Understanding Web Security: A Primer

Web security is a crucial aspect of modern computing. In this post, I’ll discuss some fundamental concepts and common vulnerabilities in web applications.

Common Web Vulnerabilities

1. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
   • Allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages
   • Can be prevented through proper input validation and output encoding
2. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
   • Tricks users into performing unwanted actions
   • Mitigated using CSRF tokens and SameSite cookies
3. SQL Injection
   • Occurs when user input is directly used in database queries
   • Prevented through prepared statements and input validation

Best Practices

• Always validate and sanitize user input
• Use HTTPS for all communications
• Implement proper authentication and authorization
• Keep all dependencies updated
• Follow the principle of least privilege

Stay tuned for more detailed posts about each of these topics!