What is IIS?
IIS (Internet Information Services) is Microsoft’s web server for hosting websites, APIs, and web applications on Windows systems. It’s commonly used for ASP.NET, .NET Core, and enterprise web apps.
IIS runs tightly integrated with Windows, which means web vulnerabilities often turn into system-level impact.
Common security issues
Outdated IIS versions or unpatched modules
Weak or misconfigured authentication (Basic, NTLM, Windows Auth)
Dangerous handlers enabled (WebDAV, ISAPI, CGI)
Misconfigured application pools
File upload leading to web shell execution
Directory traversal and source code disclosure
Insecure file permissions on web roots
Misconfigured request filtering
Default ports
80 (HTTP)
443 (HTTPS)
Enumeration
Turn discovery into specifics: services, users, and exposed resources. Confirm what’s reachable.
Vulnerability Discovery
IIS misconfigs, short name disclosure, and path enumeration guides
IIS Misconfiguration Checks
IIS 8.3 Short Name Disclosure
Exploitation
WebDAV abuse, ASPX shell upload, and auth attacks on IIS