacks Guide

Explore various categories of web application attacks. Understanding these attacks helps in organizing and addressing different types of vulnerabilities. Click on an attack to learn more about specific attack types, their impact, and common prevention methods.

Web Application Attacks Overview
Understanding the landscape of web application security

Web application attacks are malicious attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in web-based systems. These attacks can lead to data breaches, financial losses, and damage to an organization's reputation. By understanding these attacks, security professionals can better protect their systems and data.

Common types of web application attacks include Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), SQL Injection, Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), and more. Each attack type targets different aspects of web applications, from client-side scripts to server-side databases and authentication mechanisms.

Learn

Explore detailed information about various web application attacks, including techniques, tools, and real-world examples.

Defend

Discover prevention methods and best practices to protect web applications from common and advanced attacks.

Practice

Use our interactive tools and quizzes to test your knowledge and skills in identifying and mitigating web application vulnerabilities.

Explore Web Application Attacks

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Medium
XSS attacks inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.

Techniques:

  • Reflected XSS
  • Stored XSS
  • ...
SQL Injection
Hard
SQL Injection attacks insert malicious SQL code into application queries to manipulate the database.

Techniques:

  • Union-based SQLi
  • Error-based SQLi
  • ...
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Medium
CSRF tricks the victim into submitting a malicious request to a website where they're authenticated.

Techniques:

  • GET-based CSRF
  • POST-based CSRF
  • ...
XML External Entity (XXE)
Hard
XXE attacks exploit vulnerable XML processors to read sensitive files or perform server-side request forgery.

Techniques:

  • File retrieval
  • Server-side request forgery
  • ...
Broken Authentication
Medium
Broken Authentication allows attackers to compromise passwords, keys, or session tokens to assume users' identities.

Techniques:

  • Credential stuffing
  • Brute force attacks
  • ...
Insecure Deserialization
Very Hard
Insecure Deserialization occurs when untrusted data is used to abuse the logic of an application, inflict a denial of service (DoS) attack, or even execute arbitrary code.

Techniques:

  • Object injection
  • Data tampering
  • ...
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
Hard
SSRF allows attackers to induce the server to make requests to unintended locations.

Techniques:

  • Basic SSRF against the server
  • SSRF against other backend systems
  • ...
Unrestricted File Upload
Medium
Unrestricted file upload vulnerabilities allow attackers to upload malicious files to a server, potentially leading to remote code execution.

Techniques:

  • Bypassing file type restrictions
  • Exploiting file processing libraries
  • ...
Race Condition
Very Hard
Race conditions occur when the behavior of a system depends on the sequence or timing of uncontrollable events, potentially leading to unexpected results.

Techniques:

  • Time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU)
  • Double-spending attacks
  • ...