research-school-2024/writeups/common-vulnerabilities.md

Common vulnerabilities in programming and web development

1. Injection Vulnerabilities (SQL Injection)
   • Use prepared statements and parameterized queries.
   • Validate and sanitize user inputs.
   • Web application firewalls should be able to detect and block injection attempts.
2. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
   • Use output encoding for dynamic content.
   • Use the Content Security Policy to restrict sources for scripts.
   • Conduct regular code reviews for possible XSS vulnerabilities.
3. Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR)
   • Stricter authorization checks for all user inputs.
   • Prefer indirect references, like GUIDs, over direct object references.
   • Review access controls and permissions on a regular basis.
4. Cross-Site Request Forgery
   • Include anti-CSRF tokens in forms and AJAX requests.
   • Set the SameSite attribute on cookies to prevent CSRF attacks.
   • Validate the origin of requests to ensure they come from trusted sources.
5. Broken Authentication
   • Implement strong password policies, including complexity requirements and expiration.
   • Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for sensitive actions.
   • Implement secure session management practices, like session timeouts and secure cookie attributes.
6. Sensitive Data Exposure
   • Employ strong encryption protocols such as TLS to protect data in transit.
   • At rest, sensitive data should be protected using industry-standard encryption algorithms.
   • Avoid storing sensitive data whenever possible.
7. Security Misconfiguration
   • Regular security audit configurations and settings.
   • Utilize automated tools to detect misconfigurations in environments.
   • Apply best practices in terms of server hardening and application security.
8. Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities
   • Keep libraries and dependencies updated to their latest versions.
   • Known Vulnerability: Monitor vulnerability databases for known issues with components in use.
   • Utilize a dependency management tool that can alert when components are out of date or have known vulnerabilities.
9. Insufficient Logging and Monitoring
   • Implement logging of key actions and errors.
   • Establish alerts on unusual activities or anomalies identified in logs.
   • Periodically investigate logs for the detection of possible security incidents.
10. Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
    • Whitelist user-supplied URLs against a set of trusted domains.
    • Limit server-side requests to internal resources when absolutely necessary.
    • Monitor outgoing requests for suspicious patterns.
11. Insecure Data Handling
    • Implement error and boundary checking and validation.
    • Implement cleanup operations to avoid leaking resources.
    • Avoid leaking raw references to memory.