Category: Security Testing

What Hackers Know About Vulnerability Disclosures

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Let the “good” make noise, otherwise the “bad” definitely will! In line with this adage, it is important to do all that is within your means to secure your data and your systems.
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And you have a choice here: whether or not to indulge in a detailed vulnerability disclosure to the public at large.
What is a Vulnerability Disclosure Policy?
A Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP) is a document that reports flaws in security that will adversely affect the working of your computer hardware and software.
Security researchers are ordained to disclose vulnerabilities to the parties concerned, mentioning the areas in the system that are flawed.
At times, in-house developers and vendors who work with vulnerable systems announce such security imperfections once the change in code takes place.
Once this patch is made available, security experts will be in a position to make the vulnerability public.
However, such an announcement will defeat the actual purpose of data security measures.
So, you may ask as to what is the best form of disclosure.
Here comes the response.
If you wish to tread the path of responsible disclosure, you should not make a public announcement of the vulnerabilities since you are in principle making a noise of the adverse effects.
When such claims reach the ears of hackers, they will look out for ways and means to breach the security barriers erected by you.
So the solution is to act without breathing a word about vulnerabilities and silently fix them.
Anything that is against to this basic principle will actually work in favor of hackers to steal and exploit your systems and data.
The Argument in Favor of a Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
Given the situation when an outsider identifies a potential issue with your hardware, software or website, you should be the informed of the same.
But when your vulnerability is known to others but remains unknown to you, it poses a huge risk.
If you have a VDP in place, you can ensure that the outsider or finder of the vulnerability will ring the bell to alert you.
It is then that you can ensure the safety and security of your products.
The Ideological Difference
The above introduction is much against the collective opinion of security experts who feel that it is important to inform the public of vulnerabilities.
This information, according to them is the most promising means to fix a security issue.
However, in line with what has been explained above, you will begin to understand that vulnerability disclosures actually put the public in a risky spot.

When you operate through a Vulnerability Disclosure Policy, you will be actually empowering hackers to trespass your security barriers even without your knowledge.
The Elements of a VDP
A VDP consists of five important elements. They are:

  1. Promise: An undertaking or assurance given to customers and stakeholders that they will be notified in clear terms about any security vulnerability
  2. Scope: The span of control, encompassing all the products and properties that come under the purview of a VDP. Additionally, a VDP should also cover all the types of vulnerabilities
  3. “Safe Harbor”: Shield the reporters of a vulnerability from being unduly penalized
  4. Process: There is a process in place which allows process finders to disclose vulnerabilities
  5. Preferences: A continuing document that explicitly sets the expectations for priorities and preferences that will be given to vulnerability reports

With a well-chalked out VDP in place, you can handle all the incoming alerts that are either technical or legal.
You can then initiate a communication with finders and work around a process which will permit internal teams to validate and lessen the risk while also disclosing the security vulnerability.
Lastly, a VDP finds its place to summarize and report all the activities that were initiated to combat security breaches to decision-makers and stakeholders.
How do Hackers Exploit VDPs and Their After-Effects on Your Business
When a VDP falls in the hands of a hacker, you are heading in the direction of a risky proposition in the following ways.

  1. Hackers Monetize With Sales to Law Enforcement and Intelligence Agencies

Imagine a situation when a cyber-attack occurs on the same day a flaw is detected in your software. This paves the way for a zero-day exploit when your data is exploited even before it the flaw is fixed and disclosed to you.
Leaving no scope for detection, it is during such times that a hacker makes the most of the publicly known vulnerabilities which aren’t patched yet.
Hackers are the bad guys who will then resort to selling this flawed information to good guys like the law enforcement internet security software companies.
They will rake in profits by initiating a legal sale which can involve anti-social activities like cyber warfare or child pornography as part of cybercrime activities.

  1. Inaction Towards Known Vulnerabilities

Most of the intelligence agencies feel that the less number of people who are informed of the vulnerabilities the better it is.
Since fewer people have knowledge about vulnerabilities, it become difficult for them to acknowledge their presence as well.

In such cases only the hackers who are adept at vulnerability research and quality exploit development can make good with a known vulnerability.
If you look at the statistics, a whopping 99% of all breaches stem from the exploitation of known vulnerabilities for which a patch already exists.

  1. What If You Notify the Vendor and Resort to Silent Patching

A responsible VDP calls for a great deal of prudence. You should, with the support of your VDP inform the vendor about the flaw you identified and handhold him to fix it.
That means, you should abstain from publicizing your inferences regarding the vulnerabilities.
The vendor will use that information to create and release a silent patch. This way, you will be safeguarding your system from hackers who can gain strength from your VDP.
On the flipside, there were many instances of initiating legal action against all those who conduct security breach and come out in the open about vulnerabilities by vendors.
This fear of facing legal action has prompted security researchers to make public all the vulnerabilities with a guarantee that they will not be taken to task.
Such an act will only jeopardize the goodwill of your company and hence you can steer clear of all such public disclosures.

  1. Publish Vulnerabilities Upon the Release of a Patch

Certain researchers may adopt a process to publicly release the information that they have identified, only after a patch is available. However, you all are aware of the slow speed of patching which will make this sort of an arrangement undependable.
It is highly impossible for every system to be patched in an instance, soon after the patch is released.
Once patching is in progress, you may experience downtime along with the shutdown of certain critical systems and non-functioning of software applications.
When dealing with critical infrastructure, you just cannot afford to have any sort of interruption.
This is the primary cause for major companies to take long periods before patching vulnerabilities that have been published ages ago.

  1. Short-Term Gains of Hackers

A hacker with malice in his mind will go the entire nine yards to exploit a zero-day vulnerability.
Driven by an exclusive motive to rake in profits, hackers focus on high-volume security compromises that are conducted on a large scale.
They work with a high level of confidence that once they exploit a vulnerability they are sure that a patch will soon be released.
Hence, they focus on gaining through short-term moves with a confidence that their trespassing will not be detected.

  1. The Public Becomes the Target Audience

Announcing your VDP is the riskiest proposition in contrast to the most common belief that the public will prompt vendors to act fast and come up with a damage control mechanism.
According to the notion, the general public upon getting notified of the vulnerabilities will act faster than the hacker who is waiting to exploit their systems.
The public will thus be able to secure their systems. Notwithstanding the fact that you are disclosing your vulnerabilities in good faith, you are actually working against the well-being of your organization.
You may ask, how? When you disclose your VDP to the public, you are getting exposed to an increased risk of hackers trespassing your security barriers.
Conclusion
Hackers are so well accustomed to the way in which organizations function. They know with certainty that businesses do not fix a vulnerability the moment it is detected.
They need not wait for a zero-day exploit to rake in profits. All that they need is the vulnerability disclosure that is made public.
They will work around this document and exploit your systems. Hence the solution to this ongoing issue of data and system security is to have a strong patching procedure in place.

What is the Importance of Cyber Security Tips in 2021

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A major share of companies will need extensive cyber security in 2021. You need tips and practices that can work very well. Reason? The rise of alarming attacks and their devastating effect will force companies to focus more on securing their digital domain. Let’s have a look in detail.
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What is Cyber Security?
It’s a much-needed practice of safeguarding electronic systems, mobile devices, computers, servers, networks, and data. The cyberattack has become frequent and complicated. So in order to defend a system from a devastating attack many practices, skilled personnel heavy systems need to be deployed.
Mainly cyber security can be divided into 6

  • Network security
  • Information security
  • Disaster recovery and business continuity
  • Information security
  • Application security
  • End-user education

Why cybercrime is on rising?
It is very evident that cybercrimes are on rising. But what is causing this rise? Let us have a look at a few of the reasons for this rise:

  • Technological advancement: Technology has definitely benefited us a lot. But as every coin has two sides, this too has two sides. Though technology advancement has been a boon for us, it has also increased the hacking possibilities. Technology has enabled and made it easy for hackers to access retina images, codes, advanced voice recorders, etc. Thus making it easy for hackers to fool biometric systems and bypass firewalls.
  • Smaller storage space – Another major reason is the machines still have comparatively lesser storage space, making it easy for hackers to steal data.
  • Complex – The complexity of operating systems, makes human brains so mistakes. And the advantage of these mistakes is taken by the cybercriminals. Negligence – Another major reason is the negligence by us. It gives hackers a great possibility to access and take control of systems. This negligence could be anything from making weak passwords, unintentionally forwarding sensitive information, etc.
  • Loss of evidence – cybercrime-related evidence can be easily destroyed, hence hackers find it convenient to exploit cyberspace.

