5.

1  Vulnerability Scans
VULNERABILITY  Vulnerability Scanning Tools

SCANNING  Scanner Output and Reports

 A weakness that might be exploitable
 Can occur anywhere in the network:
 People
 Processes
 Technology

 You can have vulnerabilities that you are not aware of

 You can have known vulnerabilities that no one has yet created an exploit for
 Misconfigurations
 Not applying secure settings or configuring per best practices
 No firewall, no anti-virus, etc.

 Leaving defaults in place

 Configurations
 Passwords
 Services

 Buffer overflows
 Not patching against known code weaknesses

 Unpatched systems
 Not applying security updates from the vendor
 Design flaws
 Software that had a hurried development process with insufficient built-in security

 OS flaws
 Vulnerabilities discovered in the operating system

 Application flaws
 Vulnerabilities discovered in an application, or services that ship with an OS

 Open services
 Services that freely permit client connections with no authentication or security controls

 User-based vulnerabilities
 User susceptibility to social engineering, lack of training or awareness

 Process-based vulnerabilities
 Security gaps in a business process that might allow exploitation by an attacker
 You can scan for vulnerabilities and/or compliance
 Should include both physical and virtual systems (VMs, containers)
 Tools are typically automated and include host discovery and port scanning as part of
the scan
 Some tools only “rattle the door knob” to see if the vulnerability exists
 They do not attempt to actually exploit the vulnerability

 Some tools also attempt to exploit the vulnerability and provide proof
 Such as a stolen file, obtaining a shell (command prompt), etc.

 Most tools refer to discovered vulnerabilities by CVE number

 They provide links to additional information and recommendations

 Most tools have reporting capabilities

 Some tools use standardized output that you can import into another tool for additional
validation
 Passive scanning
 Observation
 Passive sniffing

 Active scanning
 Send probes and specially crafted requests to targets
 Host discovery – see what hosts are live
 Port scan and service enumeration – see what open ports, services, and versions exist on the hosts
 “Rattle the doorknob”
 See if the OS or service responds in a way that suggests it is susceptible to a specific attack
 Need not include actually launching the attack and compromising the device
 That is usually done in a penetration test

 Credentialed scans
 You provide the scanner with authentication credentials for the various systems it will scan
 The scanner logs into the systems to retrieve their configuration information and log data
 Uncredentialed scans are generally unable to detect many vulnerabilities on a device
 The rely on external resources for configuration settings that can be altered or incorrect
 Host-based  Cloud-based
 OS  Comprehensive solutions
 Services  Emulated attacks
 Apps  Good for DevSecOps
 Versions  Often use AI for advanced analysis
 Patch levels
 Depth assessment
 Defaults and misconfigurations
 Fuzzers
 Network-based  Look for previously unknown vulnerabilities
 Protocols
 Ports
 ACLs / firewall rules / IDS/IPS
 Follows an inference-based approach  Can be automated
 Assess vulnerabilities depending on the
 Signature database regularly updated
inventory of protocols in the environment
 Supports different network/host types
 Inventories protocols
 Suggests proper remedies and workarounds
 Detects open ports
 Imitates outside attackers
 Identifies services behind the ports
 Creates actionable, customizable reports
 Checks for vulnerabilities
 Includes trends and categorizes by severity
 Validates vulnerabilities
 Just a start
 Only one part of a larger penetration test

 Tools only look for known signatures

 Automated tools can produce a lot of false positives
 Automated tools focus on technology
 You will need a skilled pentester to also evaluate vulnerabilities in people and processes

 Requires a pen test to determine if the system can truly be compromised

 Can destabilize fragile systems/interfere with normal operations
 Likely to be incomplete if uncredentialed
 OpenVAS  ImmuniWeb  Kiuwan Code Security

 Tripwire IP360  SolarWinds  Acunetix

 Nessus  Intruder  Invicti

 Nexpose  Core Impact  Hakware Archangel

 Comodo HackerProof  SecPod SanerNow  Runecast Analyzer

 Vulnerability Manager Plus  ManageEngine  Astra Pentest

 Nikto  Paessler  Qualsys

 Retina  CrowdStrike Falcon  Aqua

 A popular scripting language
 Can be installed on any platform
 Including Linux, Windows, macOS
iOS and Android
 You can write a script to:
 Perform customized vulnerability scanning
 Automate tasks
 Parse results

