Quantitative assessment on remote code execution vulnerability in web apps

With the exponential increasing use of online tools, applications that are being made for day to day purpose by small and large industries, the threat of exploitation is also increasing. Remote Code Execution (RCE) is one of the top most critical and serious web applications vulnerability of this era and one of the major concerns among cyber threats ,which can exploit web servers through their functionalities and using their scripts/files. RCE is an application layer vulnerability caused by careless coding practice which leads to a huge security breach that may bring unwanted resource loss or damages. Attacker may execute malicious code and take complete control of the targeted system with the privileges of an authentic user with this vulnerability. Attackers can attempt to advance their privileges after gaining access to the system. Remote Code Execution can lead to a full compromise of the vulnerable web application as well as the web server. This chapter highlights the concern and risk needed to put under consideration caused by RCE vulnerability of a system. Moreover, this study and its findings will help application developers and its stakeholders to understand the risk of data compromise and unauthorized access of the system. Around 1011 web applications were taken under consideration and experiment was done by following manual double blinded penetration testing strategy. The experiments shows that more than 12% web application were found vulnerable with RCE. This study also explicitly listed down the critical factors of Remote Code Execution vulnerability and improper input handling. The experimental results are promising to motivate developers to focus on security enhancement through proper and safe input handling

Solid-state Synthesis of Phase Pure CuBi2O4 by Sequential Ball Milling

Bismuth-based metal oxides are an intriguing class of photoelectrode materials that can potentially enable large-scale solar hydrogen production via photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting. For realizing such PEC devices, Kusachiite (copper bismuth oxide) is one of the most promising photocathode materials for high solar to hydrogen efficiency. Here we attempt to synthesize phase pure copper bismuth oxide (CuBi2O4) nanopowders using a facile solid-state reaction technique subsequently sintered at 750 0C for 4 h in air. These CuBi2O4 (CBO) powders have been further sequentially ball milled (SBM) up to 25 h to elucidate the milling duration effect on the optical bandgap of the ball milled CuBi2O4 (SBM-CBO). The structural, optical, and Raman studies suggest that phase pure tetragonal CBO could be grown from raw CuO and Bi2O3 powders. The variations in morphology and chemical composition of CBO with increasing milling hours were examined using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis, respectively. The optical bandgap was measured in the range of 1.70 - 1.85 eV from the UV-VIS-NIR Diffuse reflection data of SBM-CBO powders. The CBO photocathode materials with variable structural and optical properties could be a promising candidate for self-sustained PEC generation of hydrogen fuel.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, 2022 4th International Conference on Sustainable Technologies for Industry 4.0 (STI

pH dependent electro-oxidation of arsenite on gold surface: Relative kinetics and sensitivity

A detailed kinetic investigation of As(III) oxidation was performed on gold surface within pH between ∼3.0 and ∼9.0. It was found that the As(III) oxidation on the gold surface follows a purely adsorption-controlled process irrespective of pH. The evaluated adsorption equilibrium constant decreased from 3.21 × 105 to 1.61 × 105 mol L−1 for acidic to basic medium, which implies the strong affinity of the arsenic species in the acidic medium. Besides, the estimation of Gibbs free energy revealed that an acidic medium promotes arsenic oxidation on gold surface. In mechanistic aspect, the oxidation reaction adopts a stepwise pathway for acidic medium and a concerted pathway for neutral and basic medium. From the substantial kinetic evaluation, it is established that a conducive and compatible environment for the oxidation of arsenic was found in an acidic medium rather than a basic or neutral medium on gold surface. Besides, in sensitivity concern, neutral and highly acidic medium is quite favourable for the arsenite oxidation on gold surface

Phytochemical-Assisted Synthesis of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles and Evaluation of Their Catalytic Activity

In this study, magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) were synthesized using Baccaurea ramiflora leaf extracts and characterized by visual observation, UV–Vis, FTIR, XRD, FESEM, and EDS. The UV−Vis spectrum showed continuous absorption at 300–500 nm, confirming the formation of Fe3O4 NPs. FTIR revealed that compounds containing the O-H group act as reducing agents during Fe3O4 NPs formation. Agglomerated spherical NPs were observed in the FESEM image. The prominent peak at ~6.4 keV in the EDS spectrum ascertained the existence of Fe, while the sharp peak at ~0.53 keV confirmed the presence of elemental oxygen. XRD patterns affirmed the crystalline nature. The size of as-synthesized NPs was observed to be 8.83 nm. The catalytic activity of Fe3O4 NPs for the reduction of methylene blue (MB) dye was monitored by UV–Vis. The maximum absorption peak of MB dye at 664 nm was almost diminished within 20 min, which revealed Fe3O4 NPs could be an excellent catalyst for wastewater treatment

