Penetration testing and mitigation of vulnerabilities windows server

Cyber attack has become a major concern over the past few years. While the technical capability to attack has declined, hacking tools-both simple and comprehensive-are themselves evolving rapidly. Certain approaches are necessary to protect a system from cyber threats. This work engages with comprehensive penetration testing in order to find vulnerabilities in the Windows Server and exploit them. Some forms of method penetration testing have been used in this experiment, including reconnaissance probes, brute force attacks based on password guessing, implanting malware to create a backdoorfor escalating privileges, and flooding the target. This experiment was focused on gaining access in order to ascertainthe identities of hackers and thus better understand their methods and performed penetration testing to evaluate security flaws in the Windows Server, which is a famous OS for web applications. It is expected that this work will serve as aguideline for practitioners who want to prepare and protect their systems before putting them onlin

Ethical Hacking Using Penetration Testing

This thesis provides details of the hardware architecture and the software scripting, which are employed to demonstrate penetration testing in a laboratory setup. The architecture depicts an organizational computing asset or an environment.¬¬¬ With the increasing number of cyber-attacks throughout the world, the network security is becoming an important issue. This has motivated a large number of “ethical hackers” to indulge and develop methodologies and scripts to defend against the security attacks. As it is too onerous to maintain and monitor attacks on individual hardware and software in an organization, the demand for the new ways to manage security systems invoked the idea of penetration testing. Many research groups have designed algorithms depending on the size, type and purpose of application to secure networks [55]. In this thesis, we create a laboratory setup replicating an organizational infrastructure to study penetration testing on real time server-client atmosphere. To make this possible, we have used Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) as routing protocol as it is widely used in current networks. Moreover, BGP exhibits few vulnerabilities of its own and makes the security assessment more promising. Here, we propose (a) computer based attacks and (b) actual network based attacks including defense mechanisms. The thesis, thus, describes the way penetration testing is accomplished over a desired BGP network. The procedural generation of the packets, exploit, and payloads involve internal and external network attacks. In this thesis, we start with the details of all sub-fields in the stream of penetration testing, including their requirements and outcomes. As an informative and learning research, this thesis discusses the types of attacks over the routers, switches and physical client machines. Our work also deals with the limitations of the implementation of the penetration testing, discussing over the vulnerabilities of the current standards in the technology. Furthermore, we consider the possible methodologies that require attention in order to accomplish most efficient outcomes with the penetration testing. Overall, this work has provided a great learning opportunity in the area of ethical hacking using penetration testing

The zombies strike back: Towards client-side beef detection

A web browser is an application that comes bundled with every consumer operating system, including both desktop and mobile platforms. A modern web browser is complex software that has access to system-level features, includes various plugins and requires the availability of an Internet connection. Like any multifaceted software products, web browsers are prone to numerous vulnerabilities. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities can result in destructive consequences ranging from identity theft to network infrastructure damage. BeEF, the Browser Exploitation Framework, allows taking advantage of these vulnerabilities to launch a diverse range of readily available attacks from within the browser context. Existing defensive approaches aimed at hardening network perimeters and detecting common threats based on traffic analysis have not been found successful in the context of BeEF detection. This paper presents a proof-of-concept approach to BeEF detection in its own operating environment – the web browser – based on global context monitoring, abstract syntax tree fingerprinting and real-time network traffic analysis

Multifaceted Cybersecurity Analysis: Reconnaissance, Exploitation and Mitigation in a Controlled Network Environment

This report details a network penetration test in a simulated environment using GNS3, focusing on the configuration of routers, switches, and hosts. The project successfully identified and exploited network vulnerabilities, including FTP access, misconfigured sudo permissions, and SMB protocol weaknesses. The penetration testing process utilized tools like fping and nmap for reconnaissance and vulnerability scanning, revealing the importance of device configurations in network security. The project concluded with mitigation strategies, emphasizing the need for secure access, robust password policies, and security controls. The experience underscored the significance of continuous learning and adaptation in the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity. The project demonstrated the value of regular penetration testing in identifying and addressing network vulnerabilities, reinforcing the importance of proactive security measures in an enterprise environment

Analisa Serangan Vulnerabilities Terhadap Server Selama Periode WFH di Masa Pandemi Covid-19 Sebagai Prosedur Mitigasi

