CyberCode Academy

Course 1 - BurpSuite Bug Bounty Web Hacking from Scratch | Episode 11: Injection and Directory Path Traversal Attacks.


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In this lesson, you’ll learn about:
  • Critical Web Security Vulnerabilities — Overview: Focus on Injection Attacks and Directory Path Traversal Attacks, two high-risk categories in web applications.
  • Injection Attacks — definition & mechanism:
    • Occur when untrusted input is sent to an interpreter (SQL, OS commands, HTML, CSS, or JavaScript), altering program execution.
    • Can lead to data theft, data loss, denial of service, or full system compromise.
    • Types include:
      • Client-side: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), HTML injection, CSS injection.
      • Server-side: SQL injection, command injection, CRLF injection.
    • Requires input/output interaction with the web application or database.
  • Directory Path Traversal (Path Traversal) — definition & mechanism:
    • HTTP attack allowing attackers to bypass web server restrictions and access files outside the designated root directory.
    • Exploits file path parameters by inserting traversal sequences like ../ to move up directories.
    • Targets include sensitive files:
      • Windows: web.config
      • Linux: /etc/passwd
  • Consequences:
    • Unauthorized access to critical files, application configuration, and sensitive system data.
    • Potential for executing arbitrary commands depending on server privileges.
  • Detection & Demonstration:
    • Attackers test parameters by adding ../ sequences and observing responses.
    • Successful access indicates improper input validation and insufficient access controls.
  • Mitigation & Best Practices:
    • Keep web server software updated with latest patches.
    • Validate and sanitize all user inputs, filtering out meta-characters (../, %2e%2e/, etc.).
    • Restrict server environment to only necessary data and remove unused files.
    • Implement proper Access Control Lists (ACLs) and enforce directory confinement.
  • Key takeaway:
    Protecting against injection and path traversal attacks requires both input validation and secure configuration of server directories and application logic.


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CyberCode AcademyBy CyberCode Academy