Author: Sam Fareed

Our daily lives at home and at work depend on mobile services and apps. They are thus easy prey for bad guys looking for private data. The goal of mobile or Android penetration testing is to find security flaws and make sure that mobile apps are not exposed to threats.

Android apps may be examined manually or with the use of automated technologies. The mobile penetration tester will use a number of ways to mimic attacks, identify security holes in the mobile application, and get access to confidential information throughout this procedure.

The significance of Android penetration testing

Applications for Android nowadays are utilized in business, healthcare, finance, education, and other areas. In addition to containing sensitive data, some mobile apps also have security flaws. These vulnerabilities may be found, fixed, and mitigated security hazards by penetration testers and developers.

Android penetration testing is essential to prevent fraud attempts, malware infections, and data breaches since new vulnerabilities are always being discovered. This is essential for any business that wants to launch new software without worrying about security or legal repercussions.

Due to the fact that tests might uncover vulnerabilities and incorrect setups in the back-end services utilized by the app, mobile penetration testing can also be helpful for assessing the development team’s work and determining the IT team’s response.

Improper use of the platform

This topic includes misusing mobile operating system platform features including TouchID, Keychain, Android Intents, Platform Permissions, and Platform Security Controls. The enterprise must publish a web service or API call that the mobile app uses in order for this vulnerability to be exploited.

Impact of vulnerability: The consequences of exploiting this issue vary in severity from total account penetration to altering the app’s content.

Prevention: The server side of the mobile application has to be coded and configured securely.

Storing data insecurely

It’s not a good idea to keep important information on the device’s local storage since rogue apps could try to obtain it. Additionally, data may be immediately retrieved by attackers from a stolen device.

Impact of vulnerability: Data loss and/or the theft of sensitive information from the application are possible as a consequence of exploiting this vulnerability. Identity theft, fraud, reputational harm, external policy violation (PCI), and monetary loss are all business impacts.

Prevention: You may limit access to the local data storage or encrypt the stored data to stop this sort of attack. Understanding the information assets that the app processes and how the APIs manage those assets are crucial, as suggested by OWASP.

Inadequate cryptography

Malware programs or attackers with physical access have the ability to reverse inadequately encrypted data.

Impact of vulnerability: This vulnerability might allow other parties to access sensitive data on a mobile device without authorization. Additionally, this may have a variety of negative business effects, such as reputational harm, privacy breaches, information theft, code theft, and theft of intellectual property.

Prevention: Avoid keeping sensitive data on mobile devices, use cryptographic standards that will stand the test of time for at least 10 years into the future, and adhere to NIST recommendations for recommended algorithms to prevent this attack.

Improper authorization

To access an application as a genuine user, attackers often employ readily accessible or specially created automated tools. When the mobile app is in “offline” mode, they may undertake binary attacks against it after signing in an attempt to execute privileged functionality that should only be accessible to those with higher privileges.

Impact of vulnerability: Improper authorization may lead to identity theft, fraud, or reputational harm.

Prevention: In order to stop this attack, only data from backend systems should be used to confirm the roles and permissions of an authorized user. The IDs should also be confirmed by the backend code.

Visit https://www.cybercert.ca or call 416 471 4545 to enroll in the Security+/CEH/CISSP training course.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

In most cases, using Wi-Fi at home is secure and safe. Unless everyone in your house is simultaneously attempting to stream Netflix, it typically works quickly and effectively since you know who put it up and who is now connected to the network.

Public Wi-Fi hotspots are a different animal. Logging into one is a gamble; it’s probably secure, but there’s no way to be sure. By joining a public network, you run the risk of disclosing your information to random users of the network or, in rarer circumstances, hackers.

Always attempt to connect to well-known networks. For instance, Wi-Fi in a friend’s or family member’s home is probably secure. However, if you need to use Wi-Fi in a strange location, consider a public network like the one at Starbucks.

How to securely use public WiFi

Any public networks you do connect to while you’re out should be constant; the more networks you sign up for with your information, the lower the likelihood that your information will end up someplace you don’t want it to.

In general, avoid joining public networks that request excessive amounts of information. Consider the following: If a network is accessible to everyone, what benefits do its administrators receive?

