Beyond Ethical Hacking - Advanced Software Security Training Course

Beyond solid knowledge in using security solutions of the applied technologies, even for experienced programmers it is essential to have a deep understanding of the typical attack techniques that are possible due the various vulnerabilities, i.e. security-relevant programming mistakes. This course approaches secure coding from the standpoint of attack techniques to learn software security best practices.

General web-based vulnerabilities are demonstrated through presenting the relevant attacks, while the recommended coding techniques and mitigation methods are explained with the most important aim to avoid the associated problems. Besides server side issues (basically following the OWASP Top Ten), a special focus is given to client-side security tackling security issues of JavaScript, Ajax and HTML5, which is followed by discussing web services and XML security. A brief introduction to the foundations of cryptography provides a common practical baseline for understanding the purpose and the operation of various algorithms.

Specifically for C and C++, we go into more details regarding the exploitation of buffer overflows on the stack and on the heap. After showing the attack techniques, we give an overview of practical protection methods that can be applied at different levels (hardware components, the operating system, programming languages, the compiler, the source code or in production) to prevent the occurrence of the various bugs, to detect them during development and before market launch, or to prevent their exploitation during system operation. Finally, we discuss counter attacks, and then counter-protection measures, highlighting the cat-and-mouse nature of hacking and protection.

Finally, the course explains the most frequent and severe programming flaws in general, by bringing examples in Java, .NET, C and C++ languages and platforms. Besides the typical bugs committed by the programmers, the introduced security vulnerabilities cover both language-specific issues and problems stemming from the runtime environment or the used libraries. All vulnerabilities and the relevant attacks are demonstrated through easy-to-understand exercises, followed by the recommended coding guidelines and the possible mitigation techniques.

Finally, we present security testing techniques and tools that can be applied to reveal the discussed vulnerabilities, along with the various techniques for reconnaissance, configuration and hardening of the environment.

Participants attending this course will

• Understand basic concepts of security, IT security and secure coding
• Learn Web vulnerabilities beyond OWASP Top Ten and know how to avoid them
• Learn client-side vulnerabilities and secure coding practices
• Understand security concepts of Web services
• Have a practical understanding of cryptography
• Realize the severe consequences of unsecure buffer handling
• Understand the architectural protection techniques and their weaknesses
• Learn about typical coding mistakes and how to exploit them
• Be informed about recent vulnerabilities in various platforms, frameworks and libraries
• Learn essential vulnerability analysis and testing techniques and tools
• Get sources and further readings on secure coding practices

Audience

Developers