Web Application Basics | TryHackMe Write-Up • FarrosFR

Here is my writing about one of the rooms on TryHackMe, specifically Web Application Basics ↗, which is part of the Web Hacking ↗ module. I will also explain how to complete the CTF in task number 10.

Task 1: Introduction#

no answer needed

Task 2: Web Application Overview#

Q1: Which component on a computer is responsible for hosting and delivering content for web applications?

web server

Q2: Which tool is used to access and interact with web applications?

web browser

Q3: Which component acts as a protective layer, filtering incoming traffic to block malicious attacks, and ensuring the security of the the web application?

web application firewall

Task 3: Uniform Resource Locator#

Q1: Which protocol provides encrypted communication to ensure secure data transmission between a web browser and a web server?

HTTPS

Q2: What term describes the practice of registering domain names that are misspelt variations of popular websites to exploit user errors and potentially engage in fraudulent activities?

Typosquatting

Q3: What part of a URL is used to pass additional information, such as search terms or form inputs, to the web server?

Query String

Task 4: HTTP Messages#

Q1: Which HTTP message is returned by the web server after processing a client’s request?

HTTP response

Q2: What follows the headers in an HTTP message?

Empty Line

Task 5: HTTP Request: Request Line and Methods#

Q1: Which HTTP protocol version became widely adopted and remains the most commonly used version for web communication, known for introducing features like persistent connections and chunked transfer encoding?

HTTP/1.1

Q2: Which HTTP request method describes the communication options for the target resource, allowing clients to determine which HTTP methods are supported by the web server?

OPTIONS

Q3: In an HTTP request, which component specifies the specific resource or endpoint on the web server that the client is requesting, typically appearing after the domain name in the URL?

URL Path

Task 6: HTTP Request: Headers and Body#

Q1: Which HTTP request header specifies the domain name of the web server to which the request is being sent?

Host

Q2: What is the default content type for form submissions in an HTTP request where the data is encoded as key=value pairs in a query string format?

application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Q3: Which part of an HTTP request contains additional information like host, user agent, and content type, guiding how the web server should process the request?

Request Headers

Task 7: HTTP Response: Status Line and Status Codes#

Q1: What part of an HTTP response provides the HTTP version, status code, and a brief explanation of the response’s outcome?

Status Line

Q2: Which category of HTTP response codes indicates that the web server encountered an internal issue or is unable to fulfil the client’s request?

Server Error Responses

Q3: Which HTTP status code indicates that the requested resource could not be found on the web server?

404

Task 8: HTTP Response: Headers and Body#

Q1: Which HTTP response header can reveal information about the web server’s software and version, potentially exposing it to security risks if not removed?

Server

Q2: Which flag should be added to cookies in the Set-Cookie HTTP response header to ensure they are only transmitted over HTTPS, protecting them from being exposed during unencrypted transmissions?

Secure

Q3: Which flag should be added to cookies in the Set-Cookie HTTP response header to prevent them from being accessed via JavaScript, thereby enhancing security against XSS attacks?

HttpOnly

Task 9: Security Headers#

Q1: In a Content Security Policy (CSP) configuration, which property can be set to define where scripts can be loaded from?

script-src

Q2: When configuring the Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS) header to ensure that all subdomains of a site also use HTTPS, which directive should be included to apply the security policy to both the main domain and its subdomains?

includeSubDomains

Q3: Which HTTP header directive is used to prevent browsers from interpreting files as a different MIME type than what is specified by the server, thereby mitigating content type sniffing attacks?