That advantage is clear for organizations like Starbucks and Comcast, which manages Xfinity hotspots for its clients. If it’s not as evident, it may be because they are mining data from the hotspot.

To that purpose, be careful to understand any terms and conditions that new networks, particularly questionable ones, may have. If you don’t take care, you can sign away your right to privacy. Use your phone as a hotspot instead if all else fails and there are no networks you feel comfortable connecting to.

Ensure HTTPS is used.

Which letters appear before the website URL in your browser don’t actually matter when you access the internet via a secure network. But when it’s a public network, it becomes crucial.

Your connection is not secured, so if the website you’re viewing starts with http, you might be leaving yourself vulnerable to hackers and identity thieves. Secure connections using encryption will start with https rather than simply http.

With other browsers, though, you’ll have to remember to check, particularly when you’re not on a secure network. Google Chrome will notify you if your connection isn’t secure.

Avoid using AirDrop and file sharing.

Without having to send an email or other kind of communication, you may transmit files from your computer to another’s via Wi-Fi by using AirDrop and File Share. This function is fantastic in homes or workplaces but might be risky on a public network.

Even though it’s often amusing to read internet accounts of individuals carelessly sending amusing or intriguing files to strangers’ devices, it’s usually wiser to take precautions to ensure this won’t happen to you. In the settings of your computer, under “Network and Sharing” for PCs or “Sharing” for Macs, you may disable AirDrop or File Share.

Additionally, when you initially join a new network, many computers may ask you whether you want to “trust” it. Only accept the confidence of home networks that you are certain are safe.

Use a VPN for additional security

A VPN, or virtual private network, links you to a private server and encrypts all data going to or from your device. This makes it far more difficult for someone to see or take your info.

There are free VPNs available, but any of them are likely to be a front for data collecting or other perhaps dubious marketing techniques. VPNs are often something you have to pay for. It can be worthwhile to spend money on a VPN if you’re the sort of person who travels often.

Visit https://www.cybercert.ca or call 416 471 4545 to enroll for the Security+/CEH/CISSP training course.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

In its simplest form, string manipulation is the management and analysis of strings. It entails a number of processes involving the alteration and parsing of strings in order to utilize and alter their contents. A number of built-in functions in R are available to alter a string’s contents.

In this post, we’ll look at a variety of R methods that deal with string manipulation. String Concatenation String Concatenation is the process of joining two strings together. There are many techniques to do string concatenation:

The paste() method

The paste() method allows you to combine any number of strings into one longer string. This function accepts two arguments: separator, which is used to separate the various string parts, and collapse, which indicates whether we want to print the strings individually or all at once. The value of collapse is NULL by default.

Integrated Methods and Shared Methods

The String class’s methods let you work with strings as well. The string has two different kinds of methods: shared methods and instance methods.

Shared Techniques

A method that derives from the String class itself and doesn’t need an instance of that class to function is referred to as a shared method. Instead of using an instance of the String class, these methods may be qualified with the name of the class (String).

Example Methods

In contrast, instance methods derive from a specific instance of String and need to be qualified with the instance name.

One-Based

Take the Mid function as an example of a one-based Visual Basic function. It accepts an input that specifies the character position, beginning at position 1, at which the substring will begin. The String of the.NET Framework. The character in the string at which the substring is to begin is indexed by the substring method, beginning at position 0. The individual characters in the string “ABCDE” are thus numbered 1, 2, 3, and 5 for use with the Mid function, but 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5 for use with the String. technique for substrings.

Zero-Based

Consider the Split function as an example of a zero-based Visual Basic function. It divides a text into substrings and then returns an array of the substrings. The String of the.NET Framework. The Split function also divides a string into substrings and returns an array of them. The Split method and function must be zero-based since they return.NET Framework arrays.

Dependable programming

The first character of the first occurrence of the substring is returned by the Index Of method. Since the index is 0-based, the first character in a string has index 0.

Proof That Complex Passwords Exist

This function looks for certain features of strong passwords and updates a string argument with details about which tests the password doesn’t pass.

In a secure system, a user may be authorized using a password. The passwords must, however, be challenging for unauthorized users to guess. A dictionary attack software is a tool that attackers may use to cycle over all the words in a dictionary (or many dictionaries in various languages) and see if any of them can be used as a user’s password.