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Types of Cyberattacks
There are various types of cyberattacks, through which cybercriminals can exploit cyberspace users. Some of them are:

  • Denial-of-service (DoS) and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks: In such attacks, the users are restricted or denied the services.
  • TCP SYN flood: Attackers flood the victim’s in-process queue with multiple requests, which fails to get a response from the target system, finally collapsing the system.
  • Phishing attacks: These attacks aim to steal confidential information by pretending to be a genuine individual and asking the victim to open a malicious link.
  • Spear Phishing attacks: In these attacks, the mail is aimed at a company, pretending it to be from a known individual and aims at stealing the companies confidential data.
  • Malware Attack: Malwares are the code that forcefully steals the victim’s information without their consent.
  • Ransomware: Ransomware stops the victim from accessing his own data until the ransom is paid.
  • Drive-by attack: the malicious links are planted into the webpage, and when a person visits such a webpage, malware is installed into the victim’s system.
  • Trojan Horse: Trojan Horses are another type of malicious program that pretends themselves to be useful and when a person installs them, their system is captured by Malware. They are the most dangerous malware.
  • Password Attack: Most simple kinds of attack, where the attackers crack the victim’s password, hence taking control over their systems.
  • SQL injections: such attacks manipulate the backend database and hence displaying certain information at the frontend, which otherwise was not intended to be displayed.

What’s the Impact of cybercrime in 2021?
Cybercrimes are affecting both individuals and institutions in many different ways. Be it stealing of business confidential data and selling it to a third party, or be it emptying someone’s bank account or defaming a person’s image using his images or social media ID.
Cybercrimes have greatly increased during this lockdown when the world is completely dependent on cyberspace. Also, the lockdown has given many people sufficient time to carry out their notorious activities.

  • If we believe in the research done by the University of Maryland, a cyber-attack is carried out every 39 seconds.
  • In 2019, on average 78% of organizations in the US, have witnessed a cyber attack
  • Around 23% of US citizens, financial information or credit card details have been hacked.
  • On average 30% of US consumers faced a data breach in 2018.
  • An alarming 1000 data breaches, exposed 147 million records in 2019 that too in just initial 9 months.
  • There is a steep rise in data breaches every year
  • There is a 54% increase in mobile malware

Cyber attacks stats 2021

  • By 2021, Cyber will cost the world $6 trillion
  • By 2021 Companies have to expect ransomware attacks every second
  • At present, 24,000 suspicious apps are deleted on a daily basis
  • 21% of files are not protected around the globe
  • 60% of frauds have a mobile phone as their origin
  • Average ransomware demand will be more than $1000 by 2021
  • 90% of hackers are using encryption. Making it hard to track them
  • It’s expected that cyber-security awareness programs spending will reach $10 billion by 2027
  • Studies have revealed that 41% have a loose end at their data protection system
  • Only 25% of companies have a standalone security department

Cyber attack stats 2021
What’s the Importance of cybersecurity
With the increasing usage of cyberspace, cyber crimes too have increased. And in this pandemic, almost everything is shifted to the digital medium. From education to shopping, from business to medicine, everything is handled online. But this has given immense rise to cyber threats. Students are being victimized, financial losses have become very common, data security is now at stake, etc. Cyber threats can be a great loss both emotionally and financially. With such a rise in cyber threats, it is very important to implement cybersecurity. Some of the important measures we can take are

  • educating everyone on the cybersecurity
  • Parents can keep a keen check on their children’s cyber activities.

There are more such measures that we will read about going further here.
What’s the Future of Cyber Crime
1. Information wars: With the significance of data on a global scale, information wars are now becoming more common. With the present trend, it is expected to be more dominant in 2018, as well. More than data thefts for economic needs, personal data is targeted more which leaves people in a vulnerable position.

With most of the information exchange taking place online due to lockdown, chances of information wars have increased many times. Be it any business information, financial information, medical information, personal information, all are being shared through a digital medium. The hackers are taking undue advantage of the situation to exploit their victims. They are using different techniques to get hold of valuable information and exploit it to their benefit.

Attempts were made to even make the highly celebrated officials’ confidential controversial information public. As these types of wars are becoming an unwelcome reality to humiliate people, serious attention needs to be given to avoid its huge impact in the future.
2. New vulnerabilities: The innovative technologies are witnessing exponential growth and this also opens a new window for new vulnerabilities. Even before a new technology comes into the market, hackers find a way to exploit it. Since there is less expertise in new technologies, there is less expertise in protecting it from hackers or cyber threats. According to estimates from SANS, familiar risks would be the reason for at least 80 percent of cybersecurity happenings.

It should be taken care that even before a new technology is launched in the market, all the loopholes should be deeply studied and barred. Even there should be proper documentation where its users have a clear description of how to use it and protect themselves from any kind of security threats. They should be guided on all the safety measures they should follow to ensure the highest security. We can’t stop the new to evolve but we can definitely find a way out by enlightening its users on all possible security measures.

3. Concerns for big data: The new era enterprises are handling too much data every day than ever before. As data comes in new types and formats, it would be less structured, unlike conventional data.
Even when GDPR can help to handle and monitor it up to an extent, the lack of proper internal processes can pose serious cybersecurity threats to such big data. So it becomes important to get back to basics such as updating software versions and maintaining basic security hygiene.
Some of the most worrisome threats posed by big data are:

  • The first one, obviously be the protection of data
  • Data ownership and rights
  • Lack of proper data analysts or lack of expertise.

As big data offer tremendous benefits, it’s important to find proper security measures to safeguard the use of big data and to leverage it to our benefits. Some of the common security measures we can work upon and rely on are:

  • Setting up of industry standards, government rules and regulations, and share the best practices to ensure to make wiser use of big data
  • To protect secure and sensitive information, Attribute-based encryption should be adopted for the information shared by third parties
  • More security should be added to open source software such as Hadoop
  • audit logs should be maintained for all the facets of the business

4. Cloud storage security: cloud storage is a new norm. From businesses to individuals are depending more and more on cloud storage for their data storage purposes.

With the data increasing at a tremendous rate, we need an extra and reliable storage unit to store an infinite amount of data. And cloud storage has come to our rescue.

Due to minimal storage systems, companies are now largely dependent on cloud storage for data-keeping. Cloud is more susceptible to security threats because of its structure.

There can be a serious threat to its privacy and mishandling if no proper governance is provided. Proper measures and techniques should be enforced to ensure the high-end security of the cloud.

The problems of insecure access and instability can be a threat to confidential information. Designing a cloud decision model would be a good solution in order to control the personal as well as its public use. A few steps that you can take to ensure the safety of data on the cloud are:

  • As far as possible, don’t store sensitive information in the cloud.
  • Be very familiar with the user agreement and how cloud storage works.
  • Passwords are very important, make them strong; very strong.
  • Encryption can be your security guard when storing data in the cloud.
  • Prefer encrypted cloud service.

