Overly broad permissions can turn one compromised account into a much larger security problem. Learn how to reduce unnecessary access, review privileges, and apply least privilege across modern Linux systems. Review Linux Privileges×

Common Web Application Attacks: PHP Exploits Overview and Case Study

Apr 28, 2006 •

Anthony Pell

1 min read

Topics Covered

security issue XSS remote code execution SQL injection web application attack PHP exploit username enumeration

This article looks at five common Web application attacks, primarily for PHP applications, and then presents a case study of a vulnerable Website that was found through Google and easily exploited. Each of the attacks we'll cover are part of a wide field of study, and readers are advised to follow the references listed in each section for further reading. It is important for Web developers and administrators to have a thorough knowledge of these attacks. It should also be noted that that Web applications can be subjected to many more attacks than just those listed here.

While most of the illustrated examples in this article will discuss PHP coding due to its overwhelming popularity on the Web, the concepts also apply to any programming language. The attacks explained in this article are:

1. Remote code execution
2. SQL injection
3. Format string vulnerabilities
4. Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
5. Username enumeration

The link for this article located at is no longer available.