Simple passwords like “Yankees” or “Mustang” are easily guessable. Stronger passwords are significantly less likely to be guessed, such as “?You’L1N3vaFiNdMeyeP@sSWerd!” Users of a password-protected system need to choose secure passwords. A strong password is complicated (not a word) and contains a variety of capital, lowercase, numeric, and special characters.

Visit https://www.cybercert.ca or call 416 471 4545 to enroll for the Security+/CEH/CISSP training course.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

Jamming may be a major issue for wireless networks since radio frequency (RF) is basically an open medium. One of the various exploits used to undermine the wireless environment is jamming. By blocking service to authorized users while genuine traffic is slowed down by the enormous amounts of illegal traffic, it operates. A skilled attacker with the appropriate equipment may easily jam the 2.4 GHz frequency such that the signal is reduced to a point where the wireless network is unable to operate.

The intricacy of jamming comes from the fact that other wireless technologies that depend on the 2.4 GHz band may cause it accidentally. Cordless phones, Bluetooth-enabled gadgets, and baby monitors are among common consumer goods that may all degrade traffic and interfere with a wireless network’s signal.

Older wireless local area networks are more susceptible to the jamming problem because they are less prepared to respond to different forms of interference. These networks often need an administrator to manually experiment with each access point’s settings. The best course of action is to invest in a more recent WLAN system to prevent this onerous chore. These settings provide real-time RF management tools that can detect and respond to accidental interference.

Jamming Solutions

The most efficient method for an attacker to compromise your LAN and wireless security would be to broadcast random, unauthenticated packets to every wireless station connected to the network. By buying pre-built gear from an electronics shop and obtaining free software from the internet, this attack may be simply executed. In certain circumstances, it is simply impossible to protect against jamming since a skilled attacker may be able to overwhelm every network frequency.

Your best bet could be an intrusion prevention and detection system if the main worry is malicious jamming. This kind of solution should, at least, be able to identify any approved client devices or RPAs (Rogue Access Points) in your wireless network. Advanced systems may block unauthorized clients from using the system, change settings to preserve network performance while under assault, blacklist specific threats, and locate the exact position of rogue devices to facilitate speedier containment.

Recognize the Jammer’s Presence

It’s crucial to recognize an accidental disruption’s existence in order to lessen its effects. Jamming manifests itself at the network’s physical layer, sometimes referred to as the MAC (Media Access Control) layer. The customer will be informed of the faltered noise-to-signal ratio as a consequence of the elevated noise floor. It could also be possible to measure it at the access point, where network management tools should be able to efficiently report noise floor levels that are higher than a set limit.

After then, in response to the interruption as indicated by adjustments at the physical layer, the access points must dynamically reorganize the transmit channel. Choosing a new channel does not, however, necessarily solve the interference problem. A skilled attacker will often use every channel at their disposal. If this occurs, your only choice could be to track down the perpetrator on foot and confront them directly.

Visit https://www.cybercert.ca or call 416 471 4545 to enroll for the Security+/CEH/CISSP training course.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

Software that builds and manages virtual machines is called a hypervisor, sometimes called a virtual machine monitor or VMM (VMs). A hypervisor enables a single host computer to handle several guest virtual machines (VMs) by essentially sharing its resources, such as memory and computation.

Why use a hypervisor?

Since the guest VMs are independent of the host hardware, hypervisors allow for improved utilization of a system’s resources and more IT mobility. They may therefore be transferred between several servers. A hypervisor reduces: because several virtual machines may operate off of one physical server, space, energy, and maintenance requirements.

Hypervisor types

There are two primary kinds of hypervisors: “Type 1” (also known as “bare metal”) and “Type 2” (also known as “hosted”). While a type 2 hypervisor functions as a software layer over an operating system, much like other computer programs, a type 1 hypervisor operates directly on the host’s hardware.

The type 1 or “bare-metal” hypervisor, in which virtualization software is put directly on the hardware where the operating system is typically installed, is the hypervisor most often used. Bare-metal hypervisors are safe since they are separate from the vulnerable operating system.

Additionally, they often outperform hosted hypervisors in terms of performance and efficiency. For these reasons, bare-metal hypervisors are the preferred option for corporate enterprises’ data center computing requirements.