5. Internet of Things: Modern enterprises are heavily relying on internet technologies for data access and transfer. However, most of them are not so aware of the hidden problems and uses the new age technology without giving much emphasis to safety. However, the vulnerability of personal data can be a serious threat awaiting them.
The current pandemic has evolved the Internet of Things as the whole sole platform for all basic needs, be it education, financial needs, shopping desires, medical needs, business requirements, etc.
Amongst this dependency, hackers have found a golden chance to exploit data on the internet for their gruesome purposes. It has to be ensured that proper measures are to be taken while using the internet.
Apart from basic safety measures, everyone including children and adults needs to be educated on the safe use of the internet. From browsing various websites, sending data across, or playing games, everyone needs to  well informed about the prospective threats of the internet.
The use of faulty communication methods and default password mechanisms are not going to do any good in the long run. Breaches of privacy can be a top cybersecurity threat in the upcoming year, as well.
6. Ransomware and Blockchain security: Ransomware is a widespread cybersecurity threat in which particular files within the infected systems would be encrypted. The users will be forced to pay big sums in order to retrieve the decrypt key. The worst part is that users will have to make the payment without any guarantee of receiving the key.
Test-your-WebApps-for-better-stability
The possibilities of blockchain security can be an important phenomenon in this context. From eliminating passwords to generating fiddle proof infrastructure and superior encryption methods, this security technology would be a center of focus in 2018.
7. Wars across borders: If information over the web is not properly handled, the consequences may not always confine within the country. There is a huge chance for this insecurity to be a reason for wars across nations. Such problems would be very hard to sort out as it can cause a direct impact on the international political scenario.
In the recent past, we have come across various news where, foreign applications and software have been found keeping a keen check on the users and with a result, many applications have been banned in a few countries.
Such scenarios can take very nasty turns and can have huge repulsion. Even country sensitive information can be eyed upon by other countries and can be easily exploited to plan an attack against the first.
Countries should ensure high-end security of their internal and sensitive information. There should be proper guidelines on the usage of digital media for both authorities and the general public
8. Novel legal clauses: The government’s surveillance laws are seeing many changes and this could cause cybersecurity concerns for most companies. With the novel data protection and management rules, the finance systems of the enterprises can be impacted. The implementation as well as harmonization changes can take longer to be stabilized and this can affect a smooth flow of data in 2021.
This lag can result in cybersecurity threats. Companies should be ready to deal and act on such changes efficiently and quickly so that hacker doesn’t get a scope on entering into their systems illegally and exploiting them
In the recent past, we have come across various news where, foreign applications and software have been found keeping a keen check on the users and with a result, many applications have been banned in a few countries.
Such scenarios can take very nasty turns and can have huge repulsion. Even country sensitive information can be eyed upon by other countries and can be easily exploited to plan an attack against the first.
Countries should ensure high-end security of their internal and sensitive information. There should be proper guidelines on the usage of digital media for both authorities and the general public
9. Cybersecurity predictions: The security breaches from biometric authentication tools introduced by mobile giants are not a distant reality. The socially engineered threats are on the rise than ever before. Suspicious domain registrations as well as domain spoofing can be another important area that needs focus. The possibilities of industry-specific attacks from scammers cannot be written off.
10. Risk-based authentication tools: The previous authentication tools are designed with a general-purpose. With more and more threats being reported every day, it is alarming to design and implement some risk-based authentication tools for the job. This can fight out the known risks to some extent and provide a decent one level security from at least some of the possible breaches.
. Advancement in such technologies can definitely hamper the growth of cybersecurity threats. These technological advancements should always be a step ahead of hacking techniques to curb such risks.
11. Training for non-technical staff: In normal cases, there would be a particular group of technical staff in every company who will be responsible to take care of the cybersecurity.
As the situation is highly alarming, it is becoming important to give some basic training to nontechnical staff also regarding the first aids to tackle possible cyber attacks.
Similarly, giving sessions or seminars to common people regarding basic cyber safety can prove good to eliminate at least the basic problems.
The irony is that a large percentage of our population uses technology, but only a few are aware of cybersecurity. There should be seminars not only for the working population but also for the general public about the safe usage of the cyber world.
People perform a lot of confidential tasks over the internet without taking any security measures and hence landing themselves into cyber threats. Hence it becomes very important to educate everyone on the safe usage of cyberspace.
12. Digital ecosystems: Cybersecurity is not a simple thing as its impact can even be on wider society. Not only big companies get affected, it’s after-effects can cause long term hazards for many individuals. In a digital ecosystem, every individual has his role in the protection, security, and privacy of data.
Data analytics and data science will have a bigger role as monitoring of larger data becomes important to predict the present trends and understand human behaviors.

This understanding can play a major role in curbing many security threats, which otherwise are very prominent and put on stake the security of the individuals.

13. Artificial Intelligence: A remarkable difference in ICS Security can be witnessed with the widespread usage of artificial intelligence.
Quicker threat detection and faster troubleshooting is the key. It can replace the drawbacks of a shortage of cybersecurity staffing to a certain extent.
Whether it is a large multinational company with multiple branches across the globe or a small company with a single branch, the use of this technology can prove vital to making better out of the situation.

AI can be efficiently used to hamper cyber threats. AI has advanced multi-folds and we can mold it for making cybersecurity more strong and stringent that it becomes very difficult for hackers to crack it.

14. Security technology integration: This is going to be a game-changer in this highly alert situation. Large enterprises can rely on such mechanisms to manage situations better. With the present trend, integration hubs are on the rise. The professional services with a separate personnel manager can work wonders in helping fight the cyber attacks.

The comprehensive cybersecurity plan covers a lot of elements such as content protection, data security, privacy, IP, passwords, and encryption technology. Staying ahead of the situation helps you to take control of it and avoid the domination of fraud.
8 Tips for Cyber Security 2021
1. Establish a strong security policy among employees
2. Perform penetration testing, security audits, etc.
3. Devise a perfect action plan in case of emergency
4. Use a proper password management system
5. Have a thorough understanding of the risks involved
6. Make sure that the data is encrypted and secured
7. Make employees understand the vulnerabilities of social media
8. Secure and limit internal and external network access
8 Cyber security tips for 2021

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Final Thoughts
Proper measures need to be taken in order to handle these concerns without making much trouble. It is becoming really important to increase the number of security experts to overcome these concerns and proper quality training needs to be given to them. More serious interventions from the government are expected to provide enough scrutiny, attention, and care.
It is not just the data privacy rights or net neutrality that needs attention; a complete shift of focus to internet security is alarming. An additional step in cyber and email security can make a positive difference in the overall productivity of enterprises in the long run.

Thoughts on Penetration Testing Must Die or Evolve

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Penetration Testing, commonly called as Pen Test, is a testing strategy to evaluate the security of a system. The test is conducted to zero-in on the weaknesses (also called as vulnerabilities) and strengths of the security system that are already in place. It is a simulating test that is performed on the system to check the risk factors that will expose the system to an unauthorized breach of security.
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There will be instances when unwarranted parties gain access to your system, trespassing your security levels. Penetration Testing, true to its name thus allows a complete assessment of risk factors that can cause malicious entities to infiltrate into your standard security borders.
The Significance of 2009
Security experts across the globe identify Pen Test as an essential tool offering an in-depth defense mechanism to systems and networks. However, in 2009, there was a notion amongst the technology spheres that Pen Test is heading to its natural death.
You will agree with the fact that every software version that is high-tech will soon be replaced by its successor version, paving the way for better and updated versions. So is the case with Pen Test that will prompt the release of updated versions; may be in principle than in practice.
But there’s good news, just around the corner.
And that is:
Pen Test will soon die but will come back as something better. So what is the fate of Pen Testers, you may ask. This phenomenon does not lead to the global unemployment of pen testers but will only make these testers less favorable to companies and businesses.
The Premise behind the Death of Pen Test
Investing in prevention is always better than spending on diagnosis. This principle can be applied to the concept of Pen Test. When businesses begin to invest more in trying to prevent the occurrence of security breaches, they will save monies spent on diagnosing problems.  Hence, businesses are on the lookout for tools that can prevent security breaches than to invest in tools that are exclusively ordained to identify weaknesses that are already existing in the system.
Voicing the Thoughts of Experts Concerning the Evolution or the Obliteration of Penetration Testing
Brian Chess, the SVP of Infrastructure and Security Engineering attached to cloud operations at NetSuite came up with three thoughts that throw light on the controversial topic whether Pen Test is on the brink of evolution or is all set to face extinction.
Enlisting three opinions in verbatim that were expressed by him, every thought comes with an interpretation that explains the thought in a manner that is significant to you and your business.
Thought 1:
“People are now spending more money on getting code right in the first place than they are on proving it is wrong. However, this does not signal the end of the road for penetration testing, nor should it, but it does change things. Rather than being a standalone product, it is going to be more like a product feature. Penetration testing is going to cease being an end unto itself and re-emerge as part of a more comprehensive security solution.”
An Interpretation of the Thought
A noticeable tendency amongst businesses and technology decision makers is that investments are being made in the direction of acquiring error-free code rather than to unveil its weaknesses and errors. While this change does not sound the death knell for penetration testing, an imminent change is just around the corner. These variations can be witnessed in the form of a re-emerging technology that will lead to the implementation of an “all-inclusive” security solution.
Thought 2:
“2009 will be the year this strategy comes together, and when we look back, it will be the year when most of the world began thinking about penetration testing as part of a larger offering.”
An Interpretation of the Thought
The year 2009 will become an observer to this transformation and when businesses look back, this will be the time when penetration testing will become a significant part of a bigger picture. This concept of testing will emerge as a novel means to secure your business operations; as the days pass.
Thought 3:
“More than ever before, people understand the software security challenge, and penetration testing deserves credit for helping spread the word. But knowing a security problem exists is not the same as knowing how to fix it. In other words, penetration testing is good for finding the problem but does not help in finding the solution – and that is why it must take a long hard look at itself and then make a change. Just like the venerable spell-checker, it is going to die and come back in a less distinct but more pervasive form and I, for one, cannot wait.”
An Interpretation of the Thought
Earlier, people and businesses were of the opinion that challenges in software security and penetration testing were the two parameters that have made the most noise for the world to acknowledge and react to. However, getting to know the existence of a security problem cannot be seen in the same light as knowing how to resolve it.
That means, Pen Test is a good tool to identify the problem but fails to resolve it. This basic premise of Pen Test is what makes it vulnerable to change. And the change here does not mean its complete extinction but a chance to bounce back as a better and pervasive version that everyone concerned is looking forward to.
What’s In Store for Penetration Testers?
With so many changes prompting the evolution of Pen Test, it pays to spare a thought about the future of Penetration Testers; the human resources that are ordained to secure your systems.
Penetration Testers are professionals who should handhold companies by suggesting ways to address security issues. They will have to work in tandem with the recommendations of customers and offer ways to fix security lapses or issues that may jeopardize the safety of your systems and networks.
This having said, Penetration Testers will scrutinize the code and may demand a “recoding”, asking the developers to come up with a code that will not only identify an issue but also address it. This evolution with regard to Penetration Testing will call for a paradigm shift in how businesses will operate.
A multi-faceted approach will come to light when organizations will be prompted to consider various parameters to finally tread the path of least resistance. This practice will be in contrast to relying on pen testing to test one part of the network, another part of the web application and some other segment of the physical security.
There will come a time when businesses will pay attention to all those factors that influence their revenues. In that context, they will look out for ways and means to test all those parameters simultaneously, creating a situation of “full scope Pen Testing”. This should be the most objective way of looking at things as far as Penetration Testing is concerned.
Test-your-WebApps-for-better-stability
As Things Stand Now, What Is In store for Pen Testing?
Keeping in mind the constantly changing methods of penetration testing, it is important to be notified of its latest trends. Hackers who exploit the loop holes in testing practices will find novel ways of hacking your data. It is hence the need of the hour for organizations to perform penetration tests, through pen testers who will be directed to actually think the way the hackers think; especially when you are updating your software.
When this practice is followed, you will be able to detect any vulnerability that might cause a security breach.
The three pointers that determine penetration testing are concerned about:

