Speaker 1: Welcome to your deep dive. We're cracking open web hacking
Speaker 1: one oh one today, a book you specifically requested.
Speaker 2: Oh this is a good one. Yeah.
Speaker 1: It's all about ethical hacking. And I think what makes
Speaker 1: this duck dive particularly interesting is all these stories about
Speaker 1: vulnerabilities founding companies you use every day, Google, Shopify, even Twitter.
Speaker 3: What's fascinating is the author Pete Yorski. Yeah, he's a
Speaker 3: hacker himself, so he doesn't just list vulnerabilities. He shows
Speaker 3: you how they were discovered, right, and he's got the
Speaker 3: team from hacker one chime me in with their insights. Yeah,
Speaker 3: which is really cool because hacker one's a leading bug
Speaker 3: bounty platform.
Speaker 1: That's right, So we're getting like the inside scoop from
Speaker 1: the pros here.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Now, before we jump into the juicy stuff, can you
Speaker 1: just set the stage for us, like, how does the
Speaker 1: Internet even work at a basic level? I think that
Speaker 1: will help us understand these vulnerabilities better.
Speaker 2: Sure.
Speaker 3: So, at its core, the Internet is all about communication
Speaker 3: between systems. Okay, think of it as like sending letters
Speaker 3: back and forth, but digitally, each message has a specific
Speaker 3: purpose like retrieving information or sending data, and follows a
Speaker 3: set of rules called protocols, kind of like the postal system.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 3: One of the most important protocols is HTTP, the language
Speaker 3: your web browser uses to talk to websites.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we have our messages and they're following these
Speaker 1: rules these protocols, right, But how does a hacker exploit that?
Speaker 3: Well, one way is through something called HTML injection. Okay,
Speaker 3: it's like sneaking an extra line into a movie script. Huh,
Speaker 3: potentially changing the whole scene. Attackers inject HTML code into
Speaker 3: a web page, which can alter its appearance or even
Speaker 3: trick users.
Speaker 1: That sounds sneaky. Does the book have any like real
Speaker 1: world examples of this?
Speaker 2: It does.
Speaker 3: One example involves Coinbase, the cryptocurrency platform.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 3: A hacker found a way to bypass their security filters
Speaker 3: using something called URL encoding. Okay, it's like using a
Speaker 3: secret code to slip a message past security.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 3: They were able to inject a fake login form that
Speaker 3: could have stolen user credentials.
Speaker 1: Wait, so RL encoding is kind of like disguising something
Speaker 1: dangerous as harmless text. How does that even work?
Speaker 3: Imagine you have a message with characters that aren't allowed
Speaker 3: by the system you're using.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 3: URL encoding converts those characters into a format that is allowed. Okay,
Speaker 3: think of it as like translating a message into a
Speaker 3: different language that the system understands.
Speaker 1: Gotcha.
Speaker 3: And at its root, it's based on ASCI, which is
Speaker 3: a way to represent characters as numbers.
Speaker 1: So the website thinks it's processing regular text, but it's
Speaker 1: actually executing malicious code. That's scary. Exactly what other tricks
Speaker 1: do you hackers have up their sleeves? What about HTTP
Speaker 1: parameter pollution? Ah?
Speaker 3: Yes, this one's all about messing with the instruction sent
Speaker 3: in those digital letters we talked about. Okay, you slip
Speaker 3: extra hidden instructions into a request to change how a
Speaker 3: website behaves. It's like secretly adding an ingredient to a
Speaker 3: recipe to completely change the outcome.
Speaker 1: This is where it gets really interesting. Are there any
Speaker 1: examples of this in the book.
Speaker 3: Oh, there are a few good ones involving Twitter. One
Speaker 3: hacker managed to unsubscribe users from email notifications just by
Speaker 3: adding an extra parameter to the request. It's amazing how
Speaker 3: such a small tweak can have such a significant impact.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like pushing the wrong button and causing a
Speaker 1: system wide meltdown.
Speaker 2: Right?
Speaker 1: What else did the book say about Twitter?
Speaker 3: There's another vulnerability mentioned involving web intens. These are pre
Speaker 3: built functions for things like following someone or liking a tweet. Okay,
Speaker 3: the hacker found a way to manipulate them using this
Speaker 3: same parameter pollution technique. Imagine clicking a link thinking you're
Speaker 3: going to follow a celebrity, but it actually makes you
Speaker 3: follow some random bought account.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, that's seriously sneaky. It's like those trick birthday
Speaker 1: candles that relight after you blow them out. You think
Speaker 1: you've got it under control, but nope, exactly. So if
Speaker 1: a hacker can manipulate something as simple as a follow button,
Speaker 1: what else are they capable of?
Speaker 3: Well, let's talk about CRLF injection. Okay, so it's a
Speaker 3: bit more technical, but equally impactful. Cr LEFT stands for
Speaker 3: carriage return line feed, which is basically the code that
Speaker 3: tells a computer to start a new line.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we're talking about exploiting line breaks. Ye, how
Speaker 1: is that even possible?