Hosted hypervisors work on top of the host machine’s operating system (OS), as opposed to bare-metal hypervisors acting directly on the hardware. It is possible to install other (and distinct) operating systems on top of the hosted hypervisor, even though it runs within the OS.

Hosted hypervisors have a higher latency than bare-metal hypervisors, which is a drawback. This is due to the additional OS layer required for communication between the hardware and the hypervisor. Because they are often utilized with end users and software testing, where increased latency is less of an issue, hosted hypervisors are sometimes referred to as client hypervisors.

A cloud hypervisor: what is it?

The hypervisor has become a crucial tool for managing virtual machines and fostering creativity in a cloud environment as cloud computing becomes more prevalent. Hypervisors are a critical component of the technology that makes cloud computing feasible because they are a layer of software that allows one host machine to handle numerous VMs simultaneously.

Users may access cloud-based apps across a virtual environment thanks to hypervisors, but IT can still keep control of the cloud environment’s infrastructure, programs, and sensitive data.

Increasing dependence on cutting-edge apps is driven by digital transformation, raising client expectations. Many businesses are moving their virtual computers to the cloud in response. However, redesigning every current application might use up valuable IT resources and create infrastructure silos.

Fortunately, a hypervisor, an essential component of a virtualization platform, may aid in speedy application migration to the cloud. Consequently, businesses may take advantage of the cloud’s many advantages, such as lower hardware costs, improved accessibility, and better scalability, for a quicker return on investment.

How is a hypervisor put to use?

By separating a computer’s software and hardware, hypervisors enable the development and control of virtual machines (VMs). By converting requests between real and virtual resources, hypervisors allow virtualization. A computer’s operating system may occasionally access and utilize bare-metal hypervisors by being integrated into the firmware at the same level as the motherboard’s basic input/output system (BIOS).

To understand Hypervisors enrolling for Security+/CEH/CISSP training course, call 416 471 4545 or visit https://www.cybercert.ca.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

Most online transactions begin with identification, which calls for the user to “identify” themselves by supplying a name, email address, phone number, or username. This is the procedure through which someone claims to be a specific individual.

However, it may be challenging in an online setting to confirm that a person is providing a legitimate identity and that they are who they claim to be.

More information, often a form of government-issued identification, may be provided to confirm identities. Typically, you only need to go through the verification procedure the first time you register an account or visit a website. After that, your identification will be verified, often by creating a password corresponding to your username.

A kind of authentication is set up when you first sign up for, access, or onboard with a system, service, or business after your identity has been confirmed. This will be necessary every time the service or application is visited.

One of the following is required for digital authentication:

A security question or password that a person knows

a token, smartcard, identification card, or cryptographic key that a person has

biometric information, such as a fingerprint or face scan, is what a person is.

Users may demonstrate their identity during the authentication process if they still say they are at the identification stage. Multi-factor authentication (MFA), which necessitates using several forms of authentication, is one of the safest authentication techniques.

Explaining permission

Giving someone permission to use a service or a system means providing them access to certain rights and privileges depending on the identity and verification they have previously supplied.

Nearly 5 million allegations of fraud and identity theft were filed in 2020. Cybercrime is a problem when criminals steal personal information and impersonate trustworthy individuals.

The authorization component ensures that a person is who they say they are, has the right to use certain services, and is entitled to certain rights. For it to be effective, authorization must occur after identity and authentication.

Use cases for each protocol

In the initial setup phase of a firm’s accounts, services, and onboarding, identification is employed. Personal information must be provided to identify a person and then confirm their identification.

Identification papers, information that only a genuine person would know, or providing personal information like a social security number may all be used to confirm someone’s identity. Every time a user uses an account or service, identification is often required in the form of a username.

The next stage is authentication. It is started to verify that a user is actually who they say they are by comparing them to previously given information. When a user enters a password or provides the specified information, authentication takes place. After that, the system will verify that their saved information matches.

To confirm the validity of the user’s identification, authentication systems may request a one-time verification code. The user is often required to enter the code as an extra authentication factor, frequently supplied through text message to a previously specified email or phone number. Authorization shouldn’t happen until the identity and authentication have been confirmed.

