Performing a Vulnerability and Security Assessment

To assess the vulnerabilities and security of a website application, you must first identify the components of the website environment. A typical single-server website consists of the following:

  • A web server OS—The operating system of the hardware server that the components reside on

  • A web server application—The actual application that is collecting, using, and/or providing data

  • A web server front-end—The web server software that presents the application to users in the form of HTTP pages

  • Website forms—The input fields, or forms, that are used to gather data from users

Because each of these components is unusual in purpose and design, it is important to assess them separately, even ...

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