Website Security Threats
Malware and Injection Threats
Website security threats are the attacks and weaknesses that can damage a site's content, its visitors, its search ranking or its availability. Threats are easiest to understand as families, grouped by what the attacker is trying to do. The mechanics of each are covered in their own articles, so this page is an overview.
Malware is malicious software placed on or run by a website, such as a script that steals form data or a file that spreads spam. Attackers usually install it through a weakness that already exists. Read about what website malware is for more detail.
Injection attacks insert harmful input so that a site treats it as part of a command or page. SQL injection targets database queries, while cross-site scripting places scripts into pages that visitors load. Both usually come from forms or inputs that are not checked properly.
Credential Attacks and Malicious Bots
Credential attacks try to gain access by guessing or reusing passwords. Brute force attacks try many password combinations automatically, while credential stuffing tests username and password pairs leaked from other breaches. Both succeed most often against accounts with weak or reused passwords.
Malicious bots are automated programs that behave in ways site owners do not want. They include scrapers that copy content, vulnerability scanners that look for outdated software, and spam bots that fill in forms. Some are a nuisance on their own, but others are the first step of a larger attack.
Denial of Service Threats
Availability threats aim to make a site slow or unreachable rather than to take control of it. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack floods a site with traffic from many sources at once, often using networks of compromised devices. The site may stay online but respond too slowly for visitors, or it may go offline while the traffic continues.
Availability threats rarely steal data, but they can cost sales and reputation. They can also be used to distract staff from other intrusions.
Frequently asked questions
Which website security threat is the most common?
No single threat is common to every site. Automated attacks on weak passwords, outdated software and known vulnerabilities are among the most frequent causes of compromise because they can be run at scale. The most damaging threat depends on the site. An online shop worries most about data theft, while a news site may suffer more from outages.
Do I need to understand every threat to protect a website?
No. Most protection rests on a small set of habits: keeping software updated, using strong and unique passwords, limiting access to what each person needs, and watching for unusual activity. Understanding the threat families helps you judge which habits matter most for your site, but it does not replace them.