Currently, nginx is the most popular web server, recently beating Apache. It is lightweight, fast, robust, and supports all major operating systems. It is the web server of choice for Netflix, WordPress.com, and other high traffic sites. An nginx server can easily handle 10,000 inactive…
Exploiting SSTI in Thymeleaf
One of the most comfortable ways to build web pages is by using server-side templates. Such templates let you create HTML pages that include special elements that you can fill and modify dynamically. They are easy to understand for designers and easy to maintain for…
What Is the POODLE Attack?
The POODLE attack (Padding Oracle on Downgraded Legacy Encryption) exploits a vulnerability in the SSL 3.0 protocol (CVE-2014-3566). This vulnerability lets an attacker eavesdrop on communication encrypted using SSLv3. The vulnerability is no longer present in the Transport Layer Security protocol (TLS), which is the…
Why Is Directory Listing Dangerous?
Directory listing is a web server function that displays the directory contents when there is no index file in a specific website directory. It is dangerous to leave this function turned on for the web server because it leads to information disclosure. For example, when…
What Are Google Hacks?
The terms Google hacking, Google hacks, or Google dorking refer to attacks that use Google or another search engine to find vulnerable web servers and websites. Google hacking is based on inventing specific search queries, often using wildcards and advanced search operators (such as intitle,…
The Challenges for Security Teams: The Bangladesh e-GOV CIRT
Security teams worldwide face similar challenges – both independent teams and those that are part of medium and large organizations. Due to the cybersecurity skill gap, such teams often lack in numbers. On the other hand, their clients keep providing more work. As a result,…
An Introduction to Web Shells (Web Shells Part 1)
A web shell is a malicious script used by an attacker with the intent to escalate and maintain persistent access on an already compromised web application. A web shell itself cannot attack or exploit a remote vulnerability, so it is always the second step of…
Web Shells 101 Using PHP (Web Shells Part 2)
In part 1 of this series, we looked at what a web shell is and why an attacker would seek to use one. In part 2 of this series, we’ll be looking at some specific examples of web shells developed using the PHP programming language….
Keeping Web Shells Under Cover (Web Shells Part 3)
In part 2 of this series, we looked at specific examples of web shells in the PHP programming language. In part 3 of this series, we’ll be looking at some techniques that attackers use to keep web shells hidden. Commands can be sent to the…