Meta-Information XSS

In his article "Introducing Meta-Information XSS", Tyler Reguly describes a method of XSS attack by proxy.

The jist of it is, that most people trust the data returned from sources like ARIN.NET. The problem is that services like whois on ARIN may not filter the data that they retrieved on your behalf, thus possibly forwarding malicious content on to you.

To read about his investigation into the matter, read his blog post and follow the links to his white paper and presentation.


http://blog.ncircle.com/blogs/vert/archives/2010/04/introducing_metainformation_xs.html

Hacker exploits PDF files without using a vulnerability

A security researcher has managed to create a proof-of-concept PDF file that executes an embedded executable without exploiting any security vulnerabilities.

The PDF hack, when combined with clever social engineering techniques, could potentially allow code execution attacks if a user simply opens a rigged PDF file.

 http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/hacker-finds-way-exploit-pdf-files-without-vulnerability-033010

Academic Paper in China Sets Off Alarms in U.S.

Larry M. Wortzel, a military strategist and China specialist, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 10 that it should be concerned because “Chinese researchers at the Institute of Systems Engineering of Dalian University of Technology published a paper on how to attack a small U.S. power grid sub-network in a way that would cause a cascading failure of the entire U.S.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/world/asia/21grid.html

Thanks Captain Picard

I love this graphic. It says so much. I actually have it pinned up at my desk at work so it's easy for me to roll my eyes over and ask him the same question - usually several times a night.

Tonight I will share this graphic with you in response to this "Severe" OpenSSL vulnerability recently released. And this quote:

The university scientists found that they could deduce tiny pieces of a private key by injecting slight fluctuations in a device's power supply as it was processing encrypted messages. In a little more than 100 hours, they fed the device enough "transient faults" that they were able to assemble the entirety of its 1024-bit key.

http://www.theregister.co.uk.nyud.net/2010/03/04/severe_openssl_vulnerability/

Fraudsters target IT Workers

Dear Valued Customer,
We are pleased to announce the go-live date for a new Data Center, scheduled to go live on April 19, 2010.
Please update your firewall rules to allow SMTP traffic on port 25 from the following IP address ranges:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/xx (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx - xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx)xx.xxx.xxx.xx/xx (xx.xxx.xxx.xx - xx.xxx.xxx.xxx)

http://infoworld.com/print/115086

How to avoid rogue security software

What can you do to help prevent the spread of rogues and make sure that rogue software vendors stop profiting from their unscrupulous business? Follow these tips below to tell what's real and what's not when it comes to security software – and share them with friends and family who may be vulnerable to rogue threats.

1. Do not fall for scare tactics.

2. Use security software with real-time protection and keep it up-to-date.

3. Access experts at security forums and ask about the software you are considering before you decide to purchase it.

4. Read the software reviews at reputable sites like Download.com. Do not blindly trust individual sites offering security products.

5. Ask knowledgeable friends and family members about quality software they use.
6. Practice online skepticism.

http://www.net-security.org/malware_news.php?id=1245

Defense in Depth Protecting your Netowrk for Internal Attacks

...some tips on how to stop someone from exploiting vulnerabilities in your network by turning on some simple security features in your switches. Most people don’t know that the switches in their network can give a solid defense against several attack vectors. This article will focus on how just a few lines of configuration can harden your network to prevent the following attacks:

• DHCP starvation
• Rogue DHCP servers
• Client side exploitation
• ARP spoofing
• ARP poison routing
• VLAN hopping
• MAC address flooding
• Connection of Rouge devices

This article illustrates configuration on products from Cisco Systems, which are most likely
already in use in your network. If you aren’t using Cisco products consult your vendor’s
literature to see if the equivalent commands/protections are available.

http://pauldotcom.com/Defense%20in%20Depth%20Protecting%20your%20Netowrk%20for%20Internal%20Attacks.pdf