51. Understanding Pivoting

Pivoting refers to the technique of gaining unauthorized access to one machine within a network and using that access to infiltrate additional systems.

52. The Risk of Supply Chain Attacks

Supply chain attacks target the less-secure third-party partners that have access to an organization’s systems. A notable example is the SolarWinds attack, where hackers compromised their software, affecting numerous high-profile clients including Fortune 500 companies and various U.S. government branches.

53. Exploring Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) involves injecting harmful scripts into the front-end of an application, aiming to exploit its users rather than the application itself.

The types of XSS include:

• Non-Persistent / Reflected XSS: A temporary script is injected into a website's HTML, executed when a user clicks a link containing the malicious code.
• Persistent XSS / Stored XSS: A script is permanently embedded in a webpage’s HTML, executing whenever the page loads.
• Server-side XSS: The attacker manipulates the server to include malicious scripts.
• Client-side XSS: The attacker adjusts the client-side to load a page with the malicious script.

For further reading on XSS, click here.

54. Understanding Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

CSRF manipulates users into executing unwanted actions on web applications they are authenticated in. For instance, if a user is logged into their banking app, clicking a malicious link in another tab could initiate an unauthorized fund transfer.

55. Server Side Request Forgery Explained

This attack involves compromising a server to make requests to unintended resources, potentially exposing server credentials.

56. SQL Injection: A Major Threat

SQL Injection occurs when an attacker inputs a malicious SQL query into a web form, which can read, modify, or even delete database information.

For example, the input Robert'); DROP TABLE Students; -- could lead to the deletion of the entire students' table.

57. OS Command Injection Attacks

This type of attack allows attackers to manipulate the operating system of the application server through user input, gaining control over it.

58. LDAP Injection: Risks and Impacts

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is utilized for accessing directory information. Attackers can exploit LDAP queries to access unauthorized information and modify content within the LDAP directory.

59. Path Traversal Attacks

In a path traversal attack, an attacker accesses critical system files by navigating beyond the root directory using sequences like ../. For example, an attacker could exploit a URL to access sensitive files on a Linux/UNIX server.

60. OWASP Top Ten: A Security Reference

OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) provides invaluable resources for web security, including the OWASP Top Ten, which outlines the most critical security risks for web applications.

For further insights, refer to the OWASP Top Ten document.

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