Speaker 3: By injecting CRLs characters at specific points, attackers can manipulate
Speaker 3: how a website processes requests and responses. This could lead
Speaker 3: to something called cash poisoning.
Speaker 1: Cash poisoning that sounds like a recipe for disaster it
Speaker 1: can be what exactly does that mean?
Speaker 3: Websites often store frequently accessed content in a cash to
Speaker 3: speed things up. A hacker could inject malicious code into
Speaker 3: that cache, than anyone who visits the site and loads
Speaker 3: that cased content could end up running that malicious code.
Speaker 1: So it's like contaminating a water supply. Everyone who drinks
Speaker 1: from it gets sick. What other havoc can hackers reek
Speaker 1: with CRLF injection?
Speaker 3: They could potentially hijack user sessions. Imagine a hacker stealing
Speaker 3: your logging cookies, giving them axis to your account without
Speaker 3: even knowing your password. The book highlights a particularly dramatic
Speaker 3: example involving Twitter. A hacker exploited a bug in the
Speaker 3: Firefox browser to inject CRF character, potentially allowing them to
Speaker 3: steal session information.
Speaker 1: So even a bug and a browser can become a
Speaker 1: weapon in the hands of a skilled hacker. That's a
Speaker 1: stark reminder that security is a complex web and every
Speaker 1: thread is important. Speaking of webs let's talk about cross
Speaker 1: site request forgery or CSRF.
Speaker 3: CSRF is all about tricking a user's browser into performing
Speaker 3: actions on a website where they're already logged in. Okay,
Speaker 3: think of it this way. You're logged into your online
Speaker 3: banking and then you click a link in a seemingly
Speaker 3: harmless email. That link could be designed to trigger a
Speaker 3: transaction transferring money out of your account without you ever
Speaker 3: realizing it.
Speaker 1: That's terrifying. So you're tricked into doing something you never intended,
Speaker 1: like a digital puppet master pulling your strings.
Speaker 3: Exactly, and it can be incredibly subtle. The book gives
Speaker 3: an example where a hacker was able to export user
Speaker 3: data from Shopify by exploiting a CSRF vulnerability. They created
Speaker 3: a malicious link that, when clicked by a logged in
Speaker 3: Shopify user, triggered the export function without proper authorization.
Speaker 1: Wow. W Seemingly harmless actions like clicking a link can
Speaker 1: be dangerous if you're not careful. It's a good reminder
Speaker 1: to be wary of anything that seems suspicious, even if
Speaker 1: it comes from a trusted source.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, it's all about being aware of the potential risks
Speaker 3: and taking steps to protect yourself.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's shift gears a bit and talk about a
Speaker 1: different kind of vulnerability. Application logic vulnerabilities. What makes these
Speaker 1: different from the injection attacks we've been discussing.
Speaker 3: Instead of injecting malicious code directly, these vulnerabilities exploit flaws
Speaker 3: in how the application's code works. It's like finding a
Speaker 3: loophole in a contract to get what you want.
Speaker 1: So it's not about breaking the rules, but bending them.
Speaker 3: Yeah, clever.
Speaker 1: Does the book have any examples of this?
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker 3: A hacker named Igor Homo coof exploited GitHub by taking
Speaker 3: advantage of a flaw and how their code handled data updates.
Speaker 3: He was able to manipulate sensitive information, which had some
Speaker 3: unexpected consequences. It shows that sometimes the most dangerous vulnerabilities
Speaker 3: aren't about boot force attacks, but rather understanding the systems
Speaker 3: logic and finding those subtle weaknesses.
Speaker 1: It's like that saying, give me a lever long enough
Speaker 1: and a full chrume on which to place it, and
Speaker 1: I shall move the world right. Hackers seem to be
Speaker 1: masters at finding those levers and fulcrums.
Speaker 3: That's a great analogy. It requires a deep understanding of
Speaker 3: how applications work and an eye for spotting inconsistencies.
Speaker 1: Now, speaking of inconsistencies, let's talk about cross site scripting.
Speaker 1: Or EXSS. That sounds like another one of those sneaky attacks.
Speaker 3: XSS is all about injecting malicious JavaScript code into a website,
Speaker 3: which is then executed by other users. It's like planting
Speaker 3: a trap that unsuspecting visitors will trigger. A simple example
Speaker 3: would be injecting code that creates a pop up alert,
Speaker 3: but obviously it can get much more.
Speaker 2: Serious than that.
Speaker 1: Oh I bet so what kind of damage could a
Speaker 1: hacker do with XSS?
Speaker 3: They could potentially steal user cookies, redirect them to malicious websites,
Speaker 3: or even take control of their entire browser session. The
Speaker 3: book shares a few examples of XSS vulnerabilities found on Shopify.
Speaker 3: One involved basic input field on their wholesale site that
Speaker 3: wasn't properly secure.
Speaker 1: So even something as simple as an input field can
Speaker 1: be vulnerable if developers aren't careful. What other EXSS examples
Speaker 1: stood out to you from the book?
