Website security is an extremely broad division of information assurance that focuses mainly on protection of online websites, web applications and related web services. In a nutshell, website security takes into account aspects of site protection but applies them to web and website systems. This is because security issues may impact one website against another. For instance, if a website contains a vulnerability then the security of the whole system may be at stake.
One of the major issues addressed by website security experts is SQL injection vulnerability. This refers to the ability of an attacker to insert data into the database of the target website in such a way that it compromises the integrity of the whole system. What is needed to deal with SQL injection vulnerability is prevention. Prevention is best done by preventing an attacker from getting access to the website in the first place. However, if precautions are not taken, such as by not allowing anyone except the owner to enter the website, then the whole system could be compromised.
There are two sides to website security. The first is a server-side security, aimed at protecting the data and the application running on the server side from external threats. For instance, a hacker with control over a server can send arbitrary commands to the database. Such commands can deny access to some pages or perform other actions.
There is another type of website security, which is known as the web server side security or spam filtering. This aims at protecting the website from attackers on the web server side. This can be done by preventing access to certain types of scripts or resources. For instance, a website may prohibit downloads of files using XSS enabled modules.
XSS can be a severe threat to a website. XSS is a type of cross-site scripting. An attacker has the ability to inject attack scripts into a website. He can also create a website that replicating someone else’s site. When the browser requests the content of the website, he gets it when he believes the request for that content is legitimate. And if the request is for an object owned by the attacker, he can perform some action on that object.
This is very dangerous for several reasons. First, a website that is XSS enabled is vulnerable to attacks from any source. A malicious user can make any number of changes to the website without triggering any alarms. He can change the website’s HTML code, scripts or any other aspect of the website. Even though the website owner is unaware of the changes he has made, he is the one who has to bear the consequences of that action.
As a result, the website security of an unsecured server is breached. And an attacker can just do his damage. The server is not only accessible to the attacker; he can also affect the computers or devices belonging to the website’s visitors. And since most users do not realize that their web browser is under attack, they are often unaware of the danger they are in. And that is why XSS happens so often and so frequently needs to be addressed.
To avoid this type of website security issue, websites should use an appropriate type of web content management system (CMS). A CMS provides tools that can manage the website’s content and security. You can use a CMS to secure the website and its users. Because it manages the website and all the content in it, a CMS can also monitor the website and provide alerts whenever it detects a breach in security. CMS applications can be either free of charge or for a fee.