 Used in some commercial scanning tools

 GitHub has many Python hacking tools that
you can download

Python is only one example of a programming language

that you can use to create your own hacking tools.
from socket import *
import time
startTime = time.time()

if __name__ == '__main__':
target = input('Enter the host to be scanned: ')
t_IP = gethostbyname(target)
print ('Starting scan on host: ', t_IP)

for i in range(50, 500):

s = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM)

conn = s.connect_ex((t_IP, i))

if(conn == 0) :
print ('Port %d: OPEN' % (i,))
s.close()
print('Time taken:', time.time() - startTime)
 A multi-purpose framework of specifications supporting:
 Automated configuration
 Vulnerability and patch checking
 Technical control compliance
 Security measurement

 Used by the NVD

 SCAP is an industry standard
 SCAP scanners are typically used to test a system for compliance
 You are creating baseline system images
 The images will be used to remediate vulnerabilities found in different
operating systems
 Before any of the images can be deployed, they must be scanned for malware
and vulnerabilities
 You must ensure the configurations meet industry-standard benchmarks and
that the baselining creation process can be repeated frequently
 Use an operating system SCAP plugin to check the OS against known good
baselines
 Usually includes:
 Dashboard with summaries
 Details for each device

 Output for both physical and virtual hosts

 Device names, types, IP addresses, MAC addresses
 Device OS version
 Open TCP and UPD ports
 Installed applications and services
 Discovered vulnerabilities, insecure default settings and misconfigurations
 Accounts with weak or default passwords
 Files and folders with weak permissions
 Technology- or device-specific issues
 Missing patches and hotfixes
 End-of-Life / End-of-Service software information
 Higher-end scanning tools will separate the report into:
 Executive summary
 Technical details

 May include CVE and CVSS references

 Should include recommendations to correct/mitigate discovered issues
 True Positive
 The scanner detects a vulnerability
 The vulnerability actually exists on the scanned system
 The scan did its job!

 True Negative
 The scanner does not detect a vulnerability
 The vulnerability really does not exist on the scanned system
 This is our preferred result!

 False Positive
 The scanner detects a vulnerability
 But the vulnerability does not actually exist on the scanned system
 Too many of these can be annoying!

 False Negative
 The scanner does not detect a vulnerability
 But the vulnerability actually exists on the scanned system
 This is the worst result!
 Executive Summary  Vulnerability Classification
 Major findings  Typically includes CVE references

 Scan information (tools used,  Threat Assessment

scope)
 Recommendations
 Target information
 Summary
 Results
 Target details
 Node
 OS
 Services / ports
 Date
 Modules used
 Outcomes
 5.2  Overview

VULNERABILITY  CVSS
 CVE
ASSESSMENT  Vulnerability Research
 A comprehensive assessment of a system’s ability to withstand attack
 Includes the use of automated vulnerability scanning tools
 Part of the overall security audit

 Should also assess non-technical vulnerabilities (people, processes)

 Should produce an actionable report
 Open framework for communicating characteristics and impacts of IT vulnerabilities
 Uses three groups of metrics for measuring vulnerabilities:
 Base metrics - inherent qualities of a vulnerability
 Temporal metrics - features that keep changing during vulnerability lifetime
 Environmental metrics - vulnerabilities based on a particular environment or
implementation
 1 (lowest) - 10 (most severe) scoring
 Recorded in National Vulnerability Database
The Attack Vector metric is scored in one of four levels:

 Network (N)
 Vulnerabilities with this rating are remotely exploitable, from one or more hops away, up to,
and including, remote exploitation over the Internet
 Adjacent (A)
 A vulnerability with this rating requires network adjacency for exploitation
 The attack must be launched from the same physical or logical network
 The attacker must have access to the local network that the system is connected to

