Introduction

Web and database servers are the heart and brains of the Internet organism. Every beat comes from a Web server and every memory storage and recall action goes to and comes from a database. Thus both components are crucial to a robust Internet application and that's precisely why they are favorite playgrounds for hackers. To secure your assets, you must understand the underlying technologies that handcuff your Web applications and, in some cases, predetermine their susceptibility to hacking.

In this chapter we provide a high-level review of the two most used Web servers in the world today: Microsoft's Internet Information Service (IIS) and Apache Software Foundation's Apache. We also look at two of the most ubiquitous databases on the market today: Microsoft's SQL Server and Oracle's Oracle 9i. We discuss these technologies, their intricacies, complexities, and securities, and how they work together to fuel online commerce and entice hackers.