Explore practical scenarios focused on the OWASP Top 10 security risks as you assess your understanding of real-world vulnerabilities. Designed for those interested in security testing, this quiz highlights common attack vectors and essential mitigation techniques.
A user enters malicious input in a login form causing the application to return all user records from the database. Which OWASP Top 10 vulnerability does this represent?
Explanation: The correct answer is Injection, where user input manipulates a backend command or query, often leading to data breaches. Sensitive Data Exposure refers to weak security protections for stored or transmitted data, not direct manipulation via input. Broken Authentication involves flaws in identity mechanisms rather than database queries. Incorrect Data Validation is a general concept, but not a specific OWASP Top 10 risk; Injection more precisely fits this scenario.
An application allows users to download invoices by sequentially changing the invoice ID in the URL and accessing others’ invoices, which best describes which OWASP risk?
Explanation: Insecure Direct Object References occur when an attacker can manipulate references to objects, such as file names or database keys, without proper authorization checks. Cross-Site Request Forgery involves sending unauthorized requests from a trusted user, which is not the case here. Security Misconfiguration pertains to insecure default settings or environments, not direct object access. Insufficient Logging involves inadequate monitoring, not unauthorized data access.
If a user's browser executes an attacker’s script embedded in a user-generated comment, which OWASP vulnerability is illustrated?
Explanation: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) occurs when user input is rendered without proper encoding, allowing malicious scripts to run in users’ browsers. Insecure Deserialization concerns unsafe object deserialization, not script execution. Broken Access Control involves unauthorized data access, but does not explain in-browser script execution. Security Missconfiguration is a typo and also does not align specifically with script injection scenarios.
A web application transmits credit card data over HTTP without encryption, exposing it to network interception. What OWASP risk does this represent?
Explanation: Sensitive Data Exposure happens when sensitive information, like credit card details, is inadequately protected and can be intercepted, especially when encryption is missing. Cross-Site Scripting deals with executing malicious scripts, which isn’t relevant to data transmission. Insufficient Transport Layer Protection is an outdated OWASP term and isn’t the current category. Server-Side Request Forgery refers to abusing server behavior to access internal resources, not unencrypted data transmission.
A user discovers they can access an administrative account by guessing common passwords and finds session identifiers are not invalidated after logout. Which security issue is being demonstrated?
Explanation: Broken Authentication includes issues like weak password management and failure to properly handle session tokens, both present in this scenario. Security Misconfiguration covers misapplied settings, but does not include authentication mechanisms specifically. Insufficient Logging and Monitoring relates to tracking security events, not authentication logic. Injection concerns manipulating commands or queries, which isn’t being exploited here.