Speaker 3: There's another one involving Shopify. This time the vulnerability wasn't
Speaker 3: in an obvious place like an input field, but rather
Speaker 3: in the name property of a file input. Hackers are
Speaker 3: always looking for those unconventional attack vectors, those unexpected places
Speaker 3: where vulnerabilities might be hiding.
Speaker 1: So you really have to think like a hacker to
Speaker 1: find these hidden vulnerabilities. It's like playing a game of
Speaker 1: hide and seek, but with potentially disastrous consequences.
Speaker 3: That's why it's so important for developers to have a
Speaker 3: strong security mindset and to be constantly on the lookout
Speaker 3: for potential weaknesses. It's a continuous process of learning and improvement.
Speaker 1: Speaking of continuous processes, let's move on to another big one,
Speaker 1: SQL injection or SQL what's the gist of this attack?
Speaker 3: Sequal injection targets a website's database, which is like the
Speaker 3: brain of many web applications. Hackers inject malicious sequel code
Speaker 3: into a website, aiming to access sensitive data or even
Speaker 3: take control of the entire database server.
Speaker 1: So instead of just changing what the user sees, they're
Speaker 1: going straight for the source, right bold move. How do
Speaker 1: they pull this off?
Speaker 3: It often involves exploiting vulnerabilities in web forms like a
Speaker 3: search field where users can input data. If the form
Speaker 3: isn't properly protected, a hacker can inject SQL code into
Speaker 3: their input. The book has a particularly gripping example of
Speaker 3: a major druple sequel vulnerability.
Speaker 1: Druple that's a popular content management system.
Speaker 2: Right it is?
Speaker 1: Tell me more about this vulnerability.
Speaker 3: In twenty fourteen, Drupele was hit with a critical vulnerability
Speaker 3: that stemmed from a single coding error in its core software.
Speaker 3: It was a simple mistake, but it allowed attackers to
Speaker 3: potentially gain complete control of millions of websites.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 3: They could steal user data, dephase websites, or even use
Speaker 3: the compromise sites to launch further attacks.
Speaker 1: Wow. That's a stark reminder of how a seemingly small
Speaker 1: coding mistake can have catastrophic consequences. It's like the butterfly
Speaker 1: effect in action, but with digital chaos instead of weather patterns.
Speaker 3: It also highlights the importance of staying up to date
Speaker 3: with security patches and following best practices for secure coding.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's keep this hacking train rolling. What about open redirects.
Speaker 1: The name sounds a little less sinister than some of
Speaker 1: the others we've talked about.
Speaker 2: Don't be fooled.
Speaker 3: Open redirects are all about exploiting trust.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 3: Imagine clicking a link on a website you trust, thinking
Speaker 3: you're going to a legitimate page, but instead you're redirected
Speaker 3: to a malicious website designed to steal your information.
Speaker 1: So you're basically being tricked into walking into a trap
Speaker 1: like those cartoons where the character follows a trail of
Speaker 1: candy right into a cage right. Are there any real
Speaker 1: world examples of open redirects in the book.
Speaker 3: Yes, a few involving Shopify.
Speaker 1: Oh.
Speaker 3: In one case, a hacker manipulated a theme installation page
Speaker 3: to redirect users to an external domain. Another example involved
Speaker 3: exploiting a redirect function to bypass Shopify security measures and
Speaker 3: access sensitive information. It just goes to show that you
Speaker 3: can't always trust what you see online, even on sites
Speaker 3: you think you're secure.
Speaker 1: That's a good reminder to be cautious and to always
Speaker 1: check the URL before clicking on a link, especially if
Speaker 1: it seems suspicious.
Speaker 3: Speaking of things that seem suspicious, let's talk about subdomain takeover.
Speaker 3: It's a bit like squatting on an abandoned property in
Speaker 3: the digital world.
Speaker 1: Intriguing Tell me more about this.
Speaker 3: Digital squatting attackers target subdomains that are pointing to unused
Speaker 3: third party services. They then register those subdomains with the
Speaker 3: third party service, effectively hijacking any traffic meant for the
Speaker 3: original sub domain.
Speaker 1: So You're basically claiming a forgotten corner of the Internet
Speaker 1: and using it for your own nefarious purposes. That's pretty clever,
Speaker 1: I have to admit.
Speaker 3: The book shares a couple of interesting examples, including one
Speaker 3: involving Ubiquidwitch, a networking technology company. Okay, a hacker took
Speaker 3: over one of their subdomains because it was pointing to
Speaker 3: an unused Amazon S three bucket.
Speaker 1: It's like finding a forgotten storage unit full of valuable stuff.
Speaker 1: So even seemingly in significant subdomains can be valuable targets
Speaker 1: for hackers. What other examples did the book have?
Speaker 3: There was another one involving scan dot me, a company
Speaker 3: acquired by Snapchat.
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 3: The hacker claimed a subdomain that was pointing to an
Speaker 3: unused Zendesk account, potentially gaining access to sensitive support tickets.
