Security Vulnerabilities in Full-Stack Web Development: A Systematic Review of Mitigation Techniques
Security Vulnerabilities in Full-Stack Web Development: A Systematic Review of Mitigation Techniques
Somraju Gangishetti
Engineering Manager
Software Engineering
Delaware, USA
Abstract—Full-stack web development integrates manage both frontend and backend functionality, result- frontend interfaces, backend application logic, APIs, and database systems into a unified software archi-tecture. While this paradigm enables rapid applica-tion development and scalability, it also significantly expands the attack surface of modern web systems. Security vulnerabilities such as injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), broken authentication, insecure APIs, and configuration errors are frequently exploited by attackers to compromise web applications. These vulnerabilities are systematically categorized in the widely recognized OWASP Top 10 framework, which highlights the most critical risks affecting web applica-tions today [1].
This paper presents a systematic review of common security vulnerabilities in full-stack web development and analyzes mitigation techniques across the entire software development lifecycle. The study examines architectural vulnerabilities, attack surfaces, detection methodologies, and defense strategies including secure coding practices, DevSecOps pipelines, automated se-curity testing tools, and zero-trust security architec-tures. Furthermore, the paper proposes a layered se-curity architecture designed to reduce risk exposure across client, server, and infrastructure layers.
The findings indicate that integrating security early within the development lifecycle significantly reduces vulnerability exploitation risks. Organizations adopting DevSecOps practices and layered security architectures demonstrate improved resilience against evolving cyber threats. This research provides guidance for developers, security engineers, and researchers seeking to design secure full-stack web applications.
Keywords - Full-stack security, web application se-curity, DevSecOps, OWASP Top 10, secure software architecture