Compressed Token Format (CTF). One-time passwords, LDAP injections, and tricks with 7z archiver

Date: 19/10/2020

Today, I will explain how to hack the CTF virtual machine available on Hack The Box training grounds. For the purposes of this article, the abbreviation “CTF” refers to Compressed Token Format, not Capture the Flag. This VM is vulnerable to various types of LDAP injections, while its authentication mechanism is based on stoken, a generator of one-time passwords. In addition, the target machine uses a loose Bash script, and I will exploit it to fool the 7z archiver and gain root access.

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Ghostcat. How to exploit a new RCE vulnerability in Apache Tomcat

Date: 19/10/2020

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.

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Pentester’s suitcase: Identifying OS on remote host

Date: 31/08/2020

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.

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DoS attacks on ModSecurity: Exploiting critical bug in popular WAF

Date: 31/08/2020

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.

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The deplorable four. Testing free antiviruses: Huorong, Preventon, Zoner, and FS Protection

Date: 31/08/2020

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!

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