Semenjak terjadi Pandemi covid-19 Perusahaan yang berak dibidang retail sempat mengalami keterpurukan dampak dari peraturan pemerintan seperti PSBB(Peraturan Sosial berskala Besar )sehingga seluru aktifitas dilakukan dari rumah atau Work From Home (WFH). Untuk menunjang kegiatan dari perusahaan/instansi yang mempunyai berbagai macam sistem informasi dalam menjalankan kegiatan usaha dan operasionalnya. Sever ini menjadi salah satu yang paling penting di Perusahaan Retail. Pembukaan beberapa akses dari jaringan umum (internet) menuju ke Local Area Network (LAN). Keamanan jaringan LAN yang diakses dari jaringan umum biasanya merupakan masalah dari seorang administrator. Seringkali masalah keamanan baik jaringan dan seluruh sistem aplikasi maupun web server terabaikan hanya untuk memenuhi kegiatan operational berjalan lancar pengamanan baru disadari setelah terjadi bencana. Tanpa adanya pengamanan jaringan dan sistem aplikasi yang baik, penerapan teknologi secangih apapun akan sangat membahayakan perusahaan ,institusi atau organisasi itu sendiri. Maka dibutuhkan Analisa keamanan seluruh aktifitas ke dalam LAN, server ,perangkat lain untuk mencegah terjadinya Mitigasi serta untuk lebih mewaspadai keamanan server dari serangan Vulnarebilities. Berdasarkan latar belakang permasalahan yang ada, maka dibutuhkan analisa dengan menggunakan metode penetration testing. Sebagai bahan pendukung penelitian ini juga menggunakan pedoman dari modul CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) dan web resmi Acunetix. Pengujian penelitian ini adalah bertujuan untuk menemukan kelemahan server milik perusahaan/instasi yang ada. Permasalahan yang ditemukan setelah dilakukan pengujian, antara lain: kelemahan berhasil ditemukan cukup banyak dimana setiap kelemahan ini mempunyai penanganan yang berbeda, port yang seharusnya diblokir tapi dibuka secara bebas, dan IP public yang kurang penting sebaiknya ditutup aksesnya. Solusi yang disampaikan untuk mengangulangi permasalahan tersebut antara lain: Pemakaian standar Acunetix ini dapat dipertahankan dan dilanjutkan, pengujian jauh lebih baik bila dilakukan lebih dari 2 kali, melakukan upgrade SNMP yang lebih baru secara berkala, melakukan filter port yang rentan, meningkatkan tingkat keamanan server, migrasi antivirus yang berkualitas, upgrade sistem operasi yang sudah expired

Evaluating the Gasday Security Policy Through Penetration Testing and Application of the Nist Cybersecurity Framework

This thesis explores cybersecurity from the perspective of the Marquette University GasDay lab. We analyze three different areas of cybersecurity in three independent chapters. Our goal is to improve the cybersecurity capabilities of GasDay, Marquette University, and the natural gas industry. We present network penetration testing as a process of attempting to gain access to resources of GasDay without prior knowledge of any valid credentials. We discuss our method of identifying potential targets using industry standard reconnaissance methods. We outline the process of attempting to gain access to these targets using automated tools and manual exploit creation. We propose several solutions to those targets successfully exploited and recommendations for others. Next, we discuss GasDay Web and techniques to validate the security of a web-based GasDay software product. We use a form of penetration testing specifically targeted for a website. We demonstrate several vulnerabilities that are able to cripple the availability of the website and recommendations to mitigate these vulnerabilities. We then present the results of performing an inspection of GasDay Web code to uncover vulnerabilities undetectable by automated tools and make suggestions on their fixes. We discuss recommendations on how vulnerabilities can be mitigated or detected in the future. Finally, we apply the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to GasDay. We present the Department of Energy recommendations for the natural gas industry. Using these recommendations and the NIST Framework, we evaluate the overall cybersecurity maturity of the GasDay lab. We present several recommendations where GasDay could improve the maturity levels that are cost-effective and easy to implement. We identify several items missing from a cybersecurity plan and propose methods to implement them. The results of this thesis show that cybersecurity at a research lab is difficult. We demonstrate that even as a member of Marquette University, GasDay cannot rely on Marquette for cybersecurity. We show that the primary obstacle is lack of information - about cybersecurity and the assets GasDay controls. We make recommendations on how these items can be effectively created and managed

