Web Server Security and Survey on Web Application Security

Abstract

A web server is a computer host configured and connected to Internet, for serving the web pages on request. Information on the public web server is accessed by anyone and anywhere on the Internet. Since web servers are open to public access they can be subjected to attempts by hackers to compromise the servers security. Hackers can deface websites and steal data valuable data from systems. This can translate into significant loss of revenue if it is a financial institution or e-commerce site. In the case of corporate or government systems, loss of important data means launch of information espionages or information warfare on their sites. Apart from data loss or theft, web defacement can also result in significant damage to the image of company [1]. The fact that an attacker can strike remotely makes a Web server an appealing target. Understanding threats to Web server and being able to identify appropriate countermeasures permits to anticipate many attacks and thwart the ever-growing numbers of attackers [3]. This work begins by reviewing the most common threats that affect Web servers. It then uses this perspective to find certain countermeasures. A key concept of this work focuses on the survey of most prevailing attacks that occurs due to certain vulnerabilities present in the web technology or programming which are exploited by attackers and also presents general countermeasures. In addition, various methods to detect and prevent those attacks are discussed and highlighted the summary and comparative analysis of the approaches on the basis of different attacks that shows you how to improve Web servers security.