Today, for almost every organization, web services are essential requirement. In order to bind varied business systems together, web services heavily depend on XML and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) technologies. Even though these technologies are increasingly gaining popularity, enterprises are little aware of the existing XML/SOAP Vulnerabilities that can turn a business application fresh target of hacking attacks. Hackers utilizing the XML/SOAP Vulnerabilities can penetrate into the heart of your crucial business system and cause immense damage.
How can the vulnerabilities pose threat to your application? The XML documents in web services travel from the client to the server in the shape of SOAP request. Now, since XML documents are served through web services, they are susceptible to any XML based attack. In general, a hacking attack is often viewed as a method of attacking the system and penetrating it, followed by exploiting the faults in the operating system in order to get a password. However, this might not always be the scenario. Attackers can use a usual HTTP, SOAP or XML request to delete crucial data, add or recover any confidential information on the web server. Additionally, they can carry out other malicious tasks by posing threat through the published web service.
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