eISSN: 2791-173X editor@grpublishing.org
All Journals
Submit your article

Global Multidisciplinary Journal

Open Access Peer Review International
Open Access

A Comparative and Language-Centric Examination of Web Application Security Vulnerabilities and Framework-Level Mitigation Strategies

DOI
pdf
Dr. Alexander J. Reinhardt 1 ,
4 Department of Computer Science, Rheinwald University, Germany

Abstract

Web application security has emerged as one of the most persistent and complex challenges in modern software engineering, driven by the rapid evolution of programming languages, frameworks, and deployment environments. Despite decades of research and practical countermeasures, vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting, authentication flaws, and insecure session management continue to dominate real-world incident reports. This research article presents a comprehensive, language-centric investigation of web application security vulnerabilities, with particular emphasis on PHP and Java-based ecosystems, drawing strictly upon established empirical and conceptual studies in the literature. The study synthesizes findings from vulnerability field studies, empirical analyses of open-source software, framework-level security evaluations, and developer-centered security research. By examining vulnerabilities through the lenses of programming language design, framework abstraction, developer behavior, and performance–security trade-offs, this work offers a holistic understanding of why certain classes of vulnerabilities persist across technological generations. The methodology relies on qualitative comparative analysis of prior empirical investigations, complemented by theoretical reasoning rooted in software reliability, security engineering, and human factors. The results reveal that while modern frameworks introduce robust security mechanisms, they also introduce new forms of complexity that can obscure security assumptions and create configuration-dependent risks. The discussion highlights critical limitations in existing security models, including overreliance on framework defaults, insufficient developer security education, and the tension between performance optimization and defensive rigor. The article concludes by outlining future research directions focused on adaptive security policies, language-aware vulnerability prevention, and the integration of security education into the core of software development practice.

Keywords

Web application security, programming languages, PHP vulnerabilities, Java frameworks

References

📄 Acar, Y., Fahl, S., & Mazurek, M. L. (2017). Developers need security education too. IEEE Security & Privacy.
📄 Choudhary, S., & Kaur, P. (2018). A study of security vulnerabilities on Java web application frameworks. Proceedings of the International Conference on Computing Sciences.
📄 Garcia-Alfaro, J., Cuppens, N., & Cuppens, F. (2015). Adaptive security policies for enterprise applications. Computers & Security.
📄 Kathi, S. R., & Jaiswal, A. D. (2025). Legacy vs modern security handling in Java: A comparative study of OpenSAML, Spring Security, and JWT-based authentication. International Journal of Applied Mathematics, 38(5s), 33–43.
📄 Marashdih, A. W., Zaaba, Z. F., & Suwais, K. (2018). Cross site scripting: Investigations in PHP web application. Proceedings of the International Conference on Promising Electronic Technologies.
📄 Priyadarshini, I., & Tripathi, R. (2017). An empirical analysis of web application security. Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective.
📄 Seixas, N., Fonseca, J., Vieira, M., & Madeira, H. (2009). Looking at web security vulnerabilities from the programming language perspective: A field study. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering.
📄 Shah, S., & Dubey, A. (2016). Performance and security trade-offs in web application frameworks. Journal of Systems and Software.
📄 Tushnytskyy, R., Levus, Y., & Branec, I. (2011). Computer language benchmarks tool. Proceedings of the International Conference on Perspective Technologies and Methods in MEMS Design.
📄 Wang, Y., & Sang, Y. (2014). An empirical study of security risks of PHP open-source software. International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering.

How to Cite

Dr. Alexander J. Reinhardt. (2025). A Comparative and Language-Centric Examination of Web Application Security Vulnerabilities and Framework-Level Mitigation Strategies. Global Multidisciplinary Journal, 4(11), 145-150. https://www.grpublishing.org/journals/index.php/gmj/article/view/256

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

Similar Articles

1-10 of 73

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.