How Protected Are Your Open Source Systems

Open source software security is a big responsibility. Open source is considered to be more secure than proprietary software, because more widely the open software is available, more closely it is examined. And, the more flaws that surface, the stronger a code becomes.

This would be true if the components, which make up the open source code are constantly analyzed and if web application security services are verified by the developers, before they are incorporated into their work.

But, this is not always the case. Similar to automobile assembly plants, which uses independently manufactured brake components and airbags for building cars, software developers also assume that their supply chain open source components are up to date, patched and reliable.

Regrettably, assumptions like these allow vulnerabilities similar to those that were present in the Heartbleed bug.

There are a number of reasons why flaws exist in the open source system: the components when used for the first time might be old, or they might not have been appropriately tested. But usually, an open source component that makes it into a broadly used application is assumed to be safe, therefore, diminishing the demand for testing.

Be Aware of What's in Your Software

The inventory of open source components is crucial, because without that, IT managers will not be able to know if the system has compromised components. One way of checking is through Application Health Check, which provides free breakdown of each component and also alerts IT managers of likely licensing and security problems.

When there is a defect in the open source, it's revealed, but if you are not aware of the problems in your software, that revelation may tip of enemies who can use it to exploit vulnerabilities. And hackers get immense benefit by going after the components, which are extensively used, such as Heartbleed attck/OpenSSL demonstrated.

Following are the ways for agencies to ensure that their systems uses a secure software supply chain.

Usage of best ingredients: Agencies should ensure that the components used are coming directly from a trusted archive. Search for software that is compatible with CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures). These are a set of standard identifiers known for exposures and security vulnerabilities.

Make a list – IT managers should device and secure a bill of materials, for the components that are used in a piece of software.

Scan the code – Automated code scanners, which are compatible with SCAP (Security Content Automation Protocol), should be used.

Government-certified software should be used – Using cryptography libraries that are FIPS-certified, for writing encryption applications, eliminates the need of obtaining additional FIPS-certification.

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How to Perform Successful Security Audits

One of the most important security measures in Information Technology is web application security audits. They are not just one-time measures, but something that should be done by an organization at least annually. Even if your network security was perfect last year, it is not necessary for it to remain the same way, as hackers keep coming up with new tools and there may be a new mistake that your company made. In some industries, the audit requirements are spelled out by the federal regulations. You can decide how you want to run the audit, in case no regulations apply. 

 Following are some of the best ways you can conduct a security web application security audits :

Hire an Auditor

Hiring an outside auditor is one of the best ways of going about a security check. An outsider may be able to spot weaknesses that your in-house IT staff missed out. Experienced computer-security professionals who are aware of exactly what to look for, prove to be good auditors. You should set specific goals in order to get the maximum out of an auditor. An annual audit will be able to pick up every possible vulnerability. During audits, you may also be able to accomplish smaller objectives such as examining a new firewall's performance.

Prepare for an Audit

A big part of making an audit successful is preparing for the audit. The cost of an audit has to be build into the budget and it has to be scheduled for a time when critical operations will not be interfered with. Someone on your staff should be able to take responsibility of the project, work with the auditor and stay informed about the audit regulations of your firm. Once the auditor arrives, present her with all the documentation – IT procedures, policies and flow diagrams in a single docket.

Making an Assessment and Finding Solutions

Assessing your security, identifying the problem and analyzing them properly, is the first step in the audit process. This includes looking at network weaknesses, as well as weaknesses in the operating system and software. The assessment also includes looking at the security of your network when employees have access to it from home, and also if someone sets up a convenient network bypass.

A good auditor will not only identify problems, but will also tell you the solution. The solution can differ from replacing your firewall, to changing the password policies. Critical issues need to be fixed at once, other changes are not urgent and can be fixed slowly.

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5 Essential Security and Network Infrastructure Trends for 2015

Web Application audit services

 

With the rapid development of networking and security industries, here are some views on the most important technologies to look out for in 2015:

1. Security breaches are difficult to stop

Data leakage and security breaches will continue to cause trouble for most companies. Studies over the last 10-15 years have shown that new threats are answered quickly by a new defense system.  Once the threat evolves, a brand-new defense system is required. This has given rise to a variety of security appliances, management systems and software agents that in a number of cases are not able to talk to each other. The security architectures of the next generation will implement discrete security systems, which can work with threat life elements and crack the infection chain in various places.

2. Cloud technologies finally taking root

 All kinds of cloud are making their way inroad and are being an essential part of the enterprise infrastructure. Most organizations trust the security provider's capabilities and therefore, Software as a Service (SaaS) has reached a high point. For flexibility, infrastructure as a service (IaaS) still focuses on web application security services. Hybrid clouds, personal clouds and cloud bursting will cause more sharing of distributed management, services and security.

