Improving the effectiveness of web application vulnerability scanning

Using web application vulnerability scanners is very appealing as they promise to detect vulnerabilities with minimal configuration effort. However, using them effectively in practice is often difficult. Two of the main reasons for this are limitations with respect to crawling capabilities and problems to perform authenticated scans. In this paper, we present JARVIS, which provides technical solutions that can be applied to a wide range of vulnerability scanners to overcome these limitations and to significantly improve their effectiveness. To evaluate JARVIS, we applied it to five freely available vulnerability scanners and tested the vulnerability detection performance in the context of seven deliberately insecure web applications. A first general evaluation showed that by using the scanners with JARVIS, the number of detected vulnerabilities can be increased by more than 100% on average compared to using the scanners without JARVIS. A significant fraction of the additionally detected vulnerabilities is security-critical, which means that JARVIS provides a true security benefit. A second, more detailed evaluation focusing on SQL injection and cross-site scripting vulnerabilities revealed that JARVIS improves the vulnerability detection performance of the scanners by 167% on average, without increasing the fraction of reported false positives. This demonstrates that JARVIS not only manages to greatly improve the vulnerability detection rate of these two highly security-critical types of vulnerabilities, but also that JARVIS is very usable in practice by keeping the false positives reasonably low. Finally, as the configuration effort to use JARVIS is small and as the configuration is scanner- independent, JARVIS also supports using multiple scanners in parallel in an efficient way. In an additional evaluation, we therefore analyzed the potential and limitations of using multiple scanners in parallel. This revealed that using multiple scanners in a reasonable way is indeed beneficial as it further increases the number of detected vulnerabilities without a significant negative impact on the reported false positives

Exploiting the potential of web application vulnerability scanning

Using automated web application vulnerability scanners so that they truly live up to their potential is difficult. Two of the main reasons for this are limitations with respect to crawling capabilities and problems to perform authenticated scans. In this paper, we present JARVIS, which provides technical solutions that can be applied to a wide range of vulnerability scanners to overcome these limitations. Our evaluation shows that by using JARVIS, the vulnerability detection performance of five freely available scanners can be improved by more than 100% compared to using them in their basic configuration. As the configuration effort to use JARVIS is small and the configurations are scanner-independent, JARVIS also allows to use multiple scanners in parallel in an efficient way. In an additional evaluation, we therefore analyzed the potential and limitations of using multiple scanners in parallel. This revealed that using multiple scanners in a reasonable way is indeed beneficial as it increases the number of detected vulnerabilities without a significant negative impact on the reported false positives

Automated black box detection of HTTP GET request-based access control vulnerabilities in web applications

Automated and reproducible security testing of web applications is getting more and more important, driven by short software development cycles and constraints with respect to time and budget. Some types of vulnerabilities can already be detected reasonably well by automated security scanners, e.g., SQL injection or cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. However, other types of vulnerabilities are much harder to uncover in an automated way. This includes access control vulnerabilities, which are highly relevant in practice as they can grant unauthorized users access to security-critical data or functions in web applications. In this paper, a practical solution to automatically detect access control vulnerabilities in the context of HTTP GET requests is presented. The solution is based on previously proposed ideas, which are extended with novel approaches to enable completely automated access control testing with minimal configuration effort that enables frequent and reproducible testing. An evaluation using four web applications based on different technologies demonstrates the general applicability of the solution and that it can automatically uncover most access control vulnerabilities while keeping the number of false positives relatively low

Automating the detection of access control vulnerabilities in web applications

The importance of automated and reproducible security testing of web applications is growing, driven by increasing security requirements, short software development cycles, and constraints with respect to time and budget. Existing automated security testing tools are already well suited to detect some types of vulnerabilities, e.g., SQL injection or cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. However, other vulnerability types are much harder to uncover in an automated way. One important representative of this type are access control vulnerabilities, which are highly relevant in practice as they can grant unauthorized users access to security-critical data or functions in web applications. In this paper, a practical solution to automatically detect HTTP GET request-based access control vulnerabilities in web applications is presented. The solution is based on previously proposed ideas, which are extended with novel approaches to enable completely automated access control testing with minimal configuration effort, which in turn enables frequent and reproducible testing. An evaluation with seven web applications based on different technologies demonstrates the general applicability of the solution and that it can automatically uncover most access control vulnerabilities while keeping the number of false positives low

Betting on Yourself: A Decision Model for Human Resource Allocation Enriched With Self-Assessment of Soft Skills and Preferences

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ELECTRA for Neural Coreference Resolution in Italian

In recent years, the impact of Neural Language Models has changed every field of Natural Language Processing. In this scenario, coreference resolution has been among the least considered task, especially in language other than English. This work proposes a coreference resolution system for Italian, based on a neural end-to-end architecture integrating ELECTRA language model and trained on OntoCorefIT, a novel Italian dataset built starting from OntoNotes. Even if some approaches for Italian have been proposed in the last decade, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first neural coreference resolver aimed specifically to Italian. The performance of the system is evaluated with respect to three different metrics and also assessed by replacing ELECTRA with the widely-used BERT language model, since its usage has proven to be effective in the coreference resolution task in English. A qualitative analysis has also been conducted, showing how different grammatical categories affect performance in an inflectional and morphological-rich language like Italian. The overall results have shown the effectiveness of the proposed solution, providing a baseline for future developments of this line of research in Italian

