Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

In which attack do attackers exploit web page vulnerabilities to send unintended malicious requests?

1. SQL injection

2. Cross-site scripting

3. Cross-site request forgery

4. Denial of service

The correct answer is: Cross-site request forgery

The correct answer is Cross-site request forgery. This type of attack involves tricking the victim's browser into making an unintended request to a web application where the user is authenticated. By exploiting this trust, attackers can perform actions on behalf of the user without their consent, often leading to unauthorized transactions or data changes. This attack takes advantage of the session information and tokens that are already stored in the user's browser, making it particularly effective. Unlike other attacks, such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting, which focus on manipulating or stealing data directly, Cross-site request forgery specifically targets the actions that the authenticated user can perform within the application. In summary, Cross-site request forgery relies on the established trust between the user and the web application to execute unauthorized commands, showcasing a distinct mechanism that differentiates it from other vulnerabilities and attacks.