  1. Protection
  2. Detection
  3. Response

For your system to demonstrate a high level of data security, it is essential that you have all the above mentioned pointers in place.
Currently, most of the organizations are incorporating pen testing as a significant part of their business maintenance plan with the IT heads banking on the suggestions offered by Information Security Experts. This has led to performing regular pen tests as part of compliance audits with pen testers making the most of automated and manual techniques teamed with testing tools that will be able to detect weak links in IT infrastructure.
Conclusion
And when all the loopholes are plugged with pen testing practices, you will be able to secure your data effectively, thus nipping the chances of a security breach in its bud itself. Without getting bogged down by the thought that the concept of Pen Test is nearing extinction, it pays to look at this change as a positive transformation that will fuel the advancement of novel ways to secure your networks and systems.

What’s penetration testing? How’s it done?

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If it is your dream to secure your systems and data from security breaches and data threats, you should look into the inclusion of  Penetration Testing as part of your information security program. A Pen Test can make this dream a reality provided you are well versed with the most frequently posed “How’s” and “What’s”.
app testing
What’s Penetration testing?
As you have already understood, Penetration Testing offers a complete analysis of threats and vulnerabilities that will adversely impact your systems. To move on with this testing procedure, you should be informed about what’s in store for you.
Let us now move on to the section which helps you understand the three variations of a Pen Test.
Why does your company need penetration testing?
You might have come across many news regarding cyberattacks that have happened all over the world. In most cases, exploitation of loose ends is the main cause behind such attacks.
The reason does not end there,

  • There is a financial and critical data transfer frequently
  • To secure user data
  • You have deployed a system and not aware if there is any vulnerability in it
  • To asses the business impact and to device risk mitigation
  • To check whether the company is complying with information security regulations.
  • To implement an effective security strategy

Types of pen testing 

  • External Pen Test

True to its name, an External Pen Test is a testing procedure that focuses on testing publicly exposed systems, by getting into the shoes of a hacker. Applying the mind of a hacker, an external pen tester will be able to uncover all those scenarios that will provide external entities to gain access to your internal systems by breaching security firewalls.

  • Internal Pen Test

As the name suggests, an Internal Pen Test focuses on all the systems that are internally connected. As an internal pen tester, you will be ordained to assess the security of internal systems that are remotely being operated by an external hacker or attacker. The internal pen test is conducted to check whether the security of your internal system is compromised when intruders can get past your internal perimeter barricades.

  • Hybrid Pen Test

The third variant is a mix of internal and external pen tests. Presenting a blended means to outsmart complex and modern data attacks, you can secure your systems in a novel way. All set to safeguard your internal and external systems, a Hybrid Pen Test helps you shield your systems from remote and local infiltrations.

  • Social Engineering Test

it’s a tricky kind of assessment where an individual will be subjected to elements that can make him reveal sensitive data. For instance, an employee will be sent a tempting email which will have a phishing link

  • Physical penetration testing

Physical devices such as USB sticks will be injected into the system to find out the reaction. It’s usually performed in top-secret facilities such as the military.

  • Network Services Test

It’s a kind of log that’s used to find out entry points and exit points in a network system.
 
The Span of Control of a Pen Test
Termed as a rigorous form of testing, a pen test analyses the security and stability of your entire infrastructure. Penetration Testers analyze each and every access layer, application, system, and network. These are professionals who are adept at reviewing the code of a front-end web application to bring out the possibilities of a cyber-attack on your network.
In a nutshell, a pen test helps you uncover the following vulnerabilities:

  • Checks how well your information infrastructure and networks are protected
  • The potential risks that your business is running into
  • The level of dependability of your current security solutions along with the provision that is in place to counter and prevent external intrusions
  • Ideation of measures to strengthen and improve your web protection and security systems to minimize risks

Who are Pen Testers? – Technical Experts Who Shield Your Systems from Cyber Attacks
It is interesting to note that pen testers possess the same level of knowledge and skill as that of a hacker. A pen tester is always simulating the real-world attack that has the power to throw your cyber-security norms to the winds. Such activity comes with an underlying disruption that can well be handled by a good pentester.
A pen tester with recognized technical knowledge and expertise can become an invaluable asset to organizations looking to protect their systems from cyber-attacks. He/she will not only record inferences in the form of vulnerabilities that are identified but will also handhold your customers to identify such instances. Ordained to provide you with a holistic security evaluation of your systems, a good pen tester helps you know your environment better.
How is Penetration Testing Carried Out?
There are two main types of testing approaches that are employed by Pen Testers. They are:

  1. Black Box Testing

External pen testers who do not have any knowledge of their target network will get to assess your system. True to its name, black box testing is like shooting an arrow into a dark room without being informed of its internal arrangement.  That means pen testers ordained to perform black-box testing don the hat of external hackers.
They operate as outsiders who are restricted to even get a peek into the internal technologies that are currently in use. This testing approach goes a long way to evaluate the response of your IT department team and the measures it will take to counter an infiltration or security breach.

  1. White Box Testing

As a sharp contrast to what happens in Black Box Testing, White Box Testing is conducted by pen testers and security auditors who are thoroughly informed about each and every facet of their target network. The comprehensive information is made available to pen testers in the form of IP addresses, the versions of the operating system and application source codes along with the network topology.
Allowing auditors to enjoy full visibility of your internal infrastructure supported by internal technologies, White Box Testing demands the coordination between the audit team and your internal security teams.

  1. Gray Box Testing

Balancing the extremes of White Box Testing and White Box Testing, Gray Box Testing is an approach that enables security auditors to work around some information and knowledge about your internal infrastructure. This is an approach that not only unveils vulnerabilities but also helps you identify weaknesses.
Is the Time Ripe for a Pen Test?
After assimilating information about the various facets of Penetration Testing, you have now come to the juncture of making a well-informed decision as to when to conduct a Pen Test. Scheduling a Pen Test at the right time is an important parameter that will go a long way in managing a security plan that is tightened with stringent counterattack mechanisms.
The biggest mistake committed by organizations is to conduct a pen test too early.
Hence you should now delve deep into the chronology of the testing process and perform a pen test at a time when you can powerfully test your security defenses.
Different Phases of the Security Assessment/ penetration testing process
1) Audit: Audit is the first step a security auditor takes as part of his security assessment responsibilities. He/she will start off by gathering basic details about the various processes and their implementations that are routinely practiced in your company.
Performing a system audit, auditors come up with a better understanding of the standards and quality of various technical measures that are undertaken along with uncovering situations that can be improved.
He/she will look into aspects concerning automated security patching, system hardening and checking the capabilities of your system to detect intrusions. All in all, a system audit focuses on checking whether the right procedures are implemented.
2) Vulnerability Management: This is the next phase of pen testing which looks into the effective management of vulnerabilities after ensuring that the right security measures are in place. Under this head, the system software is subjected to a number of vulnerability scans. This is done to plug the innumerable compromises that arise primarily because of coding issues. Checking into the type of software that is being used, vulnerability management is also concerned about uncovering the potent areas where software can be exploited.
3) Pen Testing:  Once you check whether the right procedures are in place along with an in-depth scan of your technical environment, it is time you move on to conducting Pen Testing. It is only when the above two steps are completed that you will derive the best out of a Pen Test.
The time is now ripe for pen testers to enter the testing field. Pen Testers will now take on the mantle of external auditors, performing real and simulated attacks on your environment. They will then be able to uncover the potent security leaks that will attract the attention of hackers who are eyeing to make good through security breaches.
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4) Report of your Security Plan: The summary of all the inferences obtained by pen testers is presented in the form of a Penetration Test Report. The Penetration Test Report comes as a barometer to assess the prevailing situation of your security systems.
Accounting all the weaknesses that were discovered by pen testers, you can also lay hands on the comprehensive description of the various testing methodologies that are currently in vogue.
Top 15 Penetration testing tool

  1. IndusFace
  2. Spyse
  3. Metasploit
  4. Intruder
  5. W3af
  6. Kali Linux
  7. Nessus
  8. Cain and Abel
  9. Burpsuite
  10. Core Impact
  11. Netsparker
  12. Canvas
  13. SqlMap
  14. John the Ripper

Conclusion
Given the fact that security is a constant concern to meet your organizational goals, it pays to look into the various aspects of Penetration Testing to ensure the implementation of the basic security plan. Once this is done, pen testers step into the ground, unveiling flaws that were masked and missed out earlier.
This way, Pen Testing comes across as a potent security testing tool that guarantees uninterrupted management and improvement of your security measures. All in all, a Pen Test comes as a relevant tool to safeguard your system from malicious cyber-attacks.

