“Top 10 Web Vulnerabilities Every Beginner Should Know (And How to Fix Them)”

Web applications are everywhere—so are the attackers targeting them. Whether you’re a web developer, ethical hacker, or just getting started with cybersecurity, understanding common web vulnerabilities is essential.

Here’s a beginner-friendly breakdown of the top 10 web vulnerabilities, how they work, and how to defend against them—based on insights from the OWASP Top 10.

🔟 1. SQL Injection (SQLi)

• What it is: Injecting malicious SQL queries into input fields.
• Example: ' OR 1=1 --
• Defense: Use prepared statements (e.g., PDO in PHP, parameterized queries in Python).
• 📌 Related: Read our blog on Wazuh for log monitoring to detect SQLi attempts in logs.
• 🧪 Practice Lab: SQL Injection vulnerability in WHERE clause

9️⃣ Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

• What it is: Injecting malicious scripts into web pages.
• Types: Stored, Reflected, DOM-based.
• Defense: Sanitize user input, use Content Security Policy (CSP).
• 🧪 Practice Lab: Reflected XSS vulnerability

8️⃣ Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

• What it is: Tricking users into performing actions they didn’t intend.
• Defense: Use CSRF tokens, SameSite cookies, and double-submit techniques.
• 🧪 Practice Lab: CSRF vulnerability with token validation

7️⃣ Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR)

• What it is: Accessing unauthorized data by modifying object references in URLs.
• Example: /profile/1234 → /profile/1235
• Defense: Implement proper authorization checks on the backend.
• 📎 Learn more in our blog on Threat Intelligence for detecting access abuse.
• 🧪 Practice Lab: IDOR vulnerability

6️⃣ Security Misconfigurations

• Examples: Default credentials, open S3 buckets, verbose error messages.
• Defense: Harden configurations, run security audits using tools like Mozilla Observatory.
• 🧪 Practice Lab: Exploiting verbose error messages

5️⃣ Broken Authentication

• What it is: Poor session management, weak password policies.
• Defense: Use multi-factor authentication (MFA), secure cookies, and session timeouts.
• 🧪 Practice Lab: Broken brute-force protection

4️⃣ Sensitive Data Exposure

• What it is: Storing passwords in plaintext, weak encryption practices.
• Defense: Always use HTTPS, and encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit with AES or RSA.
• 🧪 Practice Lab: Exploiting misconfigured SSL

3️⃣ Broken Access Control

• What it is: Users accessing unauthorized functions or data.
• Defense: Enforce role-based access control (RBAC) and test access boundaries using Burp Suite.
• 🧪 Practice Lab: Access control vulnerability allowing horizontal privilege escalation

2️⃣ Unvalidated Redirects and Forwards

• What it is: Redirecting users to malicious sites through vulnerable URLs.
• Defense: Avoid using user input in redirect logic and whitelist URLs.
• 🧪 Practice Lab: Open redirection vulnerability

1️⃣ Using Vulnerable Components

• What it is: Outdated libraries and plugins.
• Defense: Use OWASP Dependency-Check or npm audit to monitor and update components.

💡 Bonus Tip

New to bug bounties? Start with HackerOne’s Vulnerability Disclosure Program to practice responsible disclosure.

🔗 Internal Links Recap:

• 🔍 Breaking Down Log4Shell Vulnerability
• 🔍 Getting Started with Wazuh
• 🔍 Threat Intelligence Guide

🚀 Conclusion

Understanding these vulnerabilities helps you build stronger, more secure web applications. Cybersecurity starts with awareness—so keep learning and testing your knowledge.