Confidentiality, compensating controls, risk transference are just a few of the core information security concepts covered by the CISSP exam – concepts that also happen to impact Web application security. Having recently completed the technical edits for a CISSP exam prep book, these principles are…
Take Care Handling the Results of Web Application Testing
How do you handle your web application testing, vulnerability scans, test data and related security assessment reports? I’ve found that this is something that doesn’t get a lot of attention in web application security circles but is still impactful to the business. It’s actually kind of ironic that…
Web Security Tip of the Week: Understanding WordPress Vulnerabilities
Did you know that if a system has an IP address or a URL, then it’s fair game for attack from a hacker? That’s been the universal law and it always will be. So why is it that WordPress security and WordPress vulnerabilities seem to…
Don’t Let Problems Stop You From Carrying Out Web Application Testing
Web security assessment success is directly related to the amount of preparation you do up front before you run a single web application test. It’s the 80/20 Rule: the 20 percent time and effort you put into planning for the assessment will represent 80 percent of the value…
The Consequences of Having a Hacked Website
Cybercrimes are at an all time high, with hackers and identity thieves making a living from selling private or corporate data. If you have a hacked website, it can have far reaching repercussions especially if your website databases include your customers’ private and confidential information,…
Windows Short (8.3) Filenames – A Security Nightmare?
Each time you create a new file on Windows, the operating system also generates an MS-DOS-compatible short file name in 8.3 format, to allow MS-DOS-based or 16-bit Windows-based programs to access files which have a long name. You can see these MS-DOS-compatible short file names by…
Do You Scan with Network Security Controls Enabled or Disabled?
As application security professionals, we want to get as much as possible out of our security assessments. We’re not only expected to but we’re proud of our work and want to provide the best results and most value possible. As I’ve written in a previous…
6.5 Million LinkedIn Hacked Passwords
LinkedIn, one of the biggest professional social networks, has suffered a major breach of its user password database. The attack was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon by Vicente Silveira, Director at LinkedIn, and was followed by an apology to the affected LinkedIn users who now have…
Web Security is Still a Problem…but It’s Not What You Think
Since I first got involved with information security I’ve been a strong proponent of focusing on the common sense basics. We all know what needs to be done yet I see fundamental web security problems in practically every assessment I perform. From passwords to patches…