HTTP attacks: Strategies for prevention

There are two common HTTP attacks. One involves sending a long URL to a Web server with the goal of triggering a buffer overflow. The other attack is the SQL injection, which is the process of sending appended SQL commands to a URL to gain access to the backend database. Attackers often use forms to perform these attacks, as they both look to exploit poorly-written applications using unexpected, user-submitted data to initiate the attack. This means all user input data needs to be checked before being

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To prevent these types of attack, your organization's application security strategy should include the following:

Here are 11 rules that developers should follow during any Web application development cycle:

About the author:
Michael Cobb, CISSP-ISSAP is the founder and managing director of Cobweb Applications Ltd., a consultancy that offers IT training and support in data security and analysis. He co-authored the book IIS Security and has written numerous technical articles for leading IT publications. Mike is the guest instructor for SearchSecurity's Web Security School and, as a SearchSecurity.com site expert, answers user questions on application and platform security.

Rate this Tip To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchSecurity.com. Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member. BROWSE BY TAG Web Security Advisor,   Application and Platform Security,   Web Security Tools and Best Practices,   Web Application Security,   Application Attacks (Buffer Overflows, Cross-Site Scripting),   VIEW ALL TAGS Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us    RELATED CONTENT Web Security Advisor DNS rebinding defenses still necessary, thanks to Web 2.0 New defenses for automated SQL injection attacks PCI compliance and Web applications: Code review or firewalls? Worst practices: Bad security incidents to avoid Web scanning and reporting best practices Social networking Web site threats manageable with good enterprise policy Enterprise security in 2008: Building trust into the application development process PCI DSS Section 6: A plan for tackling application security Making the case for Web application vulnerability scanners Preparing for uniform resource identifier (URI) exploits Web Application Security nCircle statistics show rising Web application vulnerabilities Twitter bugs, DNSSEC and broswer security Month of Twitter Bugs project to document Twitter flaws Are Web application penetration tests still important? IT pros can detect, prevent website vulnerabilities, thwart attacks PCI compliance requirement 6: Systems and applications Trust eroding as social engineering attacks climb in 2009, says Kaspersky expert US-CERT warns of Gumblar, Martuz drive-by exploits XSS bugs, information leakage top list of website vulnerabilities How to find and stop automated SQL injection attacks Application Attacks (Buffer Overflows, Cross-Site Scripting) PCI management: The case for Web application firewalls Month of Twitter Bugs project to document Twitter flaws Adobe issues first quarterly patch release fixing 13 flaws Balancing security and performance: Protecting layer 7 on the network Adobe issues Reader update fixing zero-day flaw The Pipe Dream of No More Free Bugs Security Squad: Federal cybersecurity defenses Oracle issues 43 updates, fixes serious database flaws Attackers target new Microsoft PowerPoint zero-day flaw How to detect input validation errors and vulnerabilities Application Attacks (Buffer Overflows, Cross-Site Scripting) Research RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary anonymous Web surfing  (SearchSecurity.com) buffer overflow  (SearchSecurity.com) cache cramming  (SearchSecurity.com) cookie poisoning  (SearchSecurity.com) dictionary attack  (SearchSecurity.com) distributed denial-of-service attack  (SearchSecurity.com) JavaScript hijacking  (SearchSecurity.com) National Computer Security Center  (SearchSecurity.com) threat modeling  (SearchSecurity.com) trigraph  (SearchSecurity.com) RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.