Number of Web Application Hacks Up

An anonymous reader writes "According to an article at Information Week, 'Web site hacks are on the rise and pose a greater threat than the broad-based network attacks...' Citing statistics from the Web Hacking Incidents Database, 'Web hacking attacks numbered 58 in 2005, up from 16 in 2004 and 9 in 2003. Another 20 attacks have been reported this year against sites including open-source repository Sourceforge.net and social network MySpace.com, putting 2006 on pace to be the worst year yet.'"

Number of hacking attempts

Web hacking attacks numbered 58 in 2005, up from 16 in 2004 and 9 in 2003, according to the Web Application Security Consortium.

And what percentage of "web hacking attacks" are reported to the Web Application Security Consortium? I would venture to guess that a very small number are reported making these numbers statistically meaningless.

Re:Number of hacking attempts

Even if only a small percentage of all web attacks are reported, if that percentage stays stable then a rise in the number reported implies a rise in the total number of attacks.

Let's assume for a second that 1% of all attacks are reported. That would mean that 16 out of 1600 were reported in 2004 and 58 out of 5800 were reported in 2005. Now, let's say that the percentage of reports increased by 1% point in 2005. So, 1% reported in 2004 and 2% reported in 2005. That would mean that 16 out of 1600 were reported in 2004 and 58 out of 2900 were reported in 2005. So, in this scenario what looked look a 362.5% increase in attacks is actually only a 181.25% increase in attacks. So, a small change in the reported percentage could make a huge difference in the apparent increase. These numbers are so ridiculously low to begin with, I wouldn't be surprised if less than 1% of web attacks are reported. I looked through the list and can think of some attacks I know of to some pretty big sites that weren't reported. Plus, some incidents are pretty generic and don't address a specific attack while others do address specific attacks. So, their definition of a "Web hacking attacks" seems to be quite fluid. Basically what I'm saying is that these numbers are absolutely meaningless.

Don't give the "hackers" that much credit...

I wouldn't say the focus should be on the fact that there are a higher amount of attacks, rather the focus should be on people writing web applications with security low on their priority list.

Ugh

From the article: Why is this happening? Several reasons. One is the prevalence of hacking tools online that can be found simply by using the Google search engine.

So does that mean if I do all my web searches on my windows 98 machine using internet explorer but I use MSN search, not google, I'll be OK?

-Grey [wellingtongrey.net]

Someone has a bit of trouble counting...

Web hacking attacks numbered 58 in 2005, up from 16 in 2004 and 9 in 2003. Another 20 attacks have been reported this year against sites including open-source repository Sourceforge.net and social network MySpace.com, putting 2006 on pace to be the worst year yet.

I have a feeling there are a LOT more than that. Anyone have a calculator to lend them?

This article is scaremongering

First off, we're talking 58 attacks in a whole year out of how many millions of websites? Those are pretty good odds.

Also, the article states this is a big deal partly because more financial institutions are offering services online. But then, they state one of the major reasons for the problem is that web applications are generally not coded with security in mind. If you're coding a web app for a financial institution, and security is not the number one issue on your mind, you should be fired, and the financial institution should be put out of business for hiring your dumb ass in the first place.

percentage attacks

What's that percentage attacks / web sites? Is 58 pages in the 64,700,000 pages that Google claims to have found a lot of attacks. ;-)

Tuttle?

Who's reporting all these attacks? The city manager of Tuttle, Oklahoma? [slashdot.org]

Danish....

I think the amount of Danish websites that got hacked was higher then 58.... so wtf is TFA talking about?

You've got to be Kidding!

You call double-digit hacks a growing trend? Where do these folks live, under a rock? Don't tell me you've never heard of Attrition.org [attrition.org]? Just how many HUNDREDS of sites were defaced in the past?

Hacky Websites are On the Rise Too

The premier example being MySpace. With its interruptive, garish UI paradigm and its numerous design flaws (both functional and aesthetic), it appears to be attempting to singlehandedly dumb down the web. Personally, this concerns me a lot more than the occasional, fixable hacks: the overall missed opportunity when millions of users settle for a low-quality, repetitious, limiting experience, as MySpace provides.

huh?

Only one in 1999? What a wonderful world we lived in. This [zone-h.org] presents a rather different picture.

AJAX hacks will be cracked

The number of cracks will rise because of AJAX hacking.
It's not only the interface and usability which takes a leap in complexity if you want to keep stuff working.
First, you have data communication on the background, for everyone curious to see. Second, there's a leap in usage and development and thus potential for crackers. Last, the average AJAX developer is inexperienced.

PHPBB

How much you want to bet that 80% of them were PHPBB forums? Why the heck do we have to patch these things on a monthly basis?

Sourceforge.com was my fault

My code was left in their code base when they closed their source years ago, but they didn't compensate me or even try to contact me about it. Very sorry for giving you my time and code, OSDN.

A few hacks

I use a few hacks on most of my websites - but I kind of have to, to get them to render in IE correctly. It's not as bad as it used to be, and I could probably eliminate some of them if I used a little less javascript or ... hey - wait a minute - this is talking about web site *attacks*! Not hacks on websites.

uhh... Nevermind.