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bad syntax or a request to a resource that doesn't exist. Status codes between 400 and 500 specify an error that the client made, e.g. An HTTP error is always expressed by sending a response with a status code greater than 400 back to the requesting client. This article talks about HTTP errors as specified in the HTTP RFC (RFC 2616 - section 6.1.1). Here is how IIS addresses these fundamentally opposed goals. Ideally the error message gives recommendations on how to fix the problem. Developers and Web-Site Administrators require as much detail as possible when an error occurs. However, error messages are also a valuable tool to troubleshoot problems. A search for "google hacking" or "cross-site scripting" reveals a wealth of information on this topic.
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The more information someone can gather about your site, the likelier it is that you will be hacked. Error messages are a sensitive topic, because every error reveals more about your web-site than you might want revealed. But there is more to errors than meets the eye. Many might think that generating error messages does not seem to justify a full article. This article helps you understand how and why IIS generates these errors and how they can be configured. Every Web-Site Administrator or Web Developer has seen "404 - File not found", "401 - Unauthorized" or "500 - Server Error" messages in his browser.
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