Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) Practice Exam 2026 - Free CHFI Practice Questions and Comprehensive Study Guide

The type of attack that allows access to restricted directories on a web server is referred to as directory traversal. This technique exploits a vulnerability in a web application that improperly manages file paths, enabling an attacker to navigate the directory structure of the server.

Directory traversal attacks work by manipulating the input to a request to access files and directories that are outside the intended scope of the web application. For instance, if a web application provides an interface for retrieving files based on a user-supplied filename without properly validating or sanitizing that input, an attacker can use sequences such as "../" to traverse up the directory tree. This can lead to unauthorized access and exposure of sensitive files, configuration files, or even the entire directory structure of the web server.

This form of attack emphasizes the importance of implementing stringent input validation and access controls to ensure that users cannot navigate beyond their authorized directories. Preventing directory traversal attacks involves using secure coding practices and ensuring proper configuration of the web server.

Other options, like unvalidated input, parameter/form tampering, and security misconfiguration, pertain to different types of vulnerabilities and exploits. Though they are indeed serious threats, they do not specifically target the ability to access restricted directories in the way that directory traversal does.