Speaker 1: It's amazing how these seemingly simple oversights can lead to
Speaker 1: such serious security breaches. It's like leaving the keys to
Speaker 1: your house under the welcome map.
Speaker 3: The book also includes a fascinating high level example of
Speaker 3: a subdomain takeover exploit on Facebook. Oh Facebook, Yeah. The
Speaker 3: hacker Philly pair Wood, was able to hijack access tokens
Speaker 3: by targeting a misconfigured app. This exploit leveraged opethe, a
Speaker 3: protocol that allows users to grant third party apps access
Speaker 3: to their accounts without sharing their passwords.
Speaker 1: So by taking over the subdomain, the hacker could potentially
Speaker 1: intercept those access tokens and gain access to user accounts.
Speaker 1: That's wild. I'm starting to realize that security is like
Speaker 1: a game of chess where every move matters.
Speaker 2: That's a great way to think about it.
Speaker 3: It's a constant battle of wits between attackers and defenders,
Speaker 3: with each side trying to outmaneuver the other.
Speaker 1: All right, let's dive into another vulnerability XML external entity
Speaker 1: or XXC. That sounds like something out of a sci
Speaker 1: fi movie.
Speaker 3: It might sound complex, but the concept is pretty straightforward.
Speaker 3: XX vulnerabilities exploit how a website process is XML files.
Speaker 3: XML is a way to structure data, and it allows
Speaker 3: for the inclusion of external entities. Okay, hackers can craft
Speaker 3: malicious XML files that reference these external entities, potentially accessing
Speaker 3: sensitive data or even executing code on the server.
Speaker 1: So it's like sneaking a secret message within a seemingly
Speaker 1: harmless document. Very sneaky.
Speaker 3: The book uses a great analogy to illustrate this. A
Speaker 3: job board that allows users to upload their resumes in
Speaker 3: XML format. Okay, a hacker could create a resume that
Speaker 3: includes an external entity referencing the server's password file. Oh,
Speaker 3: if the job board system isn't properly protected, it could
Speaker 3: expose that sensitive data.
Speaker 1: That's a clever way to exploit a seemingly innocuous feature.
Speaker 1: It's like hiding a trojan horse inside a gift basket.
Speaker 1: What other examples of XX exploits does the book mention?
Speaker 2: Well, it's recky. Example involves the Google toolbar.
Speaker 1: Google Toolbar.
Speaker 3: Yeah, hackers were able to read sensitive server files by
Speaker 3: exploiting a vulnerability in the toolbar's button gallery, which allowed
Speaker 3: developers to upload XML files containing button metadata.
Speaker 1: Wow, even Google is an immune to these attacks. It
Speaker 1: seems like no matter how big or sophisticated a company is,
Speaker 1: there's always the potential for vulnerabilities. It makes you wonder
Speaker 1: what's the most dangerous vulnerability out there?
Speaker 3: Well, one that often comes with severe consequences is remote
Speaker 3: code execution. Okay, as the name suggests, it allows attackers
Speaker 3: to inject code that's then executed by the target server.
Speaker 1: So it's like planting a bomb that detonates right at
Speaker 1: the heart of the system. That sounds terrifying it can be.
Speaker 3: The book provides a chilling example involving a vulnerability in
Speaker 3: image Magic, a widely used image processing library.
Speaker 1: Image Magic I've heard of that it's used all over
Speaker 1: the Internet, right, it's.
Speaker 3: Exactly Countless websites and applications use it to handle image uploads, resizing,
Speaker 3: and other image related tasks. The vulnerability allowed attackers to
Speaker 3: inject malicious code into image files, which would then be
Speaker 3: executed when the server process those images. This vulnerability was
Speaker 3: widely exploited, and it shows how a flaw and a
Speaker 3: commonly used software component can have a ripple effect across
Speaker 3: the entire Internet.
Speaker 1: It's a stark reminder that security is only as strong
Speaker 1: as its weakest link. What's the specific example mentioned in
Speaker 1: the book.
Speaker 3: The book tells the story of a hacker named Ben
Speaker 3: Sedecor who exploited this image Magic vulnerability to gain remote
Speaker 3: code execution on Polyvor, a fashion website.
Speaker 1: Oh Polyvor.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: He crafted a malicious image file that, when processed by
Speaker 3: the server, sent a confirmation message back to his own server.
Speaker 3: It's a fascinating glimpse into how these exploits work in
Speaker 3: the real world.
Speaker 1: So even something as seemingly harmless as uploading an image
Speaker 1: can be a security risk if the underlying software is vulnerable.
Speaker 1: It's a reminder to always be vigilant, both as developers
Speaker 1: and as users.
Speaker 3: Absolute security is everyone's responsibility.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's talk about another type of vulnerability, template injection.
Speaker 1: What can you tell me about this one.
