It’s common for organizations to put more focus into their security after experiencing a breach. To keep your company better protected, it’s best to put preventative measures in place to stop cybercriminals from gaining access to your system.
To know what security measures to integrate within your company, you’ll need to know more about what some of the most common security vulnerabilities are. This post covers the most common security risks that affect organizations.
The more seriously you take these application security risks, the better prepared your company can be to tackle cyber attacks and protect your sensitive data.
Defective Authentication
Defective authentication is a very common issue that companies currently face. Some of the possible causes of defective authentication processes include the following:
- IDs of sessions can be too predictable which makes it easier for hackers to gain access to your system.
- Your URLs may include the session ID which can cause it to be easily leaked to other people in the header.
- Passwords without encryption can be exploited in transit or storage more easily.
- A lack of SSL security or HTTP not integrated the correct way can make it easier for hackers to gain access to your session during timeouts.
Using some kind of framework is the most effective and easy way to prevent defective authentication causing too many security risks. Some organizations choose to roll their own code as an alternative prevention method.
While this can be an effective method, it can also be riskier if developers and IT teams aren’t completely aware of the many downsides that come with rolling code for yourself. You can also use scanners to detect vulnerabilities related to authentication and an array of other issues, saving you time and also limiting your exposure to the cyber threats you face today.
Injection Flaws
One of the most common ways that injection flaws happen is when you use unfiltered data within an SQL server which then passes through the browser and then into other servers. This process provides cybercriminals with a chance to include their own commands for the data which can cause it to be lost or stolen. As a result, hackers can have access to your clients’ browsers.
As a good rule of thumb, you should ensure that anything coming from an untrusted source has to be filtered. Most organizations prefer to use whitelists for this process due to how blacklists can be trickier to use.
Properly filtering all of the inputs within your system is a task that must be done with accuracy. It’s not good enough for all of the input to be filtered except for one as that one unfiltered element has the potential to bring down an entire system by giving hackers an in.
Filtering so many inputs can be tough. Therefore, many companies decide to use the filtering functions that are included with the framework that’s already integrated. This is the easiest way for organizations to prevent injection flaws.
Unstable Direct Object References
Direct object references involve an object within a system that is being exposed to a user. These objects can include database keys or files and if there aren’t any authentication processes, attackers can have access and have control over elements that they shouldn’t be able to use.
If developers have made a mistake or forgotten to include authorization for a code, for example, cybercriminals can use the code to download files that the code has access to. This can include backups of previous data on the system which can cause big problems for companies.
Carrying out the correct authorization processes is crucial to preventing unstable direct object reference problems.
Cross-Site Scripting
Cross-site scripting involves cybercriminals providing web applications JavaScript tags upon input. This input is then given back to the user without any sanitization and the browser automatically executes the input.
This can be an easy way for hackers to gain access to a system by causing a user to click on a link. It can also lead to your cookies being provided to a cybercriminal which they can use to gain entry to your system.
One of the easiest ways to prevent this issue is to not give HTML tags back to your clients. This also provides users with the opportunity to avoid any HTML injection problems. Instead, the script should be returned to users by altering the entities of HTML tags.
Sensitive Data Vulnerabilities
It’s imperative for companies to encrypt their sensitive data during every stage of the developmental and releasing stages. This data should also be encrypted when the data isn’t moving anywhere, as well as during any transit.
Sensitive data includes things like user passwords and usernames which means that companies should take encryption seriously. Passwords for user accounts should be encrypted and hashed.
You should also make sure that the hashing and encryption algorithms are strong enough to keep attackers out. Furthermore, you should be sure that sensitive data and session IDs aren’t traveling through URLs. Cookies that contain sensitive data should also have a secured flag to let you know that the data isn’t exposed to potential attackers.
To prevent sensitive data vulnerabilities, you should ensure that you only use HTTPS that comes with the correct certifications and Perfect Forward Secrecy. You shouldn’t use any elements that contain connections without HTTPS with the right certifications.
Many companies store sensitive data that they don’t need. It’s best to go through and see if you’re holding any sensitive data that you don’t need and get rid of it. Sensitive information that you have can’t be taken by attackers.
When it comes to encrypting your sensitive data, be certain that you don’t keep the encryption keys near the data that you’re trying to protect. This can make it much easier for hackers to get through the security protocols. You should keep your encryption keys stored separately and use backups to protect your sensitive data even further.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve had the chance to read more about what some of the most common cybersecurity vulnerabilities are, you can have a better idea about what to look out for. You can also begin to employ the right kinds of security measures that protect your organization’s data the best.
When companies put preventative security measures in place, they have a better chance of keeping themselves ahead of cybercriminals.
