What is Web Attack?

Over the past decade, millions of businesses have embraced web applications as an inexpensive way to build relationships and transactions with prospects and customers. But while they provide the opportunity for greater customer insight and efficiency, web applications also have vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals. One of the most common and devastating of these is a web attack.

A web attack is a type of a cyberattack, where the attacker takes on the persona of another to gain access to sensitive information or criminal activities, such as stealing credit card numbers or other personal data. Web attacks are often characterized by SQLi (Structured Query Language Injection), XSS (cross-site scripting) and file upload attack.

In a SQLi attack hackers enter customized Structured Query Language commands into an app or website field to steal private data stored on the database server backend. In an XSS attack, hackers inject malicious code into a website or website that is executed by the victim’s browser with no validation or encoded. The attack could steal session details, display unauthorized text or images or redirect the victim to a phishing website.

The best method to what is web attack safeguard against cyberattacks is to run regular vulnerability scans and apply patches to your website and web servers, as well as any databases it relies on. It is also a good idea to develop an incident response plan so that if an attack occurs it can be quickly detected and dealt with. Also, be sure to are aware of ways to spot a web attack through warning indications such as slowing down of the network or intermittent website shutdowns.