Web, Application & SQL Injection Attacks

Which input would most clearly indicate a tester is attempting a classic SQL injection on a login form?

• A ' OR '1'='1' -- ✓
• B <script>alert(1)</script>
• C ../../etc/passwd
• D %0d%0aSet-Cookie: x=1

Answer: The payload ' OR '1'='1' -- manipulates the SQL WHERE clause so the condition is always true and comments out the rest, a textbook authentication-bypass SQL injection.

Which OWASP-recognised vulnerability allows an attacker to inject client-side scripts that execute in other users' browsers?

• A Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) ✓
• B SQL Injection
• C Cross-Site Request Forgery
• D Directory traversal

Answer: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) injects malicious scripts into web pages that are then executed in the browsers of other users, enabling session theft and defacement.

What is the single most effective defence against SQL injection?

• A Increasing the session timeout
• B Hiding the database server behind a longer URL
• C Using parameterized queries (prepared statements) with bound parameters ✓
• D Renaming the database tables

Answer: Parameterized queries separate code from data so user input is always treated as a value and never executed as SQL, neutralising injection attempts.

Which tool is an intercepting proxy commonly used to capture, inspect, and modify HTTP/HTTPS requests during web-application testing?

• A Burp Suite ✓
• B Aircrack-ng
• C Ettercap
• D Responder

Answer: Burp Suite acts as an intercepting proxy between the browser and the web server, letting testers inspect and tamper with HTTP/HTTPS traffic.

A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attack succeeds by abusing which property of the victim's browser?

• A Its support for FTP only
• B Its automatic inclusion of the victim's session cookies with requests to the trusted site ✓
• C Its inability to render JavaScript
• D Its lack of any cache

Answer: CSRF tricks the victim's browser into sending a forged request to a site where the victim is authenticated; the browser automatically attaches the session cookie, so the request is honoured.

A directory-traversal payload such as '../../../etc/passwd' is used to:

• A Encrypt the web server's files
• B Access files outside the web root by manipulating the path ✓
• C Brute-force the admin password
• D Flood the server with requests

Answer: Directory (path) traversal uses sequences like ../ to step out of the intended directory and read files elsewhere on the file system, such as /etc/passwd.