Meltdown and Spectre: 2 CPU Security Bugs You Need to Know About

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Being a cyber security term, vulnerability refers to the flaws seen in a system which further make ways for hackers and malware. At the beginning of 2018, the IT industry is already scrambling to patch up with the major security vulnerabilities that have affected almost all computers in the world.
app testing
The two flaws naming- Spectre & Meltdown was found by the security researchers at the Project Zero at Google. The vulnerabilities could allow leaking of information from mis-speculated execution which further leads to arbitrary virtual memory across various local security boundaries. Vulnerabilities in this particular issue are affecting numerous modern processors including AMD, ARM, Intel, and Apple.

Meltdown and Spectre- Security Bugs

According to the researchers Meltdown (CVE-2017-5754) is considered to be one of the worst CPU bug found till date. This bug is primarily thought to affect Intel processors manufactures since 1995. Meltdown allows the hacker to get through the hardware barrier seen between the users and the core memory of the PC.

Features:

  • Discovered by Jann Horn, a security analyst at the Google Project Zero
  • Allows low privileged processes to gain access to high privileged kernal processes to steal system memory
  • In modern processors, it used the side channel informations
  • Till now, has only affected the Intel processors
  • Makes fundamental processes fundamentally unreliable

In the case of Spectre, the vulnerability is more widespread and seen affecting modern processors from AMD, Intel and even the ARM chips on mobile devices. This is considered to be more likely a much serious issue as it requires redesign of the processors to fix the problem in future hardware generations.

Features:

  • Discovered by Mr. Horn and Mr. Kocher, in coordination with Mike Hamburg, Mr. Lipp and Yuval Yarom at Google
  • Hardware vulnerability with speculative execution that affect modern processors
  • Much deeper and is hard to patch
  • Consist of 2 common ID’s- CVE-2017-5753, CVE-2017-5715
  • It centres on Brand prediction which is a part of speculative execution
  • It is more generalized as it does not rely on a single processors memory management

Both these vulnerabilities can be used by attackers to steal and spy on secure data like encryption keys, passwords etc. which are seen on the cache memory and also can access the recently processed data in the system.

Part of Computer That is at Risk

The issues related to Meltdown and Spectre exist within the CPU of Windows, Android, Linux, iOS, macOS, Chromebooks and several other operating systems. A computer generally consist of huge amount of data and the core part of a computer’s operating system known as the kernel, handles the data synchronising process.
When data is in the cache, it is managed by the processor and, it is at this point that new vulnerabilities come into effect. Meltdown grabs information by simply snooping to the memory used by the kernel. And in the case of Spectre, it makes programs to perform unwanted operations which in-turn leaks data, that needs to stay confidential.
Both attacks exploit “speculative execution”, which prepares the results of a set of instructions to a chip. These results are then placed in one of the fastest bits of memory on the PC chip. Unfortunately, this can further manipulate the system bit by bit, therefore allowing the hacker to retrieve confidential data from a computer’s memory.
How is a Computer Targeted?
A hacker tries some kind of codes on a user’s computer in order to try exploit using Meltdown  & Spectre. This can be avoided by the following steps:

  • Blocking ads, browser scripts and page trackers
  • Use Chrome’s ‘site isolation feature

Steps Issued Against the Major CPU Flaw:

Practically every computing devices including laptops, smart phones and even cloud computing systems are affected by these two CPU bugs. Every major technology companies have started working against Meltdown and Spectre to protect themselves and their customers.
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  • Apple points out that it is already affected by these two CPU bugs and the company advised customers to update their device’s operating system and to only download apps from the App Store
  • Microsoft has released updates and installing the new patches can protect devices from the vulnerabilities
  • Intel has rolled out security patches and firmware updates to protect against Meltdown and Spectre. ARM is working with AMD AND
  • Microsoft, Mozilla and Google have issued patches for these browsers as the first step to defence
  • Google says that it will roll out a patch for Chrome 64
  • Chrome OS devices are patched with Kernel Page Table Isolation in Chrome OS 63 and above
  • The service provider Amazon is working to patch the servers used in their data centres

On the whole, companies and individuals should apply available security updates before the problem gets worse.
Conclusion
There is not much that can be done to resolve this issue but it can be avoided in future by redesigning processors so that attacks becomes impossible. Processors, devices, drives, operating system and numerous other have evolved optimizations for security security risks. As the security problems rise in IT industry, the choices needs to be reconsidered and in many cases new implementations are necessary.

Penetration Testing Tutorial: Stages, Types, Methods & Tools

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Penetration testing or also known as pen testing is the process of simulating real attacks on systems or networks to access the risks associated with potential security breaches. During pen test, testers not only discover vulnerabilities but also exploit them.
app testing
Pen testing is mainly attempting to breach any application systems, protocol interface etc. to uncover vulnerabilities, such as codes that are susceptible to attacks. Penetration testing which is generally ethical hacking is a necessary in-demand skill for testing an organization’s defense systems.
Why do we need to perform Pen Testing:

  • To uncover the critical vulnerabilities within your network systems
  • It can provide an overview of an organization’s exploitable vulnerabilities and include recommendations on how you can optimize the protection levels
  • Reveal problems that were not known
  • Prevent business interruptions, loss and protect brand image
  • Find both known and unknown hardware/software flaws which can be identified and fixed using automated tools
  • Assess and validate the efficacy of an organization’s defensive mechanisms

Stages of Penetration Testing:
As penetration testing is very much technical and complicated, it needs to be split into different stages. Lets take a brief look:
1)  Planning & Setting your Goal: In this phase, you define the scope and goal of the test to be carried out including, addressing the system on which the test is performed and finalising the steps for the test. You need to also understand and gain knowledge about the network, domains and the server to identify how the target works on potential vulnerabilities.
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2) Scanning Phase: During this phase, it becomes clear to the tester that how the target app will respond to the intrusion attempts. This is basically done in 2 ways:

  1. Static Analysis: Inspect an app’s code to see how it performs in a running state
  2. Dynamic Analysis: Provides a real-time view of how an app performs

3) Selection of Proper Pen-testing tools: Choosing the right tool, requires mere intelligence, a little bit of luck and lot of patience. Rather than just going for quality and checking whether it fits to your job, its essential to note that it doesn’t contain any sort of malware or codes that could in-turn hack the tester.
There are plenty of tools available online for free but note to double check as most of them may contain malware and mostly undocumented back doors. But the best pen testers always go for their own written codes and tools as they don’t trust on free sources.
Eg: Nmap, Aircrack-ng, Wifiphisher, Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP etc.
4) Gaining Access: This stage is basically about using web apps like SQL injections, cross-site scripting, back doors etc. to uncover the target vulnerabilities. Once the vulnerabilities are found, testers try to solve them by intercepting traffic, escalating privileges or by stealing data.
5) Maintaining the Access: In this stage, the pen tester tests whether the vulnerability can be used to achieve a persistent presence in the exploited system. This is done to imitate the advanced persistent threats that remain for months or even years in a system to steal the most sensitive data from an organization.
6) Analysing the System: The results like the number of vulnerabilities exploited, the intensity of the sensitive data that could have been accessed and the total time the pen tester could spend within a network system without being detected is checked and documented.
Types of Penetration Testing
The type of penetration testing generally depends upon the scope of the goal to be attained or the testing is simulated against the employee, internal resources or external sources. On the basis of this, penetration testing is mainly of 3 types:

  • Black Box Testing: In this case, the tester needs to collect all information regarding the system before he/she starts working
  • White Box Testing: Here, the pen tester is provided with almost all details regarding the system such as IP addresses, source codes, OS details etc.
  • Grey Box Testing: In this, the tester is provided with partial knowledge about the system

