Chapter 6: Process of Web Hacking

Web hacking
Web hacking is a common practice all around the world now with the main
aim being to acquire access to data on the websites. While it is not possible
to hack every site on comes across, one can hack some websites. The level
of difficulty in hacking a website varies depending on how protected the
site is. Therefore, you will find that while some websites are
straightforward to hack, some cannot be hacked due to their security levels.
The presence of vulnerabilities on the site facilitates web hacking. Many
methods can be used to hack a website. Some hackers might use cross-
scripting, SQL injection, among other methods of hacking a website. Below
are steps that one can follow to hack a website.
1. 
Analyze the website for weaknesses or vulnerabilities. A website
can be vulnerable in its infrastructure or even programming
language. The hacker should first begin the website hacking by
identifying these weaknesses to the system as they will be the
way into the websites.
Types of vulnerabilities
There are very many types of vulnerabilities that are mostly present in
websites. Every vulnerability can be exploited in its way. The more
vulnerabilities in a website, the easier it is to access and gain control of the
website. Some of the potential weaknesses of websites are as explained
below.
❖ 
SQL injections- this can be a string of code that can be used to
help the hacker upload, edit modify, and tamper with the
information on the website. Once SQL is successfully inside the
site, it will not work as it should. This alteration in functionality
allows the hacker to access data that they want, alter it, or complete
any activity that they need.
❖ 
Cross-site scripting- in this type of vulnerability, the attacker will
inject malicious code into the website through any weakness noted.
The script will start to steal each of the visitors' cookies. For every
visit to the site, the script is activated and cookies are stolen. The
code then sends the cookies to the attacker. Through the cookies,

the attacker can have access to visitor’s data, and they can use it to
access the website when they want.
❖
Broken authentication and session management- here, the
attacker will focus on attacking active sessions. Once they have
attacked the active session, they will then use the credentials of the
user to access the website. Access to the account means that the
attacker can collect any data and information that need.
There are other types of vulnerabilities that can be exploited in a website.
The more the vulnerabilities, the easier to hack as well as the higher the
threat. The threat is not only to the website owner but also to the users of
the websites as they can quickly lose data or get attacked as well.

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