Security Vulnerabilities and Common Weaknesses in Cybersecurity

Once inside the system, they can cause severe and unpredictable damage.

Typically, vulnerabilities can be exploited using various methods. In this article, NSV provides an overview of cybersecurity vulnerabilities to help you understand the fundamentals and dive deeper into protecting your network system.

Security vulnerabilities and common weaknesses in protection create opportunities for attackers to infiltrate organizational or personal network resources and data. So what exactly is a security vulnerability? How do we detect and resolve it? Let’s explore the answers in the following sections.

What Is a Security Vulnerability?

A security vulnerability is a flaw in the programming process or a system misconfiguration that creates gaps allowing attackers to directly access data while bypassing standard procedures.

The act of exploiting a vulnerability—known as an exploit—allows hackers to take advantage of the weakness for their own benefit.

Security vulnerabilities are common in the cybersecurity field. They are defined in many ways, but all refer to a technical or non-technical weakness in software, hardware, protocols, or information systems.
People usually refer to vulnerabilities as technical issues rather than human error—even though human mistakes are also considered vulnerabilities.

The United States Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) defined a vulnerability in CNSS Instruction No. 4009 (April 26, 2010) as:
“Vulnerability—Weakness in an information system, system security procedures, internal controls, or implementation that could be exploited by a threat source.”

Overview of Common Security Vulnerabilities

Security vulnerabilities can occur across all layers of security, including infrastructure, networks, and applications. Below are several common types:

Password Security Flaws

This is the first type of vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to bypass or spoof authentication processes to gain system access.

Common examples include:

• Weak access passwords
• Using common passwords (123456, admin, iloveyou, etc.)
• Passwords that are too short, allowing attackers to crack them easily
• Single-layer authentication (password only)
• Improper access privileges
• Session timeouts not configured or too long

Any of these can significantly compromise your system’s security.

Database Connection and Access Control Vulnerabilities

SQL Injection is one of the most well-known methods attackers use to exploit database vulnerabilities, enabling them to access part or all of the database, steal data, or extract login credentials.

Common causes include:

• Using raw SQL statements in programming, leading to potential input validation weaknesses
• Poor database privilege management, allowing lateral movement through tables once a hacker gains partial access
• Displaying system error messages, which attackers analyze to find weak points

SQL Injection is:

• Extremely dangerous: full database access means total exposure
• Very common and easy to perform, with many ready-made tools available
• Not to be underestimated: even major organizations have suffered from SQL Injection flaws

Software and Operating System Vulnerabilities

Software and OS platforms are never perfect. They frequently require patches and updates to fix bugs and improve security. Even with careful planning during system development, vulnerabilities still arise and only become apparent during real-world usage.

Human-Related Vulnerabilities

Even with strong system protection, human factors remain the biggest vulnerability. No matter how secure a system is, someone still holds the keys to access it.

Where Do Security Vulnerabilities Occur?

• Software
• Websites
• Applications (web or mobile)
• Operating systems
• Source code, APIs
• IoT devices
• Network equipment
• Authentication mechanisms, transmission protocols, encryption

How Attackers Exploit Vulnerabilities

Attackers connect to the system and use different techniques depending on the vulnerability.
For example:

• SQL Injection: exploiting poor input validation to inject malicious SQL commands
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): injecting malicious scripts (usually JavaScript or HTML) into websites to run in users’ browsers

Common Weaknesses in Cybersecurity

• Underestimating security: leads to global losses worth hundreds of millions due to cyberattacks
• Negligence and lack of preparation: causes severe consequences, especially in recovery
• Opening opportunities for fraud: personal data processes become targets for attackers
• Mobile/home/remote security risks: modern work-from-anywhere habits increase exposure
• Insufficient monitoring: allows abnormal behavior to go unnoticed
• Poor incident response: results in long recovery times, higher costs, and loss of customer trust
• IoT vulnerabilities: smart devices can be exploited to attack enterprise networks
• Third-party risks: attackers may target partner systems to compromise your business
• Human factors: malicious or careless actions can lead to serious breaches

How to Manage Security Vulnerabilities

This involves identifying, assessing, and remediating vulnerabilities on a regular cycle. Since no system is perfectly secure, repeated cycles are essential.

Methods for Detecting Security Vulnerabilities

There are three main methods:

• Vulnerability scanning
• Penetration testing
• Regularly updating security knowledge and examining your own system

Vulnerability Scanning

Security experts develop specialized scanning tools to evaluate computers, networks, and applications for known vulnerabilities.

These tools access target systems through remote administration protocols like SSH or RDP and authenticated login. Once inside, the scanning software inspects the entire system and generates a detailed report.

Penetration Testing

This involves analyzing logs, monitoring unusual login IPs, and detecting irregular system changes to identify signs of intrusion—thereby uncovering vulnerabilities.

Google Hacking

Despite its name, Google Hacking refers to using advanced search techniques to find issues in website code or URLs. This helps detect overlooked vulnerabilities during system development.

Conclusion

As shown in NSV’s analysis, the presence of vulnerabilities keeps enterprise systems in a constant high-alert state. Combined with unresolved weaknesses, this can ultimately lead to collapse.
Businesses must take initiative, act decisively, and implement proper protection to ensure long-term stability in operations and production.