NSHT: New Smart Hybrid Transducer for Structural and Geotechnical Applications

This work describes the application of a new transducer prototype for continuous monitoring in both the structural and geotechnical fields. The transducer is synthetically constituted by a wire of optical fiber embedded between two fiber tapes (fiberglass or carbon fiber) and glued by a matrix of polyester resin. The fiber optical wire ends have been connected to a control unit whose detection system is based on Brillouin optical time-domain frequency analysis. Three laboratory tests were carried out to evaluate the sensor's reliability and accuracy. In each experiment, the transducer was applied to a sample of inclinometer casing sets in different configurations and with different constraint conditions. The experimental collected data were compared with theoretical models and with data obtained from the use of different measuring instruments to perform validation and calibration of the transducer at the same time. Several diagrams can compare the transducer and highlight its suitability for the monitoring and maintenance of structures. The characteristic of the transducer suggests its use as a mixed system for reinforcing and monitoring, especially in the lifetime maintenance of critical infrastructures such as transportation and service networks, and historical heritag

Glucose Sensing by Time-Resolved Fluorescence of Sol-Gel Immobilized Glucose Oxidase

A monolithic silica gel matrix with entrapped glucose oxidase (GOD) was constructed as a bioactive element in an optical biosensor for glucose determination. Intrinsic fluorescence of free and immobilised GOD was investigated in the visible range in presence of different glucose concentrations by time-resolved spectroscopy with time-correlated single-photon counting detector. A three-exponential model was used for analysing the fluorescence transients. Fractional intensities and mean lifetime were shown to be sensitive to the enzymatic reaction and were used for obtaining calibration curve for glucose concentration determination. The sensing system proposed achieved high resolution (up to 0.17 mM) glucose determination with a detection range from 0.4 mM to 5 mM

Developmental pathways to autism: a review of prospective studies of infants at risk

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Symptoms of ASD likely emerge from a complex interaction between pre-existing neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities and the child's environment, modified by compensatory skills and protective factors. Prospective studies of infants at high familial risk for ASD (who have an older sibling with a diagnosis) are beginning to characterize these developmental pathways to the emergence of clinical symptoms. Here, we review the range of behavioral and neurocognitive markers for later ASD that have been identified in high-risk infants in the first years of life. We discuss theoretical implications of emerging patterns, and identify key directions for future work, including potential resolutions to several methodological challenges for the field. Mapping how ASD unfolds from birth is critical to our understanding of the developmental mechanisms underlying this disorder. A more nuanced understanding of developmental pathways to ASD will help us not only to identify children who need early intervention, but also to improve the range of interventions available to them

Minimally invasive spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy: real-world data from the italian national registry of minimally invasive pancreatic surgery

Aim: Minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy has become the standard of care for benign and low malignant lesions. Spleen preservation in this setting has been proposed to reduce surgical trauma and long-term sequelae. The aim of the current study is to present real-world data on indications, techniques, and outcomes of spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (SPDP). Methods: Patients who underwent SPDP and distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy (DPWS) were extracted from the 2019-2022 Italian National Registry for Minimally Invasive Pancreatic Surgery (IGoMIPS). Perioperative and pathological data were collected. Results: One hundred and ten patients underwent SPDP and five hundred and seventy-eight underwent DPWS. Patients undergoing SPDP were significantly younger (56 vs. 63.5 years; P < 0.001). Seventy-six percent of SPDP cases were performed in six out of thirty-four IGoMIPS centers. SPDP was performed predominantly for Neuroendocrine Tumors (43.6% vs.23.5%; P < 0.001) and for smaller lesions (T1 57.6% vs. 29.8%; P < 0.001). The conversion rate was higher in the case of DPWS (7.6% vs. 0.9%; P = 0.006), even when pancreatic cancer was ruled out (5.0% vs. 0.9%; P = 0.045). The robotic approach was most commonly used for SPDP (50.9% vs. 29.7%; P < 0.001). No difference in postoperative outcomes and length of stay was observed between the two groups, as well as between robotic and laparoscopic approaches in the SPDP group. A trend toward a lower rate of postoperative sepsis was observed after SPDP (0.9% vs. 5.2%; P = 0.056). In 84.7% of SPDP, splenic vessels were preserved (Kimura procedure) without an impact on short-term postoperative outcomes. Conclusion: In this registry analysis, SPDP was feasible and safe. The Kimura procedure was prevalent over the Warshaw procedure. The typical patient undergoing SPDP was young with a neuroendocrine tumor at an early stage. Robotic assistance was used more frequently for SPDP than for DPWS