Assessing the Quality and Coverage of Maternal Postnatal Care in Bangladesh: A Comparative Analysis of Quality Postnatal Care among Home and Facility Births

Background: Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality, yet postpartum deaths remain a significant issue. Emphasis on quality postnatal care (qPNC) is crucial, as increased coverage alone has not sufficiently reduced maternal morbidity and mortality. Methods: This study included data from the Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey of 32,106 mothers who delivered within three years prior to the survey. Descriptive statistics were used to report coverage and components of postnatal care stratified by covariates. Log-linear regression models were used to assess the determinants of quality postnatal care among facility and home births. Results: From 2010 to 2016, postnatal care coverage within 48 h of delivery by a qualified provider rose from 23% to 47%. Of the births, 94% were facility births that received timely PNC, contrasted with only 6% for home births. Despite the increased coverage, quality of care remained as low as 1% for home births and 13% for facility births. Key factors affecting qPNC utilization included socio-demographic factors, pregnancy complications, type of birth attendant, delivery method, and financial readiness. Conclusion: Importantly, deliveries assisted by skilled birth attendants correlated with higher quality postnatal care. This study reveals a significant gap between the coverage and quality of postnatal care in rural Bangladesh, especially for home births. It underscores the need for targeted interventions to enhance qPNC.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCPopulation and Public Health (SPPH), School ofReviewedFacultyResearche

Physicochemical, Pharmacokinetic and Cytotoxicity of the Compounds Isolated from an Endophyte <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i>: In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

The present study was intended to characterize the secondary metabolites of the endophyte Fusarium oxysporum isolated from the plant Aglaonema hookerianum Schott. And to investigate the cytotoxic and other pharmacological properties of the isolated compounds as part of the drug discovery and development process. Different chromatographic techniques were adopted to isolate the bioactive compounds that were identified by spectroscopic techniques. The cytotoxic properties of the compounds were assessed in the Vero cell line via the trypan blue method. Moreover, physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, bioactivity and toxicity profiles of the compounds were also investigated through in silico approaches. After careful spectral analysis, the isolated compounds were identified as 3β,5α-dihydroxy-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (1), 3β,5α,9α-trihydroxy-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (2), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (3), 3-(R)-7-butyl-6,8-dihydroxy-3-pent-11-enylisochroman-1-one (4) and beauvericin (5). An in vitro study in the Vero cell line revealed that the presence of the compounds reduced the number of cells, as well as the percentage of viable cells, in most cases. An in silico cytotoxic analysis revealed that compounds 1, 2 and 5 might be explored as cytotoxic agents. Moreover, compounds 3 and 4 were found to be highly mutagenic. The present study suggested that further thorough investigations are necessary to use these molecules as leads for the cytotoxic drug development process

Influence of Ni substitution on structural, morphological, dielectric, magnetic and optical properties of Cu–Zn ferrite by double sintering sol–gel technique

Polycrystalline NiCuZn ferrite (NixCu0.3Zn0.7−xFe2O4; x=0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) were prepared through sol–gel auto combustion method applying double sintering technique. Structural, morphological, elemental analyses (EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Direct Current (DC) electrical resistivity, dielectric, magnetic and optical properties of prepared samples were analyzed. XRD profiles reveal the formation of simple cubic spinel structure without any traceable impurity. The average crystallite size lies within the range of 22–29nm. Lattice parameter decreases with increasing Ni concentration. Room temperature DC resistivity was recorded from 6.39×105 to 3.79×105Ωcm. Both dielectric constant (ε̇) and loss factor (tanδ) were decreased with increase of frequency while AC conductivity increases. FTIR absorption peak occurred at three different frequency ranges at 570–577cm−1, 1635–1662cm−1 and 3439–3448cm−1. Magnetic properties were investigated by using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Decreasing trends were observed for saturation magnetization (Ms), magnetic coercivity (Hc) and remanant magnetization (Mr) with the increase of Ni content. Optical band gap (∼2.70–2.79eV) were calculated from diffuse reflectance data by using Kubelka–Munk function