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In This Chapter
Chapter 14
Websites and Applications
▶ Testing websites and web applications
▶ Hacking with Google
▶ Protecting against SQL injection and cross-site scripting
▶ Preventing login weaknesses
▶ Countering web abuse
▶ Analyzing the source code
W ebsites and web applications are common targets for attack because
they’re everywhere and often open for anyone to poke and prod.
Basic websites used for marketing, contact information, document downloads,
and so on are especially easy for the bad guys to play around with.
However, for criminal hackers, websites that provide a front end to complex
applications and databases that store valuable information, such as credit
card and Social Security numbers, are especially attractive. This is where the
money is, both literally and figuratively.
Why are websites and applications so vulnerable? The consensus is that they’re
vulnerable because of poor software development and testing practices. Sound
familiar? It should; this same problem affects operating systems and practically
all aspects of computer systems. This is the side effect of relying on software
compilers to perform error checking, waning user demand for higher-quality
software, and emphasizing time-to-market instead of security and quality.
This chapter presents website and application tests to run on your systems.
Given all the custom software configuration possibilities, you can test for literally
thousands of web vulnerabilities. In this chapter, I focus on the ones I see most
often using both automated scanners and manual analysis. I also outline countermeasures
to help minimize the chances that someone with ill intent can carry
out these attacks against what are likely considered your most critical systems.
I want to point out that this chapter merely skims the surface of all possible
web security flaws and ways to test for them. Additional sources for building
your web security testing skills are the tools and standards (such as the Top
10 Web Application Security Risks) provided by the Open Web Application
Security Project (www.owasp.org).