10 Security Holes Your Site Probably Has Right Now

Web security isn't optional—it's legal responsibility. A breach can cost you millions in fines and destroy customer trust. Here's the checklist we use on every project.

The 10 Most Common Holes#

1. HTTPS Not Configured Correctly#

Having an SSL certificate isn't enough. You need correct header configuration and redirects.

// next.config.js - Security headers
const securityHeaders = [
  { key: 'X-Content-Type-Options', value: 'nosniff' },
  { key: 'X-Frame-Options', value: 'DENY' },
  { key: 'X-XSS-Protection', value: '1; mode=block' },
  { key: 'Strict-Transport-Security', value: 'max-age=63072000' },
  { key: 'Referrer-Policy', value: 'origin-when-cross-origin' },
];

2. SQL Injection#

Still the #1 attack. Never concatenate user input in queries.

// ❌ BAD - Vulnerable to SQL injection
const user = await db.query(`SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ${userId}`);

// ✅ GOOD - Parameterized
const user = await db.query('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $1', [userId]);

// ✅ BETTER - Use an ORM like Prisma
const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: userId } });

3. XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)#

Allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript. React escapes by default, but be careful with dangerouslySetInnerHTML.

4. Weak Authentication#

• Use 2FA — Required for accounts with sensitive data access
• Hashed passwords — bcrypt or argon2, never MD5 or SHA1 alone
• Rate limiting — Maximum 5 login attempts per minute
• Secure sessions — httpOnly, secure, SameSite cookies

5-10. More Critical Vulnerabilities#

Audit Tools#

• OWASP ZAP — Free vulnerability scanner
• Snyk — Detects vulnerabilities in dependencies
• SecurityHeaders.com — Verify HTTP headers
• SSL Labs — Analyze HTTPS configuration

Security isn't a product, it's a process. Audit regularly, always update, and assume you've already been hacked.