Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is built in to virtually every network device. Network management programs (such as HP OpenView and LANDesk) use SNMP for remote network host management. Unfortunately, SNMP also presents security vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities The problem is that most network hosts run SNMP enabled with the default read/write community strings of public/private. The … Read more
Network infrastructure vulnerabilities are the foundation for most technical security issues in your information systems. These lower-level vulnerabilities affect practically everything running on your network. That’s why you need to test for them and eliminate them whenever possible. Your focus for security tests on your network infrastructure should be to find weaknesses that others can … Read more
You can implement various operating system security measures to ensure that passwords are protected. Windows The following countermeasures can help prevent password hacks on Windows systems: Some Windows passwords can be gleaned by simply reading the cleartext or crackable ciphertext from the Windows Registry. Secure your registries by doing the following: Allow only administrator access. … Read more
You can often find these serious technical vulnerabilities after exploiting organizational password vulnerabilities: Weak password encryption schemes. Hackers can break weak password storage mechanisms by using cracking methods that I outline in this chapter. Many vendors and developers believe that passwords are safe as long as they don’t publish the source code for their encryption … Read more
Whatever your computer- and network-security technology, practically any hack is possible if an attacker is in your building or data center. That’s why looking for physical security vulnerabilities and fixing them before they’re exploited is so important. In small companies, some physical security issues might not be a problem. Many physical security vulnerabilities depend on … Read more
Social engineering will put your layered defenses to the true test. Even with strong security controls, a naïve or untrained user can let the social engineer into the network. Never underestimate the power of social engineers — and that of your users and helping them get their way. Policies Specific policies help ward off social … Read more
You can use identified security vulnerabilities to do the following: Gain further information about the host and its data. Obtain a remote command prompt. Start or stop certain services or applications. Access other systems. Disable logging or other security controls. Capture screenshots. Access sensitive files. Send an e-mail as the administrator. Perform SQL injection. Launch … Read more
After finding potential security holes, the next step is to confirm whether they’re indeed vulnerabilities in the context of your environment. Before you test, perform some manual searching. You can research websites and vulnerability databases, such as these: Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures ( http://cve.mitre.org/cve ) US-CERT Vulnerability Notes Database ( www.kb.cert.org/vuls ) NIST National Vulnerability … Read more