Speaker 3: Templet injection exploits vulnerabilities in template engines, which are software
Speaker 3: components that dynamically generate web pages. Okay, imagine you have
Speaker 3: a website that displays user profiles, and each profile is
Speaker 3: generated using a template. An attacker might inject malicious code
Speaker 3: into that template, which would then be executed on the server,
Speaker 3: potentially giving them access to sensitive data or even control
Speaker 3: of the server itself.
Speaker 1: So it's like hijacking the blueprint for a building and
Speaker 1: making subtle changes that could compromise the entire structure. That's
Speaker 1: a clever analogy.
Speaker 2: I like that.
Speaker 3: There are two main types of template injection, server side
Speaker 3: SSTI and client side CSTI. As the name implies, happens
Speaker 3: on the server, while CSTI occurs on the client side
Speaker 3: in the user's browser. SSTI is generally considered more serious
Speaker 3: as it can potentially compromise the server, while CSTI is
Speaker 3: more limited in scope.
Speaker 1: So it's like the difference between poisoning the water supply
Speaker 1: at the source versus contaminating a single glass. What are
Speaker 1: some examples of SSTI vulnerabilities?
Speaker 3: The book mentions exploiting a vulnerability in flask, a popular
Speaker 3: Python web framework, and its default template engine gingitoo. By
Speaker 3: injecting malicious code into gingitoo templates, hackers were able to
Speaker 3: gain remote code execution on vulnerable servers.
Speaker 1: So this isn't just limited to Php and other web languages.
Speaker 2: Not at all.
Speaker 3: Template injection vulnerabilities can exist in any web framework that
Speaker 3: uses a template engine, regardless of the programming language. Interesting,
Speaker 3: it's all about finding those weak points where an attacker
Speaker 3: can inject their code.
Speaker 1: Speaking of weak points, what about CSDI? Does the book
Speaker 1: have any examples of that?
Speaker 2: Yes, it does.
Speaker 3: One example involves Uber's developer documentation website. The hacker James
Speaker 3: Kettle exploded a vulnerability and Angular js, a popular JavaScript framework,
Speaker 3: to inject malicious code that escaped the Angular sandbox and
Speaker 3: executed arbitrary JavaScript. This allowed him to hijack developer case
Speaker 3: and associated apps.
Speaker 1: So even client side frameworks like Angular JS can be
Speaker 1: vulnerable to template injection. It's like realizing that even the
Speaker 1: seemingly harmless decorations on a gingerbread house can be used
Speaker 1: to break in.
Speaker 3: It emphasizes that security needs to be considered at every
Speaker 3: layer of a web application, from the server to the client.
Speaker 1: All right, we've covered a lot of ground. Let's wrap
Speaker 1: things up with one final vulnerability, server side request forgery
Speaker 1: or SSRF. What's the lowdown on this one.
Speaker 3: SSRF vulnerabilities trick a server into making requests to other
Speaker 3: systems on the attacker's behalf. It's like using someone else's
Speaker 3: phone to make a call without them knowing.
Speaker 1: So you're leveraging the service trust and authority to make
Speaker 1: requests you wouldn't be able to make directly. That sounds
Speaker 1: pretty sneaky. Does the book have any real world examples
Speaker 1: of this?
Speaker 2: It does.
Speaker 3: One example involves essay and esports platform. The vulnerability allowed
Speaker 3: attackers to use essay servers to make requests to internal systems,
Speaker 3: potentially exposing sense of information or even gaining control of
Speaker 3: those systems.
Speaker 1: Internal systems, so we're not just talking about accessing data
Speaker 1: on the web, you could potentially infiltrate a company's entire network.
Speaker 3: That's the danger of SSRF. The book highlights how a
Speaker 3: hacker named Brett Buerhause use Google dorking and technique for
Speaker 3: finding vulnerable websites to find potential SSRF targets. He then
Speaker 3: exploited the vulnerability on Esia to query AWS metadata, exposing
Speaker 3: sensitive information about their cloud infrastructure.
Speaker 1: It's like finding a secret back door that gives you
Speaker 1: access to the entire building. So even seemingly harmless features
Speaker 1: like the ability to preview media from a URL can
Speaker 1: harbor dangerous vulnerabilities.
Speaker 3: And it highlights the importance of thoroughly validating user input
Speaker 3: and restricting server side requests to trusted domains.
Speaker 1: Wow, we've covered a lot of ground today, from injection
Speaker 1: attacks to template exploits to service side request forgery. We've
Speaker 1: explored a whole arsenal of hacking techniques and I'm starting
Speaker 1: to see how interconnected these vulnerabilities are.
Speaker 3: And we've only scratched the surface of what this book
Speaker 3: has to off.
Speaker 1: Well, listener, we're just getting started. Stay tuned for part
Speaker 1: two of this deep dive, where we'll explore how ethical
Speaker 1: hackers put this knowledge into practice to make the Internet
Speaker 1: a safer place for everyone.
Speaker 3: Absolutely looking forward to it. Welcome back. Last time we
Speaker 3: explored a range of Web vulnerabilities and how hackers exploit them.
