5 Common Web Security Risks You Should Know About

A successful web security attack can significantly damage your business, and impact your business's standing, bottom line, and consumer trust. Security breach impacts can be financial, legal, and reputation. The economic losses involved in cyberattacks may result from the theft of financial data, corporate information, and money.

Web security attacks can erode customer trust, causing you to lose sales, customers, and reduced profits. Data privacy and protection laws require you to ensure personal data security. You might face legal action when the data is deliberately or accidentally compromised, and you haven't deployed the proper security measures. This article outlines five common web security risks you should know about.

1. Phishing

Phishing attacks are fraudulent communications that seem to be from reputable sources and are usually done via email. They're aimed at stealing sensitive data, including login and credit card details, or installing malware on the target's device. Phishing attacks can compromise your data and online accounts access, give permissions to modify connected systems, and hijack computer networks.

While no one method can avert phishing attacks, employee awareness training can come in handy. They can learn how to identify a phishing email and what they can do should they unintentionally succumb to phishing attacks. You can also test their knowledge using phishing awareness questions.

2. SQL injection

An SQL injection is a cyberattack where the hacker utilizes a Structured Query Language (SQL) code to exploit a database and access potentially valuable data. It's one of the most threatening and prevalent attacks as it can be used against any website or web application that utilizes an SQL-based database. To prevent this cyberattack, you can use web application firewalls or develop different database user accounts that specific, trusted individuals can only access.

3. Ransomware

Ransomware is malware that uses asymmetric encryption to hold victims' data at ransom, preventing them from accessing their files, applications, or databases. The victims can only access their information upon paying the demanded ransom. Ransomware is mainly meant to spread across a target database, file servers, and network to quickly paralyze a whole organization.

To mitigate damage when attacked and avoid ransomware, you can back up your data, secure the backups, leverage security software and ensure it's up to date, practice safe surfing, use secure networks only and implement regular security awareness programs. Remaining current on the latest ransomware risks can help you know what to expect.

4.  Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks

XSS is a web security threat that lets attackers compromise user interactions with vulnerable applications. It allows an attacker to pose as a victim user, do any actions that the user can perform, and gain access to the user's data. XSS attacks can be reflected, stored, or DOM-based. Effectively preventing XSS risks may involve filtering input on arrival, encoding data on output, using appropriate response headers, and using a content security policy.

5.  Spyware

Spyware is malicious software meant to enter your device, collect data, and then forward it to third parties without your consent. It's a legit software that observes your data for commercial services such as advertising. Spyware results in data theft, identity fraud, computer damage, and browsing experience disruptions. To protect yourself from spyware, use internet security solutions to detect antimalware and reliable antivirus.

Endnote

Learning about web security threats helps you find better ways to protect yourself. Consider learning these web security risks and how you can protect yourself.