Introduction
Modern web applications often fail not because of advanced exploits, but due to weaknesses in how normal features are designed and protected. The OWASP Top 10 highlights the most common categories of these failures and provides a practical framework for understanding how attackers abuse everyday application functionality.
This write-up focuses on two high-impact OWASP Top 10 risks — Broken Access Control and Injection — and analyzes how they can appear in real-world applications built with Laravel and WordPress, two platforms widely used in production environments.
The goal of this analysis is not exploitation, but to demonstrate how these weaknesses arise, how an attacker would think about abusing them, and how they should be mitigated at a design and control level.
Application Context
Laravel
Laravel is an MVC-based PHP framework commonly used to build custom web applications, dashboards, and APIs. It relies heavily on:
- Route definitions
- Controllers
- Middleware
- Authentication and authorization mechanisms
When security controls are not consistently enforced across these layers, applications can become vulnerable to access control and input-handling issues.
WordPress
WordPress is a content management system that powers a large percentage of the web. Its security model depends on:
- User roles and capabilities
- Themes and plugins (often third-party)
- AJAX endpoints and REST APIs
Because WordPress ecosystems often rely on external code, misconfigurations and weak validation are common sources of security risk.
Broken Access Control (OWASP A01)
How Broken Access Control Appears in Laravel
In Laravel applications, broken access control often occurs when developers rely on assumptions rather than enforced authorization checks.
Common failure points include:
- Routes that lack authentication or authorization middleware
- Controllers that trust user-supplied IDs without verifying ownership
- Missing or improperly configured policies and gates
Abuse Scenario
An attacker logs in as a normal user and manually navigates to an admin or privileged route (for example, by modifying a URL or request parameter). If the server does not enforce role or permission checks, the attacker may gain unauthorized access to sensitive functionality or data.
Impact
- Unauthorized data access
- Privilege escalation
- Business logic abuse
How Broken Access Control Appears in WordPress
In WordPress, access control failures frequently originate from plugins or custom functionality.
Common failure points include:
- Plugins that do not verify user capabilities
- AJAX endpoints without proper permission or nonce checks
- REST API routes exposed without authentication validation
Abuse Scenario
An attacker sends crafted requests directly to backend endpoints intended for administrators. If the plugin or theme does not verify the user’s capability, the action may execute successfully despite the attacker lacking proper privileges.
Impact
- Content manipulation
- Data exposure
- Administrative takeover in severe cases
Injection (OWASP A03)
How Injection Appears in Laravel
Laravel provides strong protections through its ORM and query builder, but injection vulnerabilities can still occur when these protections are bypassed.
Common failure points include:
- Raw SQL queries built using user input
- Insufficient input validation on forms
- Dynamic queries constructed without proper binding
Abuse Scenario
An attacker submits specially crafted input into a form or parameter. If this input is passed directly into a database query or backend process, it may alter the intended logic, potentially exposing sensitive data or bypassing authentication checks.
Impact
- Data leakage
- Authentication bypass
- Application instability
How Injection Appears in WordPress
In WordPress environments, injection vulnerabilities are commonly introduced by plugins or custom themes.
Common failure points include:
- Unsanitized input used in database queries
- Direct use of database functions without proper preparation
- Stored input that is later rendered without validation
Abuse Scenario
An attacker injects malicious input through a public-facing form or URL parameter. This input is stored or processed by the application and later executed in an unintended context, resulting in data compromise or persistent attacks.
Impact
- Database compromise
- Stored cross-site scripting
- Loss of trust and reputation
Security and Risk Impact (GRC Perspective)
From a governance and risk standpoint, both Broken Access Control and Injection represent systemic control failures rather than isolated bugs.
These risks can lead to:
- Violations of data protection obligations
- Breaches of internal security policies
- Financial and reputational damage
- Increased audit and compliance exposure
Effective AppSec practices must therefore focus on preventive controls, secure design, and consistent enforcement, not just vulnerability remediation.
Defensive Controls (High-Level)
Laravel
- Enforce authorization using middleware
- Implement policies and gates consistently
- Validate and sanitize all user input
- Use ORM and parameterized queries
WordPress
- Verify user capabilities before sensitive actions
- Use nonces for state-changing requests
- Vet and maintain plugins carefully
- Sanitize and validate all external input
Conclusion
Many critical web application vulnerabilities arise not from complex exploits, but from ordinary features that lack proper security controls. By examining how Broken Access Control and Injection manifest in Laravel and WordPress applications, this analysis demonstrates how attackers exploit design assumptions and inconsistent enforcement.
This artifact represents the first step in a broader AppSec learning journey, establishing a strong foundation in risk-based thinking before progressing to hands-on security testing and lab environments.
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