After the user has been authorized, the system will finally offer them access or rights and privileges. By prohibiting illegal usage of passports, authorization may safeguard system resources and specific individuals.

The non-repudiation service may have many components, each of which performs a distinct role. The non-repudiation service with proof of origin may provide the recipient indisputable evidence that the communication was delivered by that specific person if the sender ever disputes sending it.

The non-repudiation service with proof of delivery may provide the sender unquestionable evidence that that particular person received the communication if the recipient ever denies receiving it.

Proof with almost absolute certainty, or indisputable evidence, is a challenging objective in practice. Nothing in the actual world is entirely safe. Managing risk to an acceptable level for the company is more critical than governing security. A more reasonable demand in this situation is for the non-repudiation provider to offer proof that would hold up in court and support your claim.

Enroll for the Security+/CEH/CISSP training course Contact 416 471 4545 or visit https://www.cybercert.ca for more information.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

The process of providing and implementing software updates is known as “patch management.” These fixes are often required to fix software bugs.

Operating systems, applications, and embedded systems are typical domains that need patches. A patch may be used to correct a vulnerability that is discovered after a piece of software has been released. By doing this, you may assure that none of the resources in your ecosystem are open to exploitation.

In particular, patch management is crucial for the reasons listed below:

Security: Patch management repairs holes in your software and apps that may be exploited by hackers, lowering the security risk for your company.

System uptime: Patch management makes ensuring your programs are current and function properly, supporting system uptime.

Compliance: Due to the ongoing increase in cyberattacks, regulatory authorities often demand that firms maintain a specific degree of compliance. Patch management is a crucial component of following compliance rules.

Patch management may involve feature/functionality upgrades in addition to just fixing software bugs. Patches may be essential for ensuring that you have access to a product’s most recent and finest features.

How a successful patch management program helps your company

Patch management may help your business in a number of ways:

An environment that is more secure: By routinely patching vulnerabilities, you control and lower the risk that exists in your environment. This shields your company from unexpected security lapses.

Happy clients: You understand how crucial it is that the technology truly works if your company provides a product or service that consumers must utilize. The technique of patch management helps keep your systems operational by correcting software issues.

No needless fines: Regulatory authorities may punish your firm financially if it fails to patch and then violates compliance criteria. Compliance is ensured through effective patch management.

Product innovation: You may add patches to your technology to upgrade it with better features and functionality. This may provide your business a means to widely implement your most recent software advancements.

The patch management method’ essential stages are as follows:

Create a current inventory of all of your production systems: This is the only method to accurately track which assets are present in your ecosystem, whether it be on a quarterly or monthly basis. You will have an educated perspective of the operating systems, version kinds, and IP addresses that are in use, as well as their geographical locations and organizational “owners,” via careful asset management. Generally speaking, the more regularly you update your asset inventory, the more knowledgeable you’ll be.

Create a strategy for bringing all systems and operating systems under a single version type: Standardizing your asset collection makes patching quicker and more effective while also being challenging to do. To speed up your remediation process when new patches are published, you should standardize your assets down to a reasonable quantity. You and the technical teams will both benefit from the reduction in remediation time.

Make a list of all the security measures in place at your company: Monitor your firewalls, antivirus software, and vulnerability management software. You should be aware of where they are located, what they are guarding against, and what assets are connected to them.

Compare your inventory against documented vulnerabilities: Understanding your organization’s security risk requires using your vulnerability management solution to determine which vulnerabilities exist for which assets in your ecosystem.

Classify the risk: You may simply manage whatever assets you believe to be crucial to your firm using vulnerability management solutions, and you can then prioritize what needs to be remedied in accordance with that priority.

TEST! In your lab environment, apply the fixes to a representative sample of the assets. To be sure the fixes won’t create problems in your production environment, stress-test the computers.

Apply the patches: Start patching to truly lower the risk in your environment after you’ve selected what needs to be remedied first. Additionally, more sophisticated vulnerability management technologies provide users the option to automate the laborious steps in the patching procedure.

Even if you tested in your lab environment, there can still be unexpected outcomes in production if you don’t send out the updates to batches of assets. Make sure there won’t be any significant problems by dipping your toes in a little before diving right in.

Follow your development: Verify the success of the patching by reevaluating your assets.