Penetration Testing Methods
By analysing different methods of attacks that might affect an organization, there might be different methods of penetration testing:
1) External Testing: This targets the assets of an organization that is visible on the internet. So the main aim is to gain access and also extra valuable data.
2) Internal Testing: Here, the tester with the access to an app behind its firewall is simulated by an attack by the malicious insider.
3) Blind Testing: In this case, the pen tester is only given the name of the organization, so that the system security personal gets a real-time look at how actual app assault happens.
4) Double Blind Testing: In this type of attack, the security personal within the organization would have no idea regarding the assault same as like it happens in real attempted breaches.
5) Targeted Testing: In this testing, the pen tester and the security personal both work together regarding the vulnerabilities. This is quite a valuable method as it offers instant suggestions from the hackers point of view.
Penetration Testing Tools
Penetration testing is the process which is undertaken by testers to find vulnerabilities in your systems before the attackers intrude in. The different pen test tools can be broken down into major categories like:
1) Port Scanners: Tools in this category typically gather information and personal data about a specific target from a remote environment.
2) Vulnerability Scanner: These tools are used to find if there is any known vulnerabilities in the targeted system.  This is again subdivided to:

  • Host-based
  • Network based

3)  Application Scanner: These type of tools checks in for any type of weakness within the web-application (eg: Ecommerce apps)
Below we have listed a few tools that can be used for simple assessments or even complex tasks in which some are got for free and some require licence payments.
1) Aircrack-ng: This is a full suite of wireless assessment tool that covers attacking(cracking WAP & WEP) and packet capture.
2) SQLmap: This is an automated SQL injection and database tool common and widely used in platforms -MSSQL, MySQL, Access, PostgreSQL, SQLite etc.
3) THC-Hydra: It is generally known to be a network login cracker that supports several services and it isn’t very complex to handle.
4) Metaspoilt: One of the most popular and advanced framework that is based on the concept of ‘exploit’ that is you pass on a code that cause breaches and enter the system.
 5) Nessus vulnerability scanner: This is one of the most commonly used pen tool worldwide to identify vulnerabilities, malware that attackers use against your system and even policy violating configurations.
 6) WireShark: Also known as Ethereal, this is a network analysis tool that captures packet in real time and displays the results in human readable format codes.
automation testing
 Conclusion
As high-profile data breaches continue to dominate the headlines, the attitude of enterprises towards cyber security have also started shifting. As a result, there is an increased focus on detection and remediation strategies today. But, sophisticated security strategies only work out if the process, technology and people put in their inputs together to test and identify whether there is any weaknesses left open.

How is Python used in Cyber Security

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Python is one of the versatile programming language, created by Guido van Rossum between 1985- 1990. An interpreted language, Python has a design that focuses on code readability and allows programmers to write code in fewer lines as compared to others like Java and C++. it has an automatic memory management system that allows it to support numerous programming prototypes such as functional, imperative and procedural.\

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Among the numerous options available, Python is still a preferred choice among cyber security professionals. There are a number of factors that make them prefer python as compared to other languages. Some of these are as mentioned below:

  • Easy to learn

Python, like Java and C, are much easier to learn as compared to many other programming languages. The user-friendly language works on minimal code and hence, improves code readability, implementation and syntax.

  • Easy debugging

Since Python as a programming language that uses minimum code, it gets easier for the programmers to debug the error as well as reduce the risk of language getting complicated and causing issues.

  • Wide use

Python is not just limited to a few software packages and products. It, rather, has extensive use and is used to power numerous web products like Google, YouTube, Quora, Reddit, etc.

  • Object-oriented language

 Learning Python enables an individual to gain an understanding about several other object-oriented languages such as Java, C++ and C#. All one needs to learn is the syntax of the new language.

  • Open-source language

 Python is available at zero cost to the developers. This, in turn, makes it a preferred choice among many developers and companies. Moreover, the language is so simple to use that it increases its appeal to the smaller teams.

Also Read : Top 25 Software Testing Companies to Look Out For in 2018

  • High-performance

The use of Python is not just limited to help business grow and attain results but it also very useful to develop fast applications.

  • Extensive support libraries

Python is available large standard libraries that are inclusive of options like string operations, protocols, internet, web service tools, etc. Since, a large number of codes are already written in Python, this, in turn, puts a limit to the length of codes that needs to be written in Python.

  • Improved programmer’s productivity

The productivity of the programmer also gets improved due to reduced length of codes and object-oriented codes. Its features such as process integration, unit testing framework and ability to manage enhanced control help in increasing the speed of the entire application.

  • User-friendly data structures:

A built-in list and dictionary data structures, Python allows the developers to reduce the length of high-level data typing. This, in turn, helps in reducing the length of support code that is needed.

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  • Productivity and Speed:

With an object-oriented design, this language provides enhanced process control capabilities to its users. The language also has strong integrating and text processing abilities and its own unit testing framework, which, in turn, helps in improving its speed as well as productivity.

Conclusion:

A lot of the reasons mentioned above and several others make programmers prefer Python over any other programming language. Using Python by cyber security professionals over any other programming language is also common due to factors such as better respond time, user-friendly data structure and security.

Therefore, it is important to ensure that the focus is on making sure that the aim is met as well as ensure better performance.

Top 15 Open Source Security Testing Tools For 2021

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open-source security testing tools help to identify the security lapse in your web applications.  They unravel the loose ends of your web app that’s easily traceable and helps you sealing it off for a long time.

Its primary function is to perform the functional testing of an application and find the vulnerabilities that could lead the data leak or hacking, without accessing the source code.

There are a number of paid and free web application testing tools available in the market. Here, we will discuss the top 15 open-source security testing tools for web applications.

1. Wapiti

Wapiti

Wapiti is one of the efficient web application security testing tools that allow you to assess the security of your web applications. It performs ‘black box testing,’ to check the web applications for possible vulnerability.

During the testing process, it scans the web pages and injects the testing data to check for the security lapse. Supporting the GET and POST HTTP attacks, Wapiti identifies various types of vulnerabilities, such as:

Features

  • File disclosure
  • Database Injection
  • XSS injection
  • Command Execution detection
  • CRLF Injection
  • XXE injection
  • Potentially dangerous files
  • Weak .htaccess configurations that are easy to bypass
  • Backup files giving disclose

Wapiti is a command-line application that is hard for beginners but easy for experts. The software requires complete knowledge of commands.

2. Zed Attack Proxy

open source security testing tools

Popularly known as ZAP, the Zed Attack Proxy is an open-source, developed by OWASP. Supported by Windows, Unix/Linux, and Mac OS, ZAP enables you to find a variety of security vulnerabilities in web apps, even during the development and testing phase. This testing tool is easy to use, even if you are a beginner in penetration testing.

Features

  • Automatic Scanner
  • Authentication support
  • AJAX spiders
  • Dynamic SSL certificates
  • Forced Browsing
  • Intercepting Proxy
  • Web Socket Support
  • Plug-n-hack support
  • REST-based API and much more.


3. Vega
open source security testing tools

Vega is a free open-source web application testing tool. Written in JAVA, Vega comes with a GUI interface. It is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. It helps you:

Features

  • Find SQL injection
  • Validate SQL injection
  • File inclusions
  • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
  • Improve the security of TLS servers

The tool also allows you to set preferences such as maximum and minimum requests per second, the number of path descendants and number of nodes, etc.

Once supplied with proper credentials, you can use Vega as an automated scanner, for intercepting proxy and run it as a proxy scanner.

4. W3af

open source security testing tools

W3af is a popular web application security testing framework. Developed using Python, it offers an efficient web application penetration testing platform.

This tool can be used to detect more than 200 types of security issues in web applications, including SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting. It checks for the following vulnerabilities in the web-apps:


Features

  • Blind SQL injection vulnerability
  • Buffer overflow vulnerability
  • Multiple CORS misconfigurations
  • Insecure DAV configurations
  • CSRF vulnerability and much more

Available in both GUI and console interface, W3af is easy to understand. It also allows you to authenticate the website through the authentication modules.

5. Skipfish

Skipfish is a web application security testing tool that crawls the website recursively and checks each page for possible vulnerability and prepares the audit report in the end. Written in C language, Skipfish is optimized for HTTP handling and leaving minimum CPU footprints.

The software claims to handle 2K requests per second, without displaying CPU footprints. Also, the tool claims to provide high-quality positives as it uses a heuristics approach during crawling and testing web apps.

Also Read : What is Automation Testing? Techniques, Best Practices, Tools,advantages

The Skipfish security testing tool for web apps is available for Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, and Windows.

6. Ratproxy

Ratproxy is another opensource web application security testing tool that can be used to find any lapse in web applications, thereby making the app secure from any possible hacking attack. This semi-automatic testing software is supported by Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS X, and Windows (Cygwin) systems.

Ratproxy is optimized to overcome security audit issues that are repeatedly faced by users in other proxy systems. This testing tool easily distinguishes between CSS stylesheets and JavaScript codes.

