A vulnerability was just identified in your website. How would you know? The process of vulnerability disclosure to an organization is often very difficult to identify. Whether you are offering any type of bounty for security bugs or not, it is important that there is a clear path for someone to notify you of a potential concern. Unfortunately, the process is different on every application and it can be very difficult to find it. For someone that is just trying to help out, it can be very … [Read more...] about Overview of Web Security Policies
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Choosing Application Security Tools
There are lots of security tools available, so how do you know which one to pick? If your security team is not including the application teams in the decision, you run a big risk of failure. The security team does get the ability to form relationships with vendors. We see them at conferences. We know people that work there. Because our focus is on security, we know the tools that exist in our space and we have an idea of which ones may be better than others. Of course, this is often due to … [Read more...] about Choosing Application Security Tools
OWASP 2017 Changes
When I talk to people about application security, the most recognized topics is the OWASP Top 10. If you haven't heard of the top 10, or need a refresher, you can get the full list at: https://www.owasp.org/images/7/72/OWASP_Top_10-2017_%28en%29.pdf.pdf The OWASP Top 10 is on a three year update cycle. We had the list in 2010, 2013 and now the latest is 2017. You may be wondering why it is 2017 rather than 2016. I think that is a question a lot of people had. In any case, the list made it out … [Read more...] about OWASP 2017 Changes
Two-Factor Authentication Considerations
There was a recent article talking about how a very small percentage of google users actually use 2-factor authentication. You can read the full article at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/17/no_one_uses_two_factor_authentication/ Why 2-Factor Two-factor authentication, or multi-factor authentication, is a valuable step in the process to protect accounts from unauthorized users. Traditionally, we have relied just on a username/password combination. That process had its own weaknesses that … [Read more...] about Two-Factor Authentication Considerations
Tinder Mobile Take-Aways
While browsing through the news I noticed an article talking about the Tinder mobile app and a privacy concern. You can read the article at https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/tinder-app-security-flaws-put-users-privacy-at-risk/. To summarize what is considered the issue is that the mobile application does not transmit the photos that you see using HTTPS. This means that anyone on the same connection can see the traffic and, ultimately, see the photos you are presented. From my … [Read more...] about Tinder Mobile Take-Aways
Security Tips for Copy/Paste of Code From the Internet
Developing applications has long involved using code snippets found through textbooks or on the Internet. Rather than re-invent the wheel, it makes sense to identify existing code that helps solve a problem. It may also help speed up the development time. Years ago, maybe 12, I remember a co-worker that had a SQL Injection vulnerability in his application. The culprit, code copied from someone else. At the time, I explained that once you copy code into your application it is now your … [Read more...] about Security Tips for Copy/Paste of Code From the Internet