Enroll in cybersecurity training in Toronto. Get more information at https://www.cybercert.ca or by calling 416 471 4545.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

One of the core areas of cybersecurity is network security, and protocols are critical to keeping the network safe. The computer network expands more quickly due to its high demands and the internet’s ongoing rapid evolution, and with it comes cybercrime in networks. Therefore, understanding the protocols that control data flow in a network is crucial. You will discover the most well-known network security protocols in this chapter and how they are used.

Routing protocols, mail transferring protocols, distant communication protocols, and many more fall under different protocols. One type of protocol that ensures the security and integrity of data are maintained across a network is a network security protocol. These protocols use a variety of approaches, strategies, and procedures to protect network data from any unauthorized attempts to inspect or extract the communication’s actual content.

You must be familiar with the following lists of well-known network security protocols to put them into practice when necessary:

The IETF IPSec Work Group categorizes the IPSec protocol as providing data integrity, privacy, and authentication between two organizations. An IETF-specific key managing mechanism called Internet Key Exchange handles cryptographic keys manually or dynamically (IKE).

Secure Sockets Layer, also known as SSL, is a widely used security method for maintaining a fast internet connection by protecting sensitive data sent and received between two systems. This method also aids in preventing cyber criminals from reading and changing personal data, packets, or information in the network.

A cryptographic network security protocol called Secure Shell (SSH) was created in 1995 to protect data transmission across networks. It enables remote access to the command line and remote execution of certain operations. SSH incorporates several FTP features.

A protected protocol called HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protects data transmission between two or more systems. Secure Socket Lathe yer (SSL), now known as Transport Layer Security, established an encrypted connection (TLS). Since data sent through HTTPS is encrypted, it is prevented from being interpreted and altered by hackers as it travels from the browser to the web server. The data packets’ high encryption prevents thieves from being able to read them, even if they manage to intercept them.

With secret-key cryptography, Kerberos is another network validation protocol designed to provide robust client-server application authentication. It is more secure and accountable since all its services and workplaces conform to an insecure network according to the Kerberos network validation protocol.

Security experts must understand these protocols and their applications. When your corporate website opens without HTTPS or SSL, you should assume that either the link was clicked from a spam email or other illegal email or that someone is attempting to launch a phishing attack. There are situations when HTTPS degrades to HTTP (essentially known as a downgrading HTTP assault). Alternatively, someone may try to compromise the internal network via a weaker HTTP assault.

A CompTIA Security+ and CEH certification opens the door to a wide range of cybersecurity opportunities. Visit https://www.cybercert.ca for more information, or call 416 471 4545.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

Data is temporarily stored in buffer areas of memory while being transported from one place to another. A buffer overflow occurs when data exceeds the memory buffer’s storage capacity. The application that is trying to copy the data to the pad, as a result, overwrites nearby memory regions.

If a transaction contains an input of 10 bytes, the software may write the extra data over the buffer border. For instance, a buffer for log-in credentials may be constructed to anticipate username and password inputs of 8 bytes.

All forms of software are susceptible to buffer overflows. They often happen due to incorrect inputs or inadequate buffer space allocation. The software may perform erratically, provide inaccurate results, make memory access mistakes, or crash if the transaction overwrites executable code.

Buffer Overflow Attack Definition

Attackers use program memory overwriting to take advantage of buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Altering the program’s execution path might cause reactions that corrupt files or reveal sensitive information. For instance, a hacker can add more code and give the program brand-new instructions to access IT systems.

If an attacker is aware of a program’s memory structure, they may purposefully enter data that the buffer is not designed to retain. They can even rewrite regions that contain executable code with their code. For instance, to take control of the application, an attacker may rewrite a pointer an object that links to another location in memory—and direct it to the exploit payload.

Buffer Overflow Attacks: Types

More often occurring, stack-based buffer overflows make use of stack memory, which is only available while a function is being executed. Heap-based attacks are more challenging to achieve, which entails flooding the memory space allotted for a program beyond the RAM required for current runtime activities.

What Are Languages of Programming More Vulnerable?

Due to the lack of built-in protections against overwriting or accessing memory data, C and C++ are two languages that are particularly vulnerable to buffer overflow attacks. Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux use code produced in C and C++. Buffer overflow is less likely to occur when using built-in safety features in languages like PERL, Java, JavaScript, and C#.

