Over the past decade, millions of businesses have embraced web applications as an inexpensive way to build relationships and transactions with prospects and customers. But while they provide the opportunity for greater customer insight and efficiency, web applications also have vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals. One of the most common and devastating of these is a web attack.
A web attack is a type of cyberattack where the attacker assumes the identity of someone else to access sensitive information or engage in criminal activities, such as stealing credit card numbers and other personal information. The most common types of web attacks include Structured Query Language injection (SQLi) and cross-site scripting (XSS) and file upload attacks.
In SQLi attack, hackers input customized Structured Query Language (SQL) commands into fields on a website or a web-based application to steal private data stored on the database server behind. In an XSS, hackers inject malicious code into a website or website that is executed by the victim’s browser without validation or encryption. The attack could hijack the victim’s session, display unauthorised images or text, or redirect users to a fake website.
The best way to guard against cyberattacks is to run regular vulnerability scans and apply patches to your website and web servers, as well as any databases it relies on. It is also a good idea to develop an incident response strategy so that should an attack occur it is quickly discovered and addressed. Additionally, you should are aware of ways to spot an attack on your website through warning signs like network slowdowns or intermittent shutdowns of websites.