Major Vulnerabilities of Web Application in Real World Scenarios and Their Prevention

With the rapid expansion of web-based technologies, ensuring the security of web applications has become more critical than ever. Web applications are frequently targeted by attackers exploiting various vulnerabilities such as zero-day flaws, SQLi (SQLi), cross-site scripting (XSS), insecure direct object references (IDOR), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), security misconfigurations, and INSECURE FILE UPLOADS. These vulnerabilities not only threaten the integrity and confidentiality of user data but also severely impact the trust and reputation of organizations. This manuscript presents an in-depth analysis of the most prevalent web application vulnerabilities through detailed demonstrations and real-world examples using tools like Burp Suite and OWASP test labs. Furthermore, it offers comprehensive prevention strategies tailored to each vulnerability, emphasizing secure coding practices, regular software updates, input validation, token-based authentication, and configuration hardening. The study aims to serve as a practical guide for developers, testers, and security professionals to recognize, understand, and mitigate common security flaws in modern web applications. Finally, the manuscript discusses future directions for enhancing security in web development, including the integration of AI-based threat detection and secure software development lifecycle (SDLC) practices.