Introduction
Every year, web applications expand their presence in more and more areas. Almost every business has its own web applications for clients and for internal business processes. However, application functionality is often prioritized at the expense of security, which negatively affects the security level of the entire business.
As a result, web application vulnerabilities provide massive opportunities for malicious actors. By taking advantage of mistakes in application architecture and administration, attackers can obtain sensitive information, interfere with web application functioning, perform DoS attacks, attack application users, penetrate a corporate LAN, and gain access to critical assets.
This report provides statistics gathered by Positive Technologies while performing web application security assessments throughout 2016. Data from 2014 and 2015 is provided for comparison purposes.
This information suggests paths of action: which security flaws in web applications require attention during development and operation, how to distinguish potential threats, and what the most effective techniques for security assessment are. We also illustrate trends over time in web application development in the context of information security.