Security Documentation

Comprehensive security reference and best practices

Security Overview

Application Security

This vulnerable web application demonstrates common security flaws found in modern web applications. Each vulnerability represents real-world attack vectors that security professionals should understand.

  • Critical: SQL Injection, File Upload
  • High: XSS, IDOR, LFI
  • Medium: Information Disclosure

Learning Objectives

  • Identify common web application vulnerabilities
  • Understand attack vectors and exploitation techniques
  • Learn effective mitigation strategies
  • Apply security best practices in development

Vulnerability Categories

Injection Vulnerabilities

Code injection attacks that exploit poor input validation

SQL Injection

Critical
Description:

Malicious SQL code injection into application queries

Impact:

Data breach, authentication bypass, data manipulation

Mitigation:

Parameterized queries, input validation, least privilege

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

High
Description:

Client-side script injection in web applications

Impact:

Session hijacking, data theft, site defacement

Mitigation:

Input sanitization, output encoding, CSP headers

Access Control Flaws

Improper restrictions on authenticated users

Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR)

High
Description:

Direct access to objects without proper authorization

Impact:

Unauthorized data access, privacy violations

Mitigation:

Access control checks, indirect references, session validation

File System Vulnerabilities

Improper handling of file operations and uploads

Local File Inclusion (LFI)

High
Description:

Unauthorized access to local server files

Impact:

Source code disclosure, configuration exposure

Mitigation:

Path validation, file whitelisting, access restrictions

Unrestricted File Upload

Critical
Description:

Upload of malicious files without proper validation

Impact:

Remote code execution, system compromise

Mitigation:

File type validation, sandboxing, malware scanning

Security Principles

Defense in Depth

Multiple layers of security controls to protect against failures

Examples:
  • Network firewalls
  • Application firewalls
  • Input validation
  • Access controls

Least Privilege

Users and processes should have minimum necessary permissions

Examples:
  • Role-based access
  • Database permissions
  • File system access
  • API limitations

Fail Securely

System should fail to a secure state when errors occur

Examples:
  • Error handling
  • Default deny policies
  • Session timeouts
  • Graceful degradation

Input Validation

All input should be validated, sanitized, and verified

Examples:
  • Whitelist validation
  • Data type checking
  • Length limits
  • Character encoding

Recommended Security Tools

Web Application Scanners

  • • Burp Suite Professional
  • • OWASP ZAP
  • • Nikto
  • • SQLMap

Static Analysis

  • • SonarQube
  • • ESLint Security Plugin
  • • Bandit (Python)
  • • Semgrep

Network Tools

  • • Nmap
  • • Wireshark
  • • Metasploit
  • • Nessus