Found: 13
SQL Injection and PHP
In my opinion the most commonly used database attack is SQL Injection. The attack is used by inserting a SQL query into a parameter using the URL field, to be executed by the database server. Being able to execute SQL commands on the database server makes it possible to get control under the server. The following material requires basic knowledge of the SQL-92 language, because this is the main language for accessing data.
SQL injection represents one of the greatest threats for the following reasons:
- Developers are so lazy. They do not test their applications on errors. Divelopers hopes to skills but everybody be able to mistakes.
- Many websites are exposed to SQL injection attacks but don't know it.
- Databases often house significant persanal data such as credit card numbers.
- Any website has a database on the back end and use SQL query to access to the data.
Date: 2008-02-03
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[Security]
Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
Cross Site Scripting (XSS) is one of the most common application (WEB Browser) layer hacking techniques. XSS is a type of computer security exploit where information from one context, where it is not trusted, can be inserted into another context, where it is. From the trusted context, an attack can be launched. Hackers could steal users data, passwords and any other information. Note that although cross site scripting is also sometimes abbreviated "CSS", it has nothing to do with the Cascading Style Sheets technology that is more commonly called CSS.
Attackers try to inject JavaScript, VBScript, ActiveX, HTML, or Flash into a vulnerable application to fool a user in order to gather data from them. Everything from account hijacking, cookie theft/poisoning, changing of user settings, or false advertising is possible. New malicious uses are being found every day for XSS attacks. Cross Site Scripting may be not critical but may be quite critical when vulnerable WEB site stores valuable information in the Cookies files.
Date: 2008-01-23
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[Security]
PHP Include error
Never include, require, or otherwise open a file with a filename based on user input, without thoroughly checking it first.
Take the following example:
if(isset($param))
{
include($param);
}
Date: 2008-02-25
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[Security]
SQL Injection on www.compostingcouncil.org
Today we shall consider a WEB site that contains SQL Injection Error: http://www.compostingcouncil.org. The programmer of the site does not know about security and the majority of the WEB page parameters are vulnerable. We shall consider following URL:
http://www.compostingcouncil.org/section.cfm
The section.cfm file receives the parameter id. If you add in the end of the parameter the single quotes there will be an execution error. We shall consider the error text more in detail:
Date: 2008-03-05
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[Security]
Critical SQL Injection (http://cshe.berkeley.edu/)
Today we shall consider the SQL Injection error on the site http://cshe.berkeley.edu/. There is a mistake in parameter s the script http://cshe.berkeley.edu/publications/publications.php. If you add to parameter " and 1=1 " the script injects it in SQL query. It means, the mistake exists and we can use it.
Let's try to get amount of fields which are returned with the query. At me it has turned out four fields. The following inquiry was executed correctly.
Date: 2008-03-17
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[Security]
All our security problems will go away
Today I read one article and I was touched be next phrase:
"Let's just train everyone, and all our security problems will go away." If only it were so easy.
Training and education can't beat all security problems, but proper education can beat fool security problems. Most of errors got appeared in code when developers write code without attentiveness or deep knowledge. Education can beat most of errors. Our software will be more secure and reliable. But education and training can't beat all security problems.
Date: 2008-06-11
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[Security]
Port Scanner and CyD Network Utilities Security
CyD Software Labs published a new document that describe how to use Port scanner module in the CyD Network Utilities Security tools software product.
Port Scanner is an advanced network utility for finding ports that are open on any machine or range of machines on a network. CyD Port Scanner can scan any class A, B or C network for any list of open ports. Finding open ports on a host can be one of many things. An open port can be a server service like FTP or HTTP that a user on the node may or may not be allowed to run under the network's administration rules.
Date: 2008-12-11
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[Security]
Social Engineering
Social engineering is a hacker's most powerful weapon. It was used to pull off the most sensational break-ins and to spread the most notorious viruses. Recall the Anna Kurnikova virus, which spread when users received a letter in their mailbox with an attachment purporting to be a picture of Anna in the Eve's fancy dress. This application of social engineering was taking advantage of human weakness. I believe that the excessive curiosity of the male share, which is the larger one, of the Internet users who opened the attachment and infected their computers helped the virus spread.
Hackers are exceptionally good at finding weak spots in people and pressing them to acquire the necessary information. One area, in which social engineering is used, is in obtaining credit card numbers and other information with the help of believable email messages. Users receive a letter asking them for the account password because, for example, the bank's database malfunctioned. What do you think, although they had been explicitly warned by the bank's personnel to never reveal a password to anyone, quite a few users do?
Date: 2009-01-09
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[Security]
How to Avoid Virus Infection
This is a major sore point for many Internet users. Many people think that installing a good antivirus program will make their computer safe from being penetrated by malicious programs. To a great extent this is true, but no virus defense is more than 10-percent effective. Why is this so? It is very simple. Most antivirus programs cannot detect a new virus, even when they use heuristic analyses.
New viruses spread very rapidly and infect all computers that get in their way. The chances are nine out of 10 that, unless you have proper virus defenses installed, your computer will be infected by any new virus strain that hits it. Some time after the outbreak, Internet users update their antiviral bases and remove the virus from their computers. The chances of being infected by the same virus again become much lower, as the new data bases will likely detect it.
As it turns out, antivirus programs deal with infections, whereas we need a means to prevent infection occurring in the first place. A new virus may turn out to be especially malicious and destroy information before you have a chance to update your databases and neutralize it. In such a case, it will be too late to treat the infected computer.
Date: 2009-03-17
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[Security]
Security and efficiency
Some programming books concentrate on presenting programming-related material and only give some brief optimization and security information in the end as an afterthought. Some books show how to calculate a factorial using recursive functions. I understand that it is an example only. But this is the wrong approach, because if a person acquires inefficient programming habits, a couple of short chapters will hardly undo the damage. Habits are usually difficult to get rid of, and, as one of my college teacher used to say, improperly acquired knowledge is worse than the lack of knowledge.
Once you have learned an inefficient but working programming technique, you will keep using it, believing that because it works it must be right. On the contrary, if you do not know how to do a certain programming task, you may ask someone and learn not only a working method but also an efficient way of doing it. The method quality depends on who you asked about the help. Even if you don't know how to solve a particular problem, and there is no one to ask, you could attempt to do it yourself and, in development process, learn not only what works but also what works best. I believe that all computer books have to describe efficient approaches and security coding only over the all book pages.
If you simply write code that does the job, you have taken regular programmer's approach. But if your code not only does the job but also does it faster more secure and more efficiently then you have taken the hacker's approach. So, the art of being a hacker consists of making code work as well as possible in as many aspects as possible.
Date: 2009-04-19
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[Security]
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