Speaker 3: Now let's dive into how ethical hackers use this knowledge
Speaker 3: for good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right. It's not just about finding these weaknesses,
Speaker 1: but understanding how to fix them and make the Internet
Speaker 1: a safer place. So where do ethical hackers even begin?
Speaker 3: It all starts with reconnaissance, kind of like a detective
Speaker 3: gathering clues before cracking a case. Ethical hackers need to
Speaker 3: understand their target, the organization, it's systems, its online presence.
Speaker 1: So it's not just about like diving straight into the code.
Speaker 1: You need to do your homework first. What kind of
Speaker 1: information are we talking about?
Speaker 3: Everything helps identifying subdomains, mapping out the technology they use,
Speaker 3: even analyzing publicly available information like job postings or social
Speaker 3: media profiles. It's about building a comprehensive picture of your target.
Speaker 1: It sounds like you're piecing together a digital jigsaw puzzle.
Speaker 1: What tools help with this reconnaissance phase?
Speaker 3: The book mentions a few interesting ones. NOCPI, for instance,
Speaker 3: helps automate the process of finding subdomains. It scans a
Speaker 3: domain for potential subdomains that you might not even know exist,
Speaker 3: expanding the attack surface and potentially revealing hidden vulnerabilities.
Speaker 1: It's amazing how much information is out there, just waiting
Speaker 1: to be discovered. It's like panning for gold in the
Speaker 1: vast river of data. What other tools do ethical hackers use?
Speaker 3: Inumol is another great tool. It scrapes data from various
Speaker 3: sources like search engines and social media, acting like a
Speaker 3: super powered search engine for finding information related to your target.
Speaker 3: And don't underestimate the power of Google dorking, which uses
Speaker 3: advanced search operators to uncover sensitive information that's publicly accessible
Speaker 3: but often hidden in plain sight.
Speaker 1: So you're essentially a digital detective using all the tools
Speaker 1: at your disposal to gather evidence. Once you've gathered enough information,
Speaker 1: what's the next step.
Speaker 3: Once we have a good understanding of our target, the
Speaker 3: next step is to map out the functionality of the
Speaker 3: web application or system.
Speaker 1: We're looking at functionality mapping. It sounds like you're creating
Speaker 1: a blueprint of the application. Why is the step so important?
Speaker 3: It's about understanding how the application works, what features it offers,
Speaker 3: how those features interact, what happens when you input data,
Speaker 3: and how the server responds. It's about getting to know
Speaker 3: the application inside and out, so you're not.
Speaker 1: Just looking for obvious flaws. You're trying to understand the
Speaker 1: system's logic. It's flow. It's like learning the rules of
Speaker 1: a game before you start playing exactly.
Speaker 3: And during this phase you're also on the lookout for
Speaker 3: any clues that might suggest potential vulnerabilities. You might analyze
Speaker 3: error messages, look for unexpected behavior, or test the limits
Speaker 3: of input fields to see if they're properly validated.
Speaker 1: It sounds like a combination of exploration and experimentation, always
Speaker 1: being curious and looking for something that seems out of place.
Speaker 1: What kind of things would raise a red flag during.
Speaker 3: This process, Well, let's say you're testing an input field.
Speaker 3: Can you enter a bunch of random characters or special symbols?
Speaker 3: If the application crashes or displays a strange error message,
Speaker 3: that could be a sign that the input isn't being
Speaker 3: properly validated, and that could open the door to injection
Speaker 3: attacks like the ones we talked about earlier.
Speaker 1: It's like shaking a box to see if something rattles
Speaker 1: inside It's a simple test, but it can reveal a
Speaker 1: lot about the structure and security of the system. Once
Speaker 1: you've mapped out the functionality and identified some potential areas
Speaker 1: of interest, what happens next?
Speaker 3: Before we start poking and prodding for vulnerabilities, we need
Speaker 3: to understand the scope of our engagement.
Speaker 1: Scope. What do you mean by that?
Speaker 3: It's the volundaries of what we're allowed to test. If
Speaker 3: we're participating in a bug bounty program, the program will
Speaker 3: define the scope outlining which systems, applications, and domains are
Speaker 3: fair game for testing. It might also specify any restrictions
Speaker 3: on the types of testing we can perform.
Speaker 1: So it's like a set of rules making sure everyone's
Speaker 1: playing fair and stay within the agreed upon boundaries. What
Speaker 1: happens if you test something that's out of scope?
Speaker 3: That could get you disqualified from the program or even
Speaker 3: land you in legal trouble. Ethical hacking is all about
Speaker 3: responsible disclosure, and that includes respecting the rules and boundaries
Speaker 3: set by the organization.
Speaker 1: It makes sense you don't want to accidentally cause any
Speaker 1: harm or step on any toes. So let's say you've
Speaker 1: defined the scope, mapped out the functionality, and identified some
Speaker 1: potential vulnerabilities. Now it's time for the real hacking to begin.
Speaker 3: Right now, the real fun begins. It's time to put
Speaker 3: our knowledge and skills to the test.
