Web servers are essential to the modern world’s ability to access information and a range of online services. However, securing web servers against unsanctioned requests is becoming a more pressing issue due to the steady rise in connections and increased risks from attackers.
Unauthorized queries may result in major issues including data loss, site downtime, or even the compromising of private information. This is why developing and putting into practice efficient web server security techniques should be a top concern for every company or individual user.
To keep your server safe and secure, we’ll examine some recommended practices in this post for shielding web servers from illegal requests.
Table of Contents
Web Server Vulnerability Assessment: Get Aware of Possible Dangers
Attackers often target web servers with unsanctioned requests and other assaults. Serious repercussions might result from this, including data damage, information leaking, or the inaccessibility of the online resource.
Regular vulnerability evaluations are important to guarantee the security of web servers. This procedure is predicated on locating and evaluating the possible risks that the server may be exposed to from malicious requests.
The SSRF (Server-Side Request Forgery) vulnerability is one of the most prevalent and hazardous web server flaws. A server may be tricked into sending requests to other internal or external resources in this kind of attack. This may carry out illicit actions, release private data, or even run execute commands on the server.
You need to use trustworthy techniques and technologies to identify and defend against web server vulnerabilities from SSRF and other attacks.
Multi-Factor Authentications is Being Used to Safeguard Web Servers
One of the best ways to prevent unwanted requests from reaching web servers is to use multi-factor authentication (MFA). Let’s talk about the key components of multi-factor authentication implementation and the use of web server security.
A process known as multi-factor authentication requires a user to provide many kinds of identity to access a system. Usually, this calls for a trifecta of availability (e.g., biometric data), ownership (e.g., physical access card), and knowledge (e.g., password).
Adequate technological solutions must be implemented at the web server level to deploy IFA. Using two-factor authentication (2FA), which combines possession and knowledge, is one method. This may be done by adding an extra authentication step, such as sending an SMS code or creating one-time passwords using an app.
Utilizing three-factor authentication (3FA), which combines knowledge, ownership, and presence, is another example. For example, a user could also need to utilize their biometric information, such as a finger scan or face recognition, in addition to their password and physical access card.
Whitelisting IP Addresses to Exclude Unsanctioned Queries
As previously mentioned, SSRF is most often used to collect sensitive data from an internal network or to initiate attacks on other systems. It involves an attacker taking advantage of a weakness in a web application to send malicious requests to other systems.
You may choose which IP addresses — trusted and suspicious — should send requests to the web server by using IP address whitelisting. An attacker will be prevented from initiating an attack by rejecting all other IP addresses, which will be deemed unauthorized.
There are many methods you may use to build a whitelist. You may manually designate certain IP addresses, for instance, from which valid requests are anticipated. However, doing so may be ineffective and necessitates regularly updating the list.
Automating the whitelisting process using services that refresh the IP address list automatically and delete undesirable or dangerous addresses is a more sophisticated approach.
Applying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to defend against nefarious requests
Web Application Firewalls, or WAFs, are among the best defenses against unwanted requests made to web servers. A web application firewall (WAF) is a software element installed in front of a web server that examines incoming requests and identifies and prevents unauthorized or malicious ones.
The WAF can identify and defend against a wide range of vulnerabilities, such as SSRF, which poses a major risk to security as it may result in the discovery or exploitation of internal network resources, such as databases and other systems.
Inbound and outgoing requests are filtered by WAF using pre-established security rules and policies. This enables you to monitor and stop anomalous or unusual request attempts in addition to blocking requests that include known vulnerabilities or malicious code.
Moreover, WAF may be modified based on the vulnerabilities and particulars of the web application.
Server Log Analysis: An Efficient Method For Identifying And Stopping Assaults on Web Servers
Another useful technique for shielding web servers from unwanted requests is server log analysis. Server logs provide comprehensive data about user behavior, such as IP addresses, times, and request kinds. These logs may be analyzed to spot abnormal activities and conduct countermeasures against intrusions.
You may spot strange queries that can point to an attempted attack by looking through the logs. Unusual URLs or parameters in such queries may suggest an effort to access internal systems.
Additional Techniques For Safeguarding Web Servers
As soon as a questionable request is detected, action has to be taken to stop the assault. This might consist of:
- filtering and validating user input;
- restricting access to internal resources;
- use of whitelists to allow access to external resources;
- monitoring and auditing network traffic to detect suspicious activity;
- notifying responsible parties of potential threats.
You should also update your software often and install patches to fix vulnerabilities that attackers may use to launch SSRF attacks to strengthen your defenses against assaults. Remember to keep an eye on user behavior and react to anything that seems off.
Conclusion
Web server security is an essential component for every business. Reducing the potential harm from events and preventing assaults may be achieved by upgrading systems regularly and implementing adequate data protection procedures.
All things considered, upholding the organization’s image and protecting client privacy will come from taking proactive security measures. Consequently, in today’s digital environment, devoting time and money to this is a crucial step for a firm to succeed.