Your penetration tester wants you to disable your web application firewall (WAF) or white list their IP. Do you do it? Should you do it? This question gets asked all the time and it is important to understand the pros and cons to the final decision. First, let's understand why the request to disable the WAF for the tester is presented in the first place. The first reaction may be just lazy testing, but that is not the reason. One of the goals of testing an application is to test the … [Read more...] about WAF and your penetration test
General
Login Forms and HTTP
Does your application have a login form? Do you deliver it over HTTPS to protect the username and password while being transmitted to the server? If you answered yes to both of those questions, are you sure? Many years ago, before there was a huge push for HTTPS all the time, it was common practice for many applications to load a login form using HTTP, but then submit the form over HTTPS. This was accomplished by setting the action attribute of the form to the full HTTPS version of … [Read more...] about Login Forms and HTTP
Does SAST and DAST Really Require Security Experts To Run Them?
There is no argument that automated tools help quickly identify many of the vulnerabilities found in applications today. Tools are typically categorized into one of the following three categories: Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) - analyzes the running application. Static Application Security Testing (SAST) - analyzes the source or byte code of the application. Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) - uses agents installed on the web server to instrument the application … [Read more...] about Does SAST and DAST Really Require Security Experts To Run Them?
Should Password Change Invalidate All Access Tokens?
Passwords are a part of our every day life. It is no wonder they are under such scrutiny, with many breaches focusing on them. We all know how to manage our passwords, or at least we should by now. We know that we should change our passwords every once in a while, especially if we believe they may have been a part of a recent breach. What about those access tokens? Access tokens are typically used by your mobile devices to access your account without the need for you to enter in your username … [Read more...] about Should Password Change Invalidate All Access Tokens?
Application Security and Responsibility
Who is responsible for application security within your organization? While this is something I don't hear asked very often, when I look around the implied answer is the security team. This isn't just limited to application security either. Look at network security. Who, in your organization, is responsible for network security? From my experience, the answer is still the security group. But is that how it should be? Is there a better way? Security has spent a lot of effort to take and … [Read more...] about Application Security and Responsibility
Reliance on 3rd Party Components
It was just recently announced that Apple will no longer be supporting QuickTime for Windows. Just like any other software, when support has ended, the software becomes a security risk. As a matter of fact, there are current known vulnerabilities in QuickTime that will never get patched. The Department of Homeland Security has an alert recommending removal of QuickTime for Windows. For users, it may seem simple: Uninstall QuickTime from your Windows system. But wait.. what about software … [Read more...] about Reliance on 3rd Party Components