Speaker 1: All right, let's talk tools and techniques. What are some
Speaker 1: of the essentials in an ethical hacker's toolkit.
Speaker 2: Two of the.
Speaker 3: Most popular and powerful tools are burp suite and zap Proxy.
Speaker 3: They're like superpowered browsers for hackers, allowing us to intercept, analyze,
Speaker 3: and manipulate the traffic between our browser.
Speaker 1: And the server, so you can see everything that's going
Speaker 1: on behind the scenes. Of like being in the control
Speaker 1: room of a website. What kind of things are you
Speaker 1: looking for in that traffic.
Speaker 3: We're looking for patterns, anomalies, anything that seems out of
Speaker 3: place or suspicious. We might analyze the headers, the cookies,
Speaker 3: the parameters, looking for weaknesses that we could exploit.
Speaker 1: It sounds like you're deciphering a secret code, looking for
Speaker 1: hidden messages and vulnerabilities.
Speaker 2: That's a great way to put it.
Speaker 3: Ethical hacking requires a combination of technical skills, creativity, and
Speaker 3: a good dose of curiosity. You need to be able
Speaker 3: to think like an attacker, anticipating their moves and finding
Speaker 3: those hidden weaknesses before they do.
Speaker 1: So it's a constant game of cat and mouse, always
Speaker 1: trying to stay one step ahead. But it's not just
Speaker 1: about using tools, right, What about manual testing? Why is
Speaker 1: that still important in this age of automation.
Speaker 3: Automated tools are great for finding common vulnerabilities, but they
Speaker 3: can't replace human intuition and creativity. Manual testing allows us
Speaker 3: to apply our knowledge and experience to uncover more subtle
Speaker 3: vulnerabilities that automated tools might miss. It's about thinking outside
Speaker 3: the box, trying unconventional approaches and challenging assumptions.
Speaker 1: So it's about using your brain as well as your tools.
Speaker 1: You're not just blindly running scans. You're actively engaging with
Speaker 1: the application, trying to understand its weaknesses and how to
Speaker 1: exploit them exactly.
Speaker 3: It's about being a problem solver, thinking critically and approaching
Speaker 3: each target strategically.
Speaker 1: It sounds incredibly challenging but also incredibly rewarding. You're not
Speaker 1: just finding bugs, you're helping to make the Internet a
Speaker 1: safer place for everyone. And of course there's the thrill
Speaker 1: of the hunt, the satisfaction of finding a vulnerability that
Speaker 1: no one else is discovered.
Speaker 3: That's definitely part of the appeal. There's a real sense
Speaker 3: of accomplishment when you uncover a critical vulnerability and know
Speaker 3: that you've potentially prevented a major security breach.
Speaker 1: So let's say you found a vulnerability. What happens next?
Speaker 1: You need to tell someone about it? Right, But how
Speaker 1: do you do that responsibly? What's the process for disclosing
Speaker 1: a vulnerability? That's right, We've talked about finding these vulnerabilities,
Speaker 1: but how do you disclose them responsibly? You can't just
Speaker 1: shout it from the rooftops.
Speaker 3: Right, definitely not. The book dedicates a whole chapter to
Speaker 3: this and really emphasizes understand and following the specific disclosure
Speaker 3: guidelines for each program or organization.
Speaker 1: So different programs have different rules. What kind of things
Speaker 1: do these guidelines usually cover?
Speaker 3: They usually specify things like how to submit a report,
Speaker 3: who to contact, what information to include, and how long
Speaker 3: to wait before making the vulnerability public. Okay, it's all
Speaker 3: about ensuring that the organization have time to fix the
Speaker 3: problem before it's exploited by malicious actors.
Speaker 1: That makes sense. You don't want to accidentally tip off
Speaker 1: the bad guys while you're trying to be the good guy.
Speaker 1: So what about the report itself. What makes a good
Speaker 1: vulnerability report?
Speaker 3: Clarity is key. A good report needs to be clear, concise,
Speaker 3: and easy to understand. It should include a descriptive title
Speaker 3: that summarizes the vulnerability right, a detailed description of how
Speaker 3: it works and its potential impact, step by step instructions
Speaker 3: on how to reproduce it, and any relevant proof of
Speaker 3: concept code or screenshots.
Speaker 1: So you're basically handing them a roadmap saying here's the problem,
Speaker 1: here's how to rec create it, and here's how serious
Speaker 1: it could be. Exactly, you're making it as easy as
Speaker 1: possible for them to understand and fix the issue.
Speaker 3: The goal is to help them resolve the vulnerability quickly
Speaker 3: and efficiently, not to create more work for them.
Speaker 1: Now. The book also mentions confirming the vulnerability before reporting it.
Speaker 1: Why is that so important?
Speaker 3: Submitting a false positive or an inaccurate report can damage
Speaker 3: your reputation as an ethical hacker. It also wastes the
Speaker 3: organization's time and resources, which could be better spent fixing
Speaker 3: real vulnerabilities.