7. SQLMap

SQLMap

SQLMap is a popular open source web application security testing tool that automates the process of detecting and utilizing SQL injection vulnerability in a database of the website. Packed with a variety of features, it has a powerful testing engine that enables the test to penetrate effortlessly and perform SQL injection check on a web application.

SQLMap supports a large number of database services, including MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server etc. Furthermore, the testing tool supports six types of SQL injection methods.

8. Wfuzz

open source security testing tools

Wfuzz is another open-source tool for a web application security testing tool that is freely available on the market. Developed in Python, this testing tool is used for brute-forcing web applications. Some of the features of Wfuzz are:

Features

  • Multiple Injection points
  • Output to HTML
  • Cookies fuzzing
  • Multi-threading
  • Proxy support
  • SOCK support
  • Authentication support
  • All parameters brute-forcing (POST and GET)
  • Baseline request (to filter results against)
  • Brute force HTTP methods
  • Multiple proxy support
  • HEAD scan
  • Post, headers, and authentication data brute forcing

While using WFuzz, you will have to work on the command line interface as there is no GUI interface available.

9. Grendel-Scan

Grendel-Scan is a useful open source web application security tool, designed for finding security lapse in the web apps. Available for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh, the tool is developed in Java.

It comes with an automated testing module that is used for detecting vulnerabilities in web applications. Besides, the software also includes many features, especially for manual penetration testing.

open source security testing tools

10. Arachni

Arachni is an open-source web application security testing tool designed to help penetration testers and administrators assess the security of web applications. This tool is developed to identify security lapse in web applications and make it hacker-proof. Arachni can detect:

Features

  • SQL Injection
  • XSS
  • Local File Inclusion
  • Remote file inclusion
  • Invalidated redirect, and many others

Arachni supports all the main operating systems, such as MS Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

11. Grabber

open source security testing tools

Grabber is an open source web application scanner that detects security vulnerabilities in web apps. It is portable and designed to scan small web applications such as forums and personal websites. It can identify the following issues:

Features

  • Cross-Site Scripting
  • SQL Injection
  • File Inclusion
  • Backup files verification
  • Simple AJAX verification
  • Hybrid analysis testing for PHP application using PHP-SAT
  • Generation of a file for stats analysis

Grabber is a small testing tool and takes more time to scan large apps. Moreover, since it was designed for personal usage, the scanner does not have any GUI interface and no feature for PDF report generation. Grabber was developed in Python. One can easily find the source code and modify it as per the requirement.


12. Acunetix
open source security testing tools
A complete automation penetration testing tools for your application that can scan your websites for 4500+ vulnerabilities. The most astounding feature of Acunetix is that it can crawl thousands of pages without any sort of interruptions.
Features

  • Can easily generate any kind of technical and compliance reports
  • Scans both open-source as well as custom-built applications
  • Deep scan technology for effective scanning
  • Most advanced SQLi and cross-site scripting testing
  • Effective login sequence recorder
  • Acusensor technology that enhances regular dynamic scan
  • Built-in vulnerability management module


13. Netsparker
open source security testing tools
one of the most accurate scanner out there in the market. Owing to its ability to identify deadly vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, Cross-site scripting, etc.
Features

  • Ability to scan any web-related app
  • Coverage for more than 1000 vulnerabilities
  • You can also check for coding related errors
  • Ability to generate regulatory compliance and web application


14. Metasploit
open source security testing tools
One of the most widely used penetration testing framework. Metasploit is an open-source testing platform that helps security testers to do much more than that of vulnerability assessment.
Features

  • The framework is much more advanced than that of competitors
  • More than 1500 exploits
  • Meta modules for discrete tasks such as network segmentation testing
  • Can be used for the automation of many processes
  • Many infiltration scenarios mockup features


15. Burp Suite

Even though Burp Suite charges money for their services. They have been put to use owing to many advanced features such as,
Features

  • Cutting edge web-app crawler
  • Coverage for more than 100 vulnerabilities
  • Can be used for interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)
  • JavaScript analysis using static and dynamic techniques detection of vulnerabilities within client-side javascript
  • Out-of-band techniques for augmenting conventional scanning methods

We believe that this open-source security testing tool is cardinal when it comes to assessment of software security.  We have also created a pictorial representation (infographic) so that you can get an idea easily

 

Also Read: Selenium 4: New Features and Updates

15 Most Powerful & Reliable Security Testing Tools

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Security testing is a technique that aims to determine if a system or software performs well enough to protect data and deliver functionality as planned. This technique forms to be an integral part, when it is considered in terms of testing software for banking, website hosting or any other high-security application.

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It works on six basic principles that include confidentiality, integrity, authorization, authentication, non-repudiation, and availability. Performing this technique is a challenging task as it requires a tester who has in-depth knowledge and understanding of the process so that he/she is able to check and verify any risk factors, loopholes or issues in the program.

As compared to the normal testing, this method aims to break the entire program into different parts and then, test its safety and security under normal and abnormal circumstances.
With a large number of software and apps available in the market, there is certainly an increasing demand for high performing and reliable security testing tools that can help ensure that these programs are up to the mark in terms of their security.

While there are several companies that offer a number of high performing security testing tools to the market, these 15 top the chart of the most powerful and reliable security testing tools.

  1. Metaspoilt

Popularly used for penetration testing, Metaspoilt is one of the most advanced frameworks that work on the concept of ‘exploit’. Exploit is a code that can test a system to extremes by surpassing the security measures and entering the system. When entered, exploit runs a ‘payload’, which is a code that performs operations on a target machine, to create the most appropriate framework for penetration testing.
This framework can be used for security testing on web applications, networks as well as servers.

  1. Wireshark

Available for free, Wireshark is one of the most popular open source packet analyzers. This protocol is capable of providing the users with the minutest details about the network protocols, packet information, decryption, and others. One can use this protocol on Windows, Linux, OS X, Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and many other systems.

  1. W3af

 W3af is a freely-available web application audit framework that works effectively against multiple odd vulnerabilities. With a GUI that is available with expert tools, this framework is capable of sending HTTP request and cluster HTTP responses. Some of its impressive features include quick HTTP requests, integration of web and proxy servers into the code, etc.

  1. CORE Impact

This tool can be used for multiple testing purposes such as, mobile device penetration, password identification and cracking, network device penetration, and several others. With a GUI click-able interface, this works best on Microsoft Windows and is one of the most expensive tool in this category.

  1. Netsparker

Available with a vigorous web application scanner, Netsparker is an excellent tool to recognize vulnerabilities and accordingly suggest remedial action. Available with a command-line and GUI interface, Netsparker can help on to exploit SQL injection and LFI (local file induction).

  1. Burpsuite

 This is one such tool on which security testing specialists highly rely. Although this tool majorly functions as a scanner, Burpsuite has a limited scope to deal with attacks. Interrupting proxy, creeping content and functionality and web application scanning are some of the common functions performed by this tool.

  1. Cain & Abel

Cain &Abel is an excellent tool to crack encrypted passwords and network keys. Available exclusively for Microsoft operating systems, the functions are performed on the basis of network sniffing, Dictionary, Cryptanalysis attacks and Brute-Force and routing protocol analysis methods to achieve this.

  1. Acunetix

Developed specifically for web applications, acunetix is a scanner that helps identify the probable dangers for these applications. This security testing tool performs various functions for its users such as SQL injection, cross site scripting testing, PCI compliance reports etc. Although a bit expensive, one can get its free trial version to understand how it actually works.

  1. Retina

Available as a complete package known as Retina Community, this is one such tool that targets the entire company at once. The Retina is a commercial product that should be used more as a vulnerability management tool instead of a pen-testing tool.

  1. Canvas

Canvas is a security testing tool that can be used for testing the security issues of web applications, wireless systems, and networks. With multiple payload options, this tool is available with GUI interface and can work on Linux, Apple Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows.

  1. Nmap

Also known as Network Mapper, this tool is a must have for ethical hackers as it makes it easy to understand the characteristics of any target network. These characteristics can include things like host, services, OS and packet filters. The tool is open sourced and can perform in any environment.

  1. Dradis

This tool is an open source framework, which is used majorly for keeping a record of information that can be shared among multiple participants of penetration testing. When this information is interpreted, it helps them understand the details of testing such as, the aspects that are already covered and others that are still to be covered. With a GUI interface, this tool is open source and can work on Linux, Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X.

  1. Security Onion

Security is an easy to manage security monitoring system that can be used in place of expensive commercial grey boxes. Simple to setup and configure, this tool is an effective way to identify any security related issues on the network.

  1. Nikto

 This is a web server testing tool that entered the market of security testing tools almost a decade ago. The tool is highly effective to identify vulnerable scripts, configuration mistakes and related security problems. However, this tool cannot identify XSS and SQL web application bugs.