Methods for Avoiding Buffer Overflows

By incorporating security features into their code or employing programming languages with built-in protection, developers may guard against buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Runtime protection is another feature of modern operating systems. There are three typical safeguards: Address space randomization (ASLR) shuffles the locations of data regions’ address spaces. Buffer overflow attacks often need knowledge of the area of executable code, which is almost impossible when address spaces are randomly generated.

Data execution prevention prevents an attack from executing code in a non-executable zone by designating certain memory regions as executable or non-executable. The built-in method for handling hardware and software exceptions, Structured Exception Handling (SEH), is guarded against assault by malicious code thanks to Structured Exception Handler Overwrite Protection (SEHOP). Thus, an attacker can’t use the SEH overwrite exploitation approach. Functionally, an SEH overwrite is accomplished by overwriting an exception registration record on a thread’s stack via a stack-based buffer overflow.

Enrol for Security+/CEH/CISSP. You can reach us by calling 416 471 4545 or visiting https://www.cybercert.ca.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.

Embedded system security is a tactical method of defending software operating on embedded systems against assault. An embedded system is hardware that can be programmed and has a simple operating system and software.

Security for embedded systems offers safeguards to protect a system from all forms of hostile activity. Learn about software and physical security, embedded systems security, associated security terminologies, and four security-related characteristics of embedded systems in this section.

Embedded systems are designed to carry out a particular purpose or set of functions. Embedded systems are exceptionally dependable since they are used in consumer electronics, process control systems, aviation, in-car systems, and many more applications. However, their compact size and constrained computational power might provide security difficulties for designers and developers.

Historically, embedded systems were often designed to have a life cycle of at least 15 years since the firmware in such systems might be difficult (or impossible) to upgrade. However, the nature of embedded systems is evolving due to the internet of things (IoT), and there are an exponentially increasing number of potential attack vectors. Today, everything from smart thermostats to industrial control systems may be taken over by hacking an embedded system in an intelligent device.

Similar to security in most IT disciplines, embedded system security demands a top-to-bottom strategy that considers security concerns even at the design stage. The cost of an attack on an embedded system, the cost of an attack, and the number of potential attack channels should all be considered while thinking about security.

Physical security and software security are the two forms of security that apply to embedded systems.

Physical security

It keeps an unauthorized individual on-site from accessing an embedded device, physically harming it, or stealing it. Examples include closed doors and security cameras. Access to essential locations and equipment is restricted by physical security. Physical security may also refer to features of a particular device, such as tamper-resistant memory, protected key stores, immutable memory technologies, security enclaves to guard essential data and code, and refusal to hold safe bootloader keys.

Software security

Software security controls and reacts to harmful activity that occurs in the system at both the startup and runtimes. Authenticating a device to a network, filtering network traffic, and rigorously hardening system software are only a few examples of software security features.

Many embedded systems carry out safety- or mission-critical tasks that are essential to the environment and the system’s intended use. Every industry, including aerospace, military, and home appliances, may benefit from embedded systems security. The Internet of Things (IoT) is beginning to link contemporary embedded technologies, opening up new attack vectors.

The most secure embedded system is one that is entirely isolated, followed by a system that is off. Security of embedded software was less relevant when embedded systems were isolated technological nodes with little information. Nowadays, embedded systems are often linked to a communications network, increasing the system’s vulnerability to threat actors.

Intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems (IDPS) intercept communications defensively after the device is in the field to recognize or prevent assaults and data exfiltration. Threat hunting and security monitoring of embedded systems and IoT devices are proactive security measures used by specific systems security services.

Self-tests are another tool used to evaluate an embedded system’s security posture. Monitoring events, logging crashes and abnormalities, and sending this data to the cloud are all self-testing analytics and diagnostics software functions. The data may then be analyzed by a cloud-based system, which can subsequently take action to reduce security and safety threats.

Study Cyber Security at Cybercert. For cybersecurity courses, please visit our website, www.cybercert.ca, or call (416) 471-4545.

Sam Fareed

Lead Instructor qualified in CISSP, CCIE, and MCT with 25 years of training experience in Toronto.