Over the past decade in the last decade, millions of companies and organizations have accepted the Web as an inexpensive way to communicate with customers as well as conduct business. This includes the use of web applications that gather and store data, including customer information submitted via content management systems, shopping carts and inquiry forms and login fields.
These applications are typically accessed via the Internet and can be hacked to exploit weaknesses within the application or supporting infrastructure. SQL injection attacks which exploit weaknesses in databases, can cause damage to databases that store sensitive data. Attackers may use the leverage they gain by breaching your Web application to locate other systems that are more vulnerable in your network.
Cross Site Scripting (XSS) is another common Web attack type. This exploits weaknesses in web servers to inject malicious code into web pages. The script then runs within the victim’s web browser. This lets attackers access to confidential information or redirect the user to phishing websites. Web forums, message boards and neoerudition.net/avg-antivirus-review blogs are particularly vulnerable to XSS attacks.
Distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) involve hackers joining together to overwhelm a website with more requests than it is able to handle. This can cause a web page to lag or completely shut down that compromises its ability to handle requests, making it unusable for everyone. This is the reason DDoS attacks are especially devastating for small businesses that depend on their websites for the operation for their business, such as local bakeries or restaurants.