Our first lesson for web exploitation, will be web fundamentals

L1 • What is HTTP/HTTPS (First thing you should learn)

Http = Hypertext Transfer protocol it is basically the protocol browsers use to communicate with web servers.

Https = Http but with TLS encryption it basically encrypts the connection between your browser and the server ensuring more security.


• Why HTTPS is more secure than HTTP

Http: isn't good security because traffic can be read or modified

Https: is good due to encryption preventing that and the fact it lets the server prove itself using TLS certificate.

Obviously I can't just immediately teach you guys how to exploit a website

You must first know how a website works before you can exploit one.

L2 • HTTP Requests vs Responses

Request = What your browser sends to a web server when it wants something, like opening a webpage or logging into an account.

Response = What the server sends back after receiving the request.

• Example

Request:
"GET /login HTTP/1.1"

This means the browser is asking the server for the "/login" page using the GET method.

Response:
"HTTP/1.1 200 OK"

This means the server successfully received the request and is sending the requested page back.

Basically, request = what you send and response = what you get back.

L3 • HTTP Methods

HTTP methods are basically commands that tell the server what you want to do with a resource.

GET: Used to request or retrieve something from the server.

POST: Used to send data to the server, like when logging into an account or submitting a form.

PUT: Used to update or replace existing data.

DELETE: Used to delete something from the server.

• Example

"GET /profile"

This is asking the server to return the profile page.

"POST /login"

This is sending login information to the server.

Basically, GET = get data, POST = send data, PUT = update data, DELETE = delete data.