Security Aspects in Modern Web Applications

World Wide Webin taustalla olevat tekniikat kehitettiin alun perin helpottamaan tiedon jakamista. Tämä jaettu tieto oli aluksi muuttumatonta tai harvoin muuttuvaa, mutta webin yleistyminen muutti tilanteen. Yleistyminen teki web-selaimesta nopeasti yleismaailmallisen ohjelmiston sovellusten tuottamiselle ja käyttäjälle välittämiselle. Vaikka nämä web-sovelluksiksi kutsuttavat ohjelmistot olivat alkujaan työpöytäsovelluksia monin tavoin huonompia, muuttui tilanne nopeasti. Web-sovelluksissa käytettävät tekniikat, kuten JavaScript ja CSS, sekä webselainten moninaisuus muodostavat yhdessä erin aisten kysymysten sekamelskan, jota vastaavaa ei työpöytäsovelluksissa ole. Eräs tärkeä kysymys on, miten sovellusten käyttäjien lähettämä ja käyttämä tieto turvataan. Tässä diplomityössä tutkitaan ja kuvaterään web-sovelluksen tietoturvallisuutta ja tietoturvaratkaisuja. Arvioiminen vaatii tiet astä sekä yleisistä tietoturvallisuuskysymyksistä että erityisesti web-sovelluksiin liittyvistä kysymyksistä. Ensimmäisenä tutustutaan tietoturvallisuuden peruskysymyksiin ja käsitteisiin, joiden ymmärtäminen on välttämätöntä. Perusteiden jälkeen käsillään pääsynhallintaa ja sovellusohjelmistojen tietoturvallisuutta. Ensimmäinen osa päättyy web-sovellusten ja niihin liittyvien tietoturvallisuuskysymysten esittelyyn. Jälkimmäinen osa diplomity tä soveltaa käsiteltyjä teorioita ja menetelmiä erään web-sovelluksen tapaustutkimuksessa. Tapaustutkimuksessa kuvataan ja arvioidaan sovelluksen tietoturvallisuutta sekä lopuksi esitellään löydettyjä haavoittuvuuksia ja ratkaisuja näihin haavoittuvuuksiin. Vaikka joidenkin ohjelmistojen tietoturvallisuuden arviointimenetelmien soveltamisessa olikin ongelmia, saatiin tapaustutkimuksen tuloksena tärkeää tietoa heikkouksista ohjelmiston tietoturvallisuudessa ja hyviä esityksiä näiden heikkouksien poistamiseksi. Esitykset toteuttamalla parannettiin sekä nykyistä tietoturvallisuutta että vakuututtiin siitä, että heikkouksia esintyy jatkossa vähemmän.Technologies behind the World Wide Web were created initially to ease sharing of static data in form of web pages. Popularity of the Web grew rapidly and led to adoption of web browser as a universal client for application delivery. Though initially inferior to desktop applications, these applications have caught up with their desktop counterparts in features and usability. These applications, called web applications, use multiple web technologies such as JavaScript and CSS and this multiplicity of web technologies combined with multiplicity of web browsers creates a unique brew of issues not found on the desktop. One of these issues is how data send and used by the applications' users is protected. In this thesis, security in one mature web application is described and assessed. Such an assessment requires knowledge of information security aspects both in the broader sense concerning all information systems and in the sense of aspects specific to web applications. Therefore, first introduced are the fundamental concepts of information security, building blocks for all the other sections. The fundamentals are followed by discussion of access control and security aspects in applications. The background part is concluded by discussion of web applications in general and of security questions specific to them. The latter part explores and applies these theories and methods in a case study of a mature web application. The case study first describes, then evaluates the subject and its security and concludes with discussion of some of the found vulnerabilities and solutions to them. Although there were some problems in application of security assessment methods, assessment results provided valuable information on the application's weaknesses and improvement proposals. Implementation of the proposals both improved current security and also gave assurance of fewer weaknesses in the future

AUTOMATED PENETRATION TESTING

Penetration testing is used to search for vulnerabilities that might exist in a system. The testing usually involves simulating different types of attacks on the target system. This type of testing provides an organized and controlled way to identify security shortcomings. The resources and time required for comprehensive testing can make penetration testing cost intensive. Consequently, such tests are usually only performed during important milestones.In this project we have automated the penetration testing process for several protocol-based attacks. Our automated penetration testing application covers several attacks based on HTTP, SIP and TCP/IP. The objective of this work is to offer a fast, reliable and automated testing tool, which is also easier to use than existing tools