Web Application Security

Advances in web technologies coupled with a changing business environment, mean that web applications are becoming more prevalent in corporate, public and Government services today. Although web applications can provide convenience and efficiency, there are also a number of new security threats, which could potentially pose significant risks to an organisation's information technology infrastructure if not handled properly.

For more than a decade, organisations have been dependent upon security measures on the perimeter of the network to protect their IT infrastructure. However, traditional network security measures and technologies may not be sufficient to safeguard web applications from new threats since attacks are now specifically targeting security flaws in the design of web applications. New security measures, both technical and administrative, need to be implemented alongside the development of web applications.

In order to tackle the threats related to these new application services, it is essential to understand the vulnerabilities commonly found in web applications. This article discusses critical web application vulnerabilities and how they can be addressed during different phases of a system development lifecycle. Tips on how to surf the Internet safely are also provided to end-users, as these can be the weakest link in web application information security.

Download the full contents (in PDF format)

( To view and print the downloaded document, you need to use an Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please click here to download if necessary. )