Author Archives Agathoklis Prodromou

THE AUTHOR

Agathoklis Prodromou
Web Systems Administrator/Developer

Akis has worked in the IT sphere for more than 13 years, developing his skills from a defensive perspective as a System Administrator and Web Developer but also from an offensive perspective as a penetration tester. He holds various professional certifications related to ethical hacking, digital forensics and incident response.

TLS Security 3: SSL/TLS Terminology and Basics

Web Security Zone | March 31, 2019 by Agathoklis Prodromou

To understand how Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols works, you must first understand certain basic concepts. The primary mechanism used by SSL/TLS is asymmetric encryption with cipher suites. These and related terms are explained below. Encryption Encryption is the process…

TLS Security 6: Examples of TLS Vulnerabilities and Attacks

Web Security Zone | March 31, 2019 by Agathoklis Prodromou

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and the Transport Layer Security (TLS) cryptographic protocols have had their share of flaws like every other technology. The following are major vulnerabilities in TLS/SSL protocols. They all affect older versions of the protocol (TLSv1.2 and older). At the time…

TLS Security 2: A Brief History of SSL/TLS

WordPress Security | March 31, 2019 by Agathoklis Prodromou

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol was first introduced by Netscape in 1994. The Internet was growing and there was a need for transport security for web browsers and for various TCP protocols. Version 1.0 of SSL was never released because it had serious security…

Exploiting SQL Injection: a Hands-on Example

Web Security Zone | February 26, 2019 by Agathoklis Prodromou

In this series, we will be showing step-by-step examples of common attacks. We will start off with a basic SQL Injection attack directed at a web application and leading to privilege escalation to OS root. SQL Injection is one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities a…

PHP Security Part 5: Top Tips

Web Security Zone | January 24, 2018 by Agathoklis Prodromou

This final part in the series on PHP security concludes with tips for building a web application/system with security in mind. There are certain things which if done during the development cycle of a web application, will dramatically help reduce the risk of being exposed…

PHP Security Part 4: Input Validation and PHP Configuration

Web Security Zone | January 16, 2018 by Agathoklis Prodromou

Validation Validation is the process in which data is checked against specific criteria/specification. It is being used to check if the information given by a user is in the expected/correct format before it is processed. Validation is very important as if used correctly, it allows…

PHP Security Part 3: XSS and Password Storage

Web Security Zone | January 3, 2018 by Agathoklis Prodromou

When developing a web application, it is extremely important to have security in mind and be aware of the different risks. If one does not know the risks and the mechanics behind each vulnerability, there is no way to protect against it. In Parts 1…

PHP Security Part 2: Directory Traversal & Code Injection

Web Security Zone | December 26, 2017 by Agathoklis Prodromou

Most web vulnerabilities are a result of bad coding habits or lack of PHP security awareness by developers. The source of probably all of them relies in the fact that user input, which plays a critical role in the security of a web application, is…

PHP Security: The Big Picture

Web Security Zone | December 18, 2017 by Agathoklis Prodromou

Whether your site is the web presence for a large multinational, a gallery showing your product range and inviting potential customers to come into the shop, or a personal site exhibiting your holiday photos, web security always matters. No matter what programming language you use…

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