3. Variety in mobile apps and management

The market of mobile devices (handsets and tablets), unlike the PC market, are not dominated by Microsoft. There are at least two to three platforms across the world. This diversity means that management systems need to be more open and flexible. Enhanced JavaScript performance pushes the browser and HTML5, as the mainstream enterprise application development environment. This guides towards richer applications with more focus on usability, rather than cumbersome large applications.

4. Software defined modular infrastructure becomes the rule

The control layer is being separated and centralized for various parts of the infrastructure. Initial focus is mainly on virtualization of the data center, Software Defined Storage (SDS), Software Defined Networking (SDN) and standalone switch fabrics. The result is that API's are being used up at a much higher rate. In today's world, where the infrastructure is segmented and dissected, API's are important, but they also pose to be a potential security hole in the network element.

5. Wired access is being continuously replaced by wireless

Wireless access is a norm across most organizations. Enterprises in new building are mostly not wired. Wireless systems are now becoming the main network access mechanism, which means that an authentic system with tight integration is most essential. Wireless technology continues to get better with ac Wave 1 now coming out and Wave 2 being launched in 2015.

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Major Security Errors in Web Application

Web application developers these days have to be skilled in a number of fields. It becomes important to  create an application which is user friendly, accessible, gives high performance and is secure. And, all this has to be done in an untrustworthy environment that you, the developer, cannot control. I am talking about the User Agent, normally seen as a web browser, but no one really understands what's there on the other side of the HTTP connection.

There are various things to worry about when it comes to security testing of web application. Is your website protected from service attacks? Are your users being tricked into doing things which can harm the security? Is your user data safe? Can fake data from an attacker pollute the database? Is it possible to gain unauthorized access to those parts of your website which are restricted. Unfortunately, the answer to these questions will be yes, unless we are careful about writing the codes.

In this article, we will not mention denial of service attacks, but will take a closer look at other problems. To be more relevant to the context, we will talk about Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), Click-Jacking and SQL injection. We will also assume PHP as the development language, but the problem will occur regardless of the language and the solutions are identical in all languages.

1. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

An attack, in which the user is mislead into executing code from another site, in the framework of our website is called Cross-site scripting. The problem will occur no matter what our website does, but the complexity of the problem will change according to what the user does on the site.

2. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

This is an attack where a bad site can trick the visitors into going ahead and taking an action on our website. This generally happens if a user logs into a website that they regularly use (eg. Their e-mails, Facebook, etc.) and then log into a bad site without first logging out of the previous site. If the former site is capable of getting a CSRF attack, then the malicious site can do whatever it wants on the user's behalf.

3. Click-Jacking

It might not be on the OWASP top ten list for 2010, but still it has gained a lot of popularity due to the attacks on Facebook and Twitter, as both of them make it spread very quickly because of their social nature.

We are protected against CSRF attacks as we use a nonce. However, if the user is made to click the submit link themselves, then the nonce will not be able to guard us. In this type of attack, the website is included in an iframe on their own website. Even though the attacker will not have control over our page, they will have control over the iframe element. CSS is used to set the iframe's capacity to 0 and the JavaScript is used to move it around, so that the submit button comes under the user's mouse.

4. SQL Injection

In this type of attack, insufficient input validation is exploited by the attacker, in order to gain shell access to your database server. The message sent by the attacker can get passed to the database and it could get dropped in the 'Messages' section, causing a lot of trouble to you and your user.  

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Data Not Handled Safely by Forty Percent of Mobile Apps

According to a research, approximately 40% of mobile applications that are used are not safe for handling data. The research was conducted across a set of enterprises to find out the state of mobile application security audit. According to the end result, more than 40% of mobile vulnerabilities detected were related to unsafe and improper handling of data.

The sectors conducting business mainly through mobile and web applications are BFSI and Ecommerce. The companies are already taking proactive measures and all the necessary precautions that are required to secure the data transactions taking place through their stores. The future is going to see a lot of other services that are going to be enabled through mobile. This means that businesses need to have a good focus on mobile app security.

Tests were conducted on top 10 mobile app vulnerabilities listed by OWASP and the conclusion that came out was that 17% of mobile apps experienced accidental leakage of data. There was data storage insecurity in 23% cases and weak server side controls was the issue with 10% cases. Approximately 100 mobile applications were tested by many Indian companies and as much as 21,000 mobile app vulnerabilities were found. This confirms that lot of enterprise mobile apps can be affected by data leaks.

Various security breaches have taken place with Android apps. There have been a number of hacking incidents, that have been reported on Android apps. Critical mobile apps on Apple iOS systems are more susceptible to security threats than Android apps. Both Android and iOS operating systems have the same amount of high level vulnerabilities. But, for the critical vulnerabilities, it was found that Apple iOS was 67% more vulnerable as compared to Android apps which were 33% more susceptible.

Increase in the use of Smartphones is considered to be one of the reasons for rise in vulnerability risks. All mobile apps used in Smartphones have access to the information in user's Smartphone, which makes it all the more risky. Businesses have to find out ways in which they can protect their critical information, which makes mobile and web application security really important.   

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