Frequent Website Security Attacks And Prevention Tips

The following topics will be covered in this blog

• What is Website Security?
• What are the common Website Security Attacks?
  • Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS)
  • Brute Force Attack
  • Path (or Directory) Traversal
  • Cross-Site Scripting
  • Injection Attacks
  • Man-In-the-Middle attack
• Prevention tips
  • Updated Software
  • Using Website Scanner
  • Web application Firewall
• Conclusion

What is Website Security?

Once you have launched your website, the most critical aspect that you need to take care of is website security. So, basically, website security is nothing but the application of protection techniques so that the website data is not exposed to potential threats or cybercriminals and the website is not exploited. Exploring various Cyber Security online training course such as CISSP, CCSP, etc. to learn and safeguard your website from cyber-attacks.

 What are the common website security attacks?

To tackle the attacks and mitigate the loss caused by them, it is equally important to understand the various types of attacks. Below mentioned are some of the common types of website security attacks.

• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS)

It has been found that DDoS temporarily or sometimes permanently makes the website go offline. Now, it is not necessary that the hacker gets access to breach the security system. The DDoS attack bombards the server with multiple requests, leaving the website unavailable for its visitors. These multiple requests are created by botnets, which distribute the requests over the previously infected computers. Attackers usually club DDoS with other methods and the aim is to explore the vulnerabilities present in the website security system.

• Brute Force Attack

Brute Force attacks are carried out to obtain information such as passwords, usernames, passphrases, PINS (Personal Identification Numbers), etc. Usually, the process is carried out by using scripts or hacking applications and multiple trials and errors are performed to finally get the right password or passphrase, etc.

• Path (or Directory) Traversal

Through Path Traversal, the cybercriminals target the web root folder to access the files that they should not. The attacker tricks the web server or the web application into files that exist outside the targeted web root folder. Post this, on injection of movement patterns within the directory, the attacker moves up the directory hierarchy and finally gets access to the unauthorized files and folders that he/she is not supposed to.

• Cross-Site Scripting

Cross-Site Scripting attacks are meant to target the systems of the website visitors. Typically, the attacker injects malicious code into the websites. These malicious codes are generally in the form of scripts. The users/visitors, with no way of knowing about the authenticity of the script, execute the same and end up getting victims of cyberattacks.

• Injection Attacks

Injection attacks are most commonly carried out by website attacks. The attacker injects a malicious code or program into the website. This affects the operations of the website and forces it to carry out only certain functions, resulting in full website compromise. The risk of injection attacks can be reduced to an extent by developing a strong codebase.

 Man-In-the-Middle attack

These attacks are carried out on targets such as the users of financial applications, e-commerce sites, or other sites requiring login credentials. The sole objective of these attacks is to access critical information like login credentials, banking passwords, etc. Once the attackers get access to these details, they can be used to carry out further crimes like identity thefts, unapproved fund transactions, etc.

 Prevention Tips

The more the footfall on the website, the higher is the need to secure your website. Following are some of the preventive measures that can be taken to safeguard your website against such attacks:

• Updated Software

Keeping up-to-date software and upgrading to newer versions is very important for the security of your website. Some of the important areas of the update include themes, extensions, plugins, etc. Now, the websites that are hosted on a content management system are at a higher risk of attack. Such websites can be protected by the timely updating of the plugins and the base software.

• Using Website Scanner

Website Scanners are security programs that are fully automated and are used for searching all kinds of malware and vulnerabilities present within the website application. In the process, the website scanner crawls through the entire website carrying out an in-depth analysis of the files contained in it. Post the analysis, the website scanner conducts an audit to identify the vulnerabilities and malware.

• Web application Firewall

When it comes to cyberattacks, firewalls are a go-to preventive measure. Web Application Firewalls work best for small and medium websites. The main objective of the Website Application Firewall (WAF) is to protect the website from all kinds of application-layer attacks.

Conclusion

In this blog, we discussed the most common types of website attacks and also discussed the preventive measures that can be taken. However, any preventive measure may not guarantee cent percent protection due to the increasing sophistication of cyber attacks. What lies in the hands of the website owners is the strength of the security system of the website application.