Directory enumeration vulnerability

1. What is directory enumeration attack?
2. Is directory listing a vulnerability?
3. What is directory indexing vulnerability?
4. What are the risks of directory traversal?
5. What are the example attacks of directory traversal?

What is directory enumeration attack?

An enumeration attack occurs when cybercriminals use brute-force methods to check if certain data exists on a web server database. For simple enumeration attacks, this data could include usernames and passwords.

Is directory listing a vulnerability?

Directory listings themselves do not necessarily constitute a security vulnerability. Any sensitive resources within the web root should in any case be properly access-controlled, and should not be accessible by an unauthorized party who happens to know or guess the URL.

What is directory indexing vulnerability?

About this attack

This action allows the contents of unintended directory listings to be disclosed to the user because of software vulnerabilities combined with a specific web request. This information leak can provide an attacker with the information necessary to launch further attacks against the system.

What are the risks of directory traversal?

Directory traversal attacks use web server software to exploit inadequate security mechanisms and access directories and files stored outside of the web root folder. An attacker that exploits a directory traversal vulnerability is capable of compromising the entire web server.

What are the example attacks of directory traversal?

The simplest example of a directory traversal attack is when an application displays or allows the user to download a file via a URL parameter.