 Local (L)
 Vulnerabilities with this rating are not exploitable over a network
 The attacker must access the system locally, remotely (via protocol like SSH or RDP)
 Or requires use of social engineering or other techniques to trick an unsuspecting user to help
initiate the exploit
 Physical (P)
 In this type of attack, the adversary must physically interact with the target system
 The Attack Complexity metric indicates conditions beyond the attacker’s control
 These conditions must exist in order to exploit the vulnerability
 Most commonly, this refers to either required user interaction, or specific configurations
of the target system
 The Attack Complexity metric is scored as either Low or High:
 Low (L)
 There are no specific pre-conditions required for exploitation
 High (H)
 There are conditions beyond the attackers control for successful attack
 For this type of attack, the attacker must complete some number of preparatory steps in order to
get access
 This might include gather reconnaissance data, overcoming mitigations, or becoming a man-in-
the-middle
 This metric is exactly as it sounds, describing the level of privileges, or access, an
attacker must have before successful exploit
 Privileges requires falls under three ratings:
 None (N)
 There is no privilege or special access required to conduct the attack
 Low (L)
 The attacker requires basic, “user” level privileges to leverage the exploit
 High (H)
 Administrative or similar access privileges are required for successful attack

For additional information on CVSS metrics see

https://www.balbix.com/insights/base-cvss-scores/
 nvd.nist.gov
 US government repository of standards-based vulnerability management data
 Uses Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP)
 Suite of specifications for automatically exchanging security content between systems

 Enables automation of vulnerability management

 Aggregates data to produce:
 CVSS
 Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
 Common Platform Enumeration (CPE)

 Does not perform the actual tests

 ID system to precisely identify a vulnerability
 Used by both malicious and ethical hackers
 cve.mitre.org
 Gather information about security trends, threats and attacks
 Discover system design faults and find weaknesses before an attack
 Learn how to recover from a network attack
 Classify vulnerabilities by:
 Priority
 Severity
 Scope

 Stay updated about new products, technologies, and exploits

 Check underground hacking web sites (Deep and Dark Web sites) for newly
discovered vulnerabilities and exploits
 Check for news releases on security innovations and product improvements
 SANS (https://sans.org)
 CISA (https://cisa.gov)
 CVE Details (https://www.cvedetails.com)
 OWASP (https://www.owasp.org)
 Microsoft Vulnerability Research (MSVR) (https://www.microsoft.com)
 Dark Reading (https://www.darkreading.com)
 SecurityTracker (https://securitytracker.com)
 Trend Micro (https://www.trendmicro.com)
 Security Magazine (https://www.securitymagazine.com)
 PenTest Magazine (https://pentestmag.com)
 SC Magazine (https://www.scmagazine.com)
 Exploit Database (https://www.exploit-db.com)
 Rapid7 (https://www.rapid7.com)
 Security Focus (https://www.securityfocus.com)
 Help Net Security (https://www.helpnetsecurity.com)
 HackerStorm (http://www.hackerstorm.co.uk)
 Computerworld (https://www.computerworld.com)
 WindowsSecurity (http://www.windowsecurity.com)
 D'Crypt (https://www.d-crypt.com)
 Sophos (https://www.sophos.com)
 5.3
VULNERABILITY
 Review
ANALYSIS
REVIEW
 INTRO TO
 You can perform vulnerability scans to identify weaknesses or lack of compliance


ETHICAL
Scanning can be passive or active
Vulnerability scanning tools can focus on hosts, network devices, cloud services, or
HACKING
applications
Credentialed scans typically provide more information than uncredentialed scans
SCAPREVIEW

 scans are used to test a system for compliance

 Scan results can return four different types of results:

 True positive – there really is a vulnerability
 True negative – there really is no vulnerability
 False positive – the scanner reports vulnerabilities that do not actually
exist
 False negative – the scanner fails to report vulnerabilities that actually
exist
 INTRO TO
 Vulnerability assessment should include both technical and non-technical targets

ETHICAL
(people, processes)
 A vulnerability assessment should produce an actionable report

HACKING
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) ranks vulnerability severity on a scale
of 1-10
 CVSSREVIEW
identifies four attack vectors: network, adjacent, local, physical

 The National Vulnerability Database is a central repository of

vulnerability information
 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) is an identification
system used to precisely identify a specific vulnerability
 CVEs are used by both malicious and ethical hackers
 Vulnerability research should be an ongoing process
 There are many sites and services dedicated to providing the latest
vulnerability information