This article addresses a vulnerability in Apache Tomcat that enables the attacker to read files on the server and, under certain conditions, execute arbitrary code. The problem lies in the implementation of the AJP protocol used to communicate with a Tomcat server. Most importantly, the attacker does not need any rights in the target system to exploit this vulnerability.
Web security is a very broad term. It includes bugs in old protocols, usage of dangerous techniques, trivial human errors made by developers, and more. It is difficult to test products in such a broad area without a plan. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) made the life of pentesters easier by producing the OWASP Testing Guide.
As you are aware, any penetration test starts from information collection. You have to find out what operating system is running on the remote host, and only then you can start looking for vulnerabilities in it. This article presents seven useful tools used inter alia for OS detection and explains their operation principles.
A critical vulnerability resulting in a denial-of-service error has been recently discovered in ModSecurity, a popular web application firewall (WAF) for Apache, IIS, and Nginx. The bug is truly severe: not only does the library stop working, but applications using it as well. Let’s see what was the mistake of the ModSecurity developers and how we, ethical hackers, can exploit this vulnerability in our penetration tests.
Firmware of popular routers often contains errors identified by security researchers on a regular basis. However, it is not enough just to find a bug – it must be neutralized. Today, I will explain how to protect your network against known and yet-unknown vulnerabilities in RouterOS.
Today, I am going to battle-test four antivirus programs: a British one, a Chinese one (featuring an original engine), a Finnish one, and an exciting Czech project at the beta-version stage. All of them are free and offer extra protection features aside from the basic system scan. Let’s pit the new antiviruses against hordes of trojans and worms I prepared for them!
Conventional wisdom holds that the most vulnerable component of any computer system is its user. Humans may be inattentive, unthoughtful, or misinformed and easily become victims of phishing attacks. Accordingly, this weak link must be tested for security as thoroughly as the software and hardware components.
