In the last decade, millions of people have accessed you could look here the Web to communicate and conduct business with their customers. This includes the use of web applications which collect and store information such as customer data submitted via content management systems, shopping carts inquiry or submit forms, and login fields.
Because these applications are internet-connected and can be accessed from anywhere in the world, they are vulnerable to attacks that exploit weaknesses in the application’s infrastructure. For example, SQL injection attacks (which exploit weaknesses in the database) could result in compromised databases that hold sensitive information. Attackers can also exploit an advantage gained by breaching a Web application to find and gain access to other, more vulnerable systems on your network.
Other common Web attacks include Cross Site Scripting attacks (XSS) that exploit vulnerabilities in the web server to inject malicious code into web pages, which executes as an infected script in the victim’s browser. This allows attackers to steal sensitive information or send users to phishing websites. Web forums, message boards and blogs are particularly susceptible to XSS attacks.
Distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) involve hackers banding together to overwhelm a website with more requests than it can field. This could cause the page to lag or completely shut down and impede the ability of the site to process requests, rendering it unusable for all users. DDoS attacks can be devastating for small businesses, such as local bakeries or restaurants that rely on their website for operations.