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  1. Vega

Vega is a vulnerability scanning and testing tool that works well on various platforms including OS X, Linux and Windows platforms. With a GUI, Vega is available with an automated scanner and an interrupting proxy that can help identify web application vulnerabilities, header injection, cross site scripting etc.
Apart from these, there are a number of other security testing tools already available in the market or ready to be launched with latest upgrades. The ultimate purpose of using any such tool is to deliver an exclusive product that ensures the maximum benefit to the company.

Security Testing – Threats, Tools & Techniques

Posted on by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Security testing is performed to determine the security flaws and vulnerabilities in software. The rise in online transactions and advancing technology makes security testing an inevitable part of the software development process. It is the best way to determine potential threats in the software when performed regularly.
Security testing looks into the following aspects of software:

  • Authentication
  • Authorization
  • Confidentiality
  • Availability
  • Integrity
  • Non-repudiation
  • Resilience

Why is security testing necessary?
Those who skip the process in order to save time are actually putting their business in trouble. You cannot afford to ignore security testing for the following reasons:

  • Security threats can cause your customers to abandon your services
  • Loss of customers means a decrease in revenue generation
  • Undoing the mistakes at a later stage can cost you more than detecting them and rectifying them at the earliest
  • Better security can save you from the extra expenses in the future
  • Customers can sue you for their personal information being leaked, which of course, is the result of security flaws existing in the software or application

Major types of Cyber-threats faced by businesses
There are various kinds of security threats that the software or application is prone to that may cost your business, if not identified. With the advancement in technology, attackers are inventing new ways to break into the security mechanisms of a system. Therefore, it’s necessary for the testers to be aware of the various kinds of security threats and find solutions to tackle them. Here are some of the common security threats that testers come across during the testing process:
SQL Injection
This type of security attack happens when the hacker inserts harmful SQL statements into the entry field for execution. The consequences of SQL injection are quite severe that it leads to leakage of classified information from the server database. This type of attack is possible only when there are loopholes in the execution of software or applications. It can be prevented by thoroughly checking the various input fields like text boxes, comments, etc. Also, it’s necessary to rightly handle or never use special characters are either in the input.
Privilege Elevation
In this type of attack, the hackers use his/her existing account to raise the privileges to higher levels than what he/she deserves. If the hacker becomes successful in doing so, he/she will use the privilege to run the code and the system will eventually give in.
URL Manipulation
It is the process where hackers make changes to the URL query string to access information. Applications that use the HTTP GET method to pass information between client and server are usually prone to this kind of attack.  In the HTTP GET method, information is passed in the parameter in the query string. Therefore, the tester must modify the parameters to see if the server accepts it.
Unauthorized Data Access
This is one of the popular security attacks where the hacker gains access to data by unauthorized means. This includes:

  • Use of data-fetching operations to gain access
  • Gaining access to reusable client authentication information by keeping track of the success of others
  • Gaining access to data by monitoring the access of others

Data Manipulation
Data manipulation involves hackers gaining access to website or application data and makes changes to it for their own advantage or to humiliate the owner of the application/website. The hacker does this by accessing the HTML pages of the website.
Identity Spoofing
It is a type of security attack where the hackers use the credentials of a valid user or device for attacking the network hosts, for data theft and for gaining the advantage over access controls. IT- infrastructure and network-level mitigations are required to prevent such attacks.
Denial of Service
Through the denial-of-service attack, the attacker aims at making a system or network resource unavailable to the valid users.  When applications or software are prone to such attacks, the application or the entire system may end up being unusable.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
It is a major security risk found in web applications. XSS allows attackers to insert the client-side script in web pages that are viewed by other users and manipulate them into clicking the URL.  After the user clicks the URL, the code changes the way the website behaves and gives access to the attacker to steal personal data and other critical information.
How to Prevent 
Now that you have a list of possible security vulnerabilities, what techniques can be used to tackle them? Let’s see:
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
The testers must check the web applications for cross-site scripting.  They must ensure that the application doesn’t accept any HTML (e.g.: <HTML>) or any script (e.g.: <SCRIPT>). If it does, the application will be prone to XSS. This will allow the attackers to insert harmful scripts into the application or to manipulate the URL of the user’s browser to steal information. Cross-site scripting must be performed for apostrophe and greater-than and less-than signs.
Ethical Hacking
Ethical hacking is performed by individuals or companies to identify potential vulnerabilities in an application that provides a path for the attacker to gain access to its security mechanism. An ethical hacker or white hat, as they are called, tries to break into the application to look for vulnerabilities that the hackers, also known as black hats, can utilize to their advantage.
Password Cracking
Hackers use password cracking tools or guess the commonly used username/passwords In order to extort private information. The commonly used usernames/passwords are usually available online along with open source password cracking tools. Therefore, it is important to perform testing for password cracking.
Penetration Testing 
A penetration test is an authorized attack on a computer system, network or application to detect security loopholes that hackers can put to use.
 Security scanning
It is a program meant to detect web application vulnerabilities by communicating with the application through web front-end.
Security auditing
A security audit is a methodical evaluation of the security of a company’s information system to see how well it complies with a particular set of guidelines.
 Risk analysis
This process involves the evaluation of potential risks, where each risk is analyzed and measured. Detecting defects and rectifying them after the software hits the market is expensive.
Therefore, it is important to deeply analyze the various types of risks and identify the areas that are prone to security risks. By understanding the vulnerabilities and acting at the earliest can reduce the risk of security threats after the software or application reaches the users.
SQL injection
SQL injection attacks are very harmful as the attackers try to extort confidential information from the server database. When a tester enters a single quote (‘) in any textbox, it must be rejected by the application. On the contrary, if the application shows a database error, it means that any input entered in a query has been executed by the application.
This means that the application is prone to security vulnerabilities. But, how do you find the areas of the application that are liable to such threats? Just check for codes from the code database of your application where direct MySQL queries are executed by accepting any user inputs. SQL injection testing can be performed for apostrophes, brackets, commas and quotation marks.
Posture assessment
Posture assessment is a combination of ethical hacking, security scanning, and risk assessment and is used to determine the overall security posture of an organization.
Vulnerability scanning
Vulnerability scanning helps to identify the security threats and to determine the areas in an application or network that are prone to potential vulnerabilities.
Testing for URL manipulation
Attackers find it easy to perform URL manipulation in the application that uses the HTTP GET method for server-client communication. This method involves the passing of information through parameters in the query string. Therefore, the tester must check if any confidential information is being passed through the query strings. Also, ensure that the server doesn’t accept any invalid parameter values in the query strings.
TOOLS
There are different kinds of security testing tools that help to identify the security flaws in your application, on time.
Application testing tools
The application testing tools help to identify the potential vulnerabilities that exist in your application before it hits the market and gives you ample time to rectify the defects. When you use application testing tools, nothing can stop your business from staying ahead in the competition and earning profits. Selenium,
IBM Rational Robot, Rational Functional Tester (RFT), Apache Jmeter, etc. are all examples of application testing tools.
Code review tools
Code review involves assessment of the application source code.  The tools used for code review help to identify mistakes in the development phase itself, thus helping to polish up the developer’s skills while maintaining the overall quality and security of the software. A collaborator by SmartBear, Crucible, and Reviewable are some of the best code review tools available.
Penetration testing tools
Sometimes, manual testing won’t be enough to identify all risks existing in an application. Penetration testing tools play an important role in such occasions. They are used to perform penetration tests so as to automate some of the tasks, for efficient testing and to detect defects that are not usually visible during manual testing. Some of the most powerful penetration testing tools include Metasploit, Wireshark, w3af and CORE Impact.
Runtime Application Self Protection (RASP)
It is an inbuilt security technology in an application that helps to identify and tackle real-time application attacks.
Security review software
If not internally developing their own software, businesses tend to outsource their software development or may use third-party software at times. However it is, the applications come with their own set of risks. Security review software helps to identify the risks that come with such applications.
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Software testing tools
Securing enterprise networks has made attackers shift their focus to application layers. As a result, they are prone to 90% of the vulnerabilities in an application. The only way to protect your application from such vulnerabilities is to perform software testing and code analysis in detail right from the initial stages of software development. Selenium, Coded UI Test, Sahi and Unified Functional Testing (UFT) are examples of some of the best software testing tools.
Vulnerability assessment tools
Vulnerability assessment tools help you to identify the potential risks and get rid of them before they cause any damage to your business and its reputation. Some of the best vulnerability assessment tools available include STAT, Nmap and DB-scan.
Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing tools (VAPT)
Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing are two different kinds of testing, with different strengths. When combined together, they help to achieve an overall analysis of an application.
Vulnerability scanning
As mentioned above, sometimes, businesses purchase third party software or may outsource software development which can’t guarantee that they are risk-free. Vulnerability scanning helps to identify loopholes, harmful codes and similar other threats in such software.