Speaker 1: So it's like the Boy who Cried Wolf. If you
Speaker 1: keep reporting false alarms, people will stop taking you seriously.
Speaker 3: Right, It's important to be thorough and to double check
Speaker 3: your work before submitting a report. Make sure you can
Speaker 3: consistently reproduce the vulnerability and that you understand its potentially impact.
Speaker 1: Okay, so you've done your due diligence, submitted your report,
Speaker 1: and crickets. What happens if the organization doesn't respond?
Speaker 3: It happens sometimes The book recommends following up politely after
Speaker 3: a reasonable amount of time. Okay, but remember be patient
Speaker 3: and respectful. Bug Bounty program can get a lot of
Speaker 3: submissions and it might take some time for them to
Speaker 3: review and respond to each one.
Speaker 1: It's like waiting for a response to a job application.
Speaker 1: You don't want to pester them every day, but a
Speaker 1: gentle nudge after a few weeks is probably.
Speaker 3: Okay exactly, and it's important to use the designated channels
Speaker 3: for communication. Don't try to bypass the system or contact
Speaker 3: people directly, follow the rules and be professional.
Speaker 1: Makes sense, So patients and professionalism are key when dealing
Speaker 1: with organizations. Now you mentioned something earlier called signal, Can
Speaker 1: you explain that a little bit more on how it
Speaker 1: relates to ethical hacking.
Speaker 3: Signal is a metric used by platforms like hacker one
Speaker 3: to assess the quality and impact of vulnerability reports.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 3: It takes into account things like the severity of the vulnerability,
Speaker 3: the clarity of the report, and whether the report was resolved.
Speaker 1: So it's like a reputation score for hackers. The higher
Speaker 1: your signal, the more credible you are.
Speaker 3: Precisely, a high signal indicates a skilled and reliable ethical hacker,
Speaker 3: someone who consistently submits high quality reports and helps or
Speaker 3: organizations improve their security.
Speaker 1: So it's not just about finding the most vulnerabilities, it's
Speaker 1: about finding the right ones and reporting them effectively. Quality
Speaker 1: matters more than quantity in this field.
Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, and building a good signal can open doors
Speaker 3: to opportunities like private bug bounty programs, which offer exclusive
Speaker 3: access to test more sensitive systems and often have higher payouts.
Speaker 1: That's a great incentive to strive for excellence in your
Speaker 1: vulnerability reports. Now, the book wraps up with the section
Speaker 1: on tools for ethical hacking. We've already touched on burp
Speaker 1: suite and zip proxy, but what other tools are essential
Speaker 1: for any aspiring hacker.
Speaker 3: The book mentions a bunch of them, and they cover
Speaker 3: a wide range of functionality. You've got tools for reconnaissance
Speaker 3: and scanning like end map and showdand tools for exploiting
Speaker 3: vulnerabilities like squall map and metasploid, and tools for web
Speaker 3: application testing like burp suite and osp is app.
Speaker 1: It's a whole arsenal of digital tools. It sounds like
Speaker 1: ethical hacking requires a pretty diverse skill set. Where can
Speaker 1: someone even begin to learn all of this?
Speaker 3: The good news is that there are tons of resources available.
Speaker 3: The book recommends checking out the OAS website, which is
Speaker 3: a great source of information on web application security, as
Speaker 3: well as hacker Wan's activity feed, which showcases real world
Speaker 3: vulnerability reports and provides insights into how hackers think and operate.
Speaker 1: It's like having a window into the minds of the pros.
Speaker 1: That's incredible. What other resources do you recommend?
Speaker 3: There are also many security blogs, online communities, and even
Speaker 3: online courses where you can learn from experienced hackers and
Speaker 3: security professionals. The key is to be curious, to keep learning,
Speaker 3: and to practice your skills in a safe and ethical environment.
Speaker 1: So ethical hacking is a journey, not a destination. It's
Speaker 1: about constantly learning and evolving, just like the technology you're
Speaker 1: trying to protect.
Speaker 3: That's a great way to put it, and with the
Speaker 3: ever evolving landscape of technology, and security threats. Ethical hackers
Speaker 3: play a crucial role in making the Internet a safer
Speaker 3: place for everyone.
Speaker 1: Well listener. That concludes our deep dive into web hacking
Speaker 1: one oh one. We've covered a lot of ground today,
Speaker 1: from the basics of how how the Internet works to
Speaker 1: a wide range of hacking techniques and tools. Hopefully you've
Speaker 1: gained a deeper understanding of the world of ethical hacking
Speaker 1: and the importance of responsible disclosure. If you're interested in
Speaker 1: learning more, we highly recommend checking out the book itself.
Speaker 1: It's a fantastic resource for anyone interested in ethical hacking,
Speaker 1: whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out. And
Speaker 1: if you're feeling inspired to take your cybersecurity knowledge to
Speaker 1: the next level, don't forget to explore the resources mentioned
Speaker 1: in the book. There's a whole community of ethical hackers
Speaker 1: out there working together to make the Internet a safer
Speaker 1: place for everyone. Happy Hacking