LOGIN | REGISTER NOW | SUBSCRIBE
 
print Printable version 
Most Read Latest News Blog Resources
Mono brings .NET to Android
At Microsoft MIX, Mono will unveil the ability to port .NET applications to the Android op...

Does Windows cost Microsoft opportunities?
Microsoft's decision to focus .NET on Windows is stifling innovation due to the specter of...

Scrum Planning Board adds automation to Axosoft OnTime
Illustrations are also included to assist Scrum-using developers a better view of what the...

Digg!  Digg
Reddit  Reddit
Slashdot  Slashdot
Share on facebook  Facebook
Share on Twitter  Twitter

Veracode Tightens Guard at Backdoor


Software-as-a-service tool handles new forms of intrusions

By Jeff Feinman
January 15, 2008 — 
Veracode has updated its SecurityReview software security testing service to offer new back-door detection capabilities.

Veracode executives say it can take several weeks to discover a back door inserted into software, leaving the application vulnerable to intruders. The new version of SecurityReview, released in mid-December, provides better detection of back-door intrusions and malicious code, according to Veracode. SecurityReview is a software-as-a-service security offering that Veracode officials claim is the industry’s first on-demand security services on the market.

Some of the back-door techniques that the updated Veracode service can help guard against include special credential back doors, which occur when an attacker inserts logic and special credentials into the program code, and hidden functionality back doors, which allow attackers to issue commands without proper authentication, Veracode officials said.

“The special credential back door is definitely the most commonly found, and it could be because it’s fairly simple,” said Chris Wysopal, CTO of Veracode. “At some point, it goes through the normal authorization functionality of the program, so you can trace back from there to find static values in the program.

“The hidden functionality is a little bit more difficult to find. We look for signs that someone is trying to obfuscate the changes they made to the code. This is a common technique people use. Instead of putting the password in an embedded string, they might make it look like it’s random data, and when data is obfuscated within the binary, that sort of raises the flag in our analysis that there could be something there.”

Wysopal said that one common hidden functionality technique that Veracode frequently finds in customer code is when debugged code is left enabled in the binary; whether intentional or otherwise, it's still a large vulnerability, he said.

The updated Veracode service also defends against rootkits, which can signal that a back door may be present. Rootkits can subvert functions of the operating system and are used to hide back doors. Additionally, Veracode can now scan for unintended network activity such as listening on undocumented ports, making outbound connections to establish a command and control channel, or leaking sensitive information over the network via SMTP, HTTP or other protocols.

Wysopal said that code audits are a good way to find back doors, but that automated activities can also be a great help in uncovering them. Simply prepping the source base for back-door vulnerabilities can serve as a useful test before building an application, he added.


Share this link: http://www.sdtimes.com/link/31663
 

Add comment


Name*
Email*  
Country     


  • Comment
  • Preview
Loading



 
 
 
 
News on Monday
more>>
SharePoint Tech Report
more>>


   

 
 
Download Current Issue
ISSUE 3/15/2010 PDF

Need Back Issues?
DOWNLOAD HERE

Receive the print Edition?


 
blogs tab
Google Code turns 5
Google Code Turns 5, and adds a Paxos Algorithm to make the system more stable and reliable.
03/17/2010 11:16 AM EST

Test your Visual Studio 2010 know-how
Microsoft is offering free beta certification exams for Visual Studio 2010.
03/17/2010 11:08 AM EST

Microsoft lifts the hood on IE9
Microsoft is previewing IE9.
03/16/2010 01:10 PM EST

 

Events calendar tab
EclipseCon
3/22/2010 to 3/25/2010
Santa Clara, Calif.
The Eclipse Foundation

DevConnections
4/12/2010 to 4/14/2010
Las Vegas
Penton Media

MySQL Conf. and Expo
4/12/2010 to 4/15/2010
Santa Clara, Calif.
O'Reilly Media

High Performance Computing Linux Financial Markets
4/19/2010
New York City
Flagg Management

Informix User Conf.
4/25/2010 to 4/28/2010
Overland Park, Kans.
IIUG