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312-50V12 · Question #320

A "Server-Side Includes" attack refers to the exploitation of a web application by injecting scripts in HTML pages or executing arbitrary code remotely. Which web-page file type, if it exists on the w

The correct answer is A. .stm. The presence of .stm files on a web server strongly indicates potential vulnerability to Server-Side Includes (SSI) attacks because this extension is specifically used for files processed with SSI directives.

Submitted by javi_es· Mar 4, 2026Web Application Hacking

Question

A "Server-Side Includes" attack refers to the exploitation of a web application by injecting scripts in HTML pages or executing arbitrary code remotely. Which web-page file type, if it exists on the web server, is a strong indication that the server is vulnerable to this kind of attack?

Options

  • A.stm
  • B.cms
  • C.rss
  • D.html

How the community answered

(59 responses)
  • A
    90% (53)
  • B
    3% (2)
  • C
    2% (1)
  • D
    5% (3)

Why each option

The presence of `.stm` files on a web server strongly indicates potential vulnerability to Server-Side Includes (SSI) attacks because this extension is specifically used for files processed with SSI directives.

A.stmCorrect

The `.stm` (Server-Side include Text Mark-up) file extension is a historical and common indicator for pages that are intended to be parsed by the web server for Server-Side Includes (SSI) directives. If a server is configured to process files with this extension for SSI, it signals that SSI is active, which represents a potential vulnerability if input is not properly sanitized.

B.cms

The `.cms` file extension is not a standard indicator for Server-Side Includes processing; it typically relates to a Content Management System's internal file handling.

C.rss

The `.rss` file extension is used for Really Simple Syndication feeds, an XML-based format for distributing web content, and is unrelated to Server-Side Includes processing.

D.html

While web servers can be configured to process `.html` files for SSI, this is not a strong or primary indicator of SSI vulnerability as most `.html` files are static, whereas extensions like `.stm` explicitly denote SSI usage.

Concept tested: Identifying web server file types indicating Server-Side Includes (SSI) vulnerability

Source: https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mod/mod_include.html

Topics

#Server-Side Includes (SSI)#injection attacks#web application vulnerabilities#.stm file

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