Summary

The first step in any methodology is often one of the most critical, and profiling is no exception. This chapter illustrated the process of profiling a web application and its associated infrastructure from the perspective of a malicious attacker.

First, we discussed identification of all applications- related infrastructure, the services they are running, and associated service banners. These are the initial strokes on the large canvas that we will begin to paint as the rest of this book unfolds.

Next, we covered the process of cataloging site structure, content, and functionality, laying the groundwork for all of the subsequent steps in the web application security assessment methodology described in this book. It is thus critical that the techniques discussed here are carried out consistently and comprehensively in order to ensure that no aspect of the target application is left unidentified. Many of the techniques we described require subtle alteration depending on the uniqueness of the target application, and as always, clever inductions on the part of the surveyor will lead to more complete results. Although much of the process of surveying an application involves making valid requests for exported resources, we did note several common practices and misconfigurations that can permit anonymous clients to gain more information than they should.

Finally, we discussed countermeasures to some of these practices and misconfigurations that can help prevent attackers from gaining their first valuable foothold in their climb towards complete compromise.

At this point, with knowledge of the make and model of web server software in play, the first thing a savvy intruder will seek to do is exploit an obvious vulnerability, often discovered during the process of profiling. We will cover tools and techniques for web platform compromise in Chapter 3. Alternatively, with detailed web application profile information now in hand, the attacker may seek to begin attacking the application itself, using techniques we discuss in Chapters 4 through 12.



Hacking Exposed Web Applications
HACKING EXPOSED WEB APPLICATIONS, 3rd Edition
ISBN: 0071740643
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 127

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net