Cyber criminals are focusing their efforts on exploiting weaknesses in web applications such as eCommerce platforms, blogs, login pages and other dynamic content. Insecure web applications and web services not only provide attackers access to backend databases but also allow them to perform illegal activities using compromised sites.
Web application attacks are carried out over HTTP and HTTPS; the same protocols that are used to deliver content to legitimate users. Yet web application attacks, both on free open-source software, such as WordPress, Drupal and Joomla!, as well as commercial or custom-built applications, can have repercussions that are the same, or worse than traditional network-based attacks.