Hi there,
This year is an opportunity to fundamentally improve things in the web
app sec world.
Some of the things I really think we should do this year is reach out
to the frameworks, to make common webappsec deficiencies go away.
Permanently.
1. XSS. We really need to touch base with them so that apps developed
using common frameworks are un-XSSable. However, this is not the
entire story - XSS is a family of attacks deriving from encoding
issues. We need to engage with the framework developers and help them
come up with a simple way for apps to only access canoncalized input
(regardless of source) using white listing (positive validation).
2. Injections. We not only need frameworks to remove access to
concatenating SQL query interfaces, we need for LDAP, XML and other
common interfaces to be uninjectable as well. We know that
parameterized statements eliminate SQL injection, we need similar
interfaces for other common text based protocols
3. Eliminating or disabling unsafe API, like PHP's allow_url_fopen and
wrappers by default. There are a tiny fraction of applications which
need this type of functionality, and they should ask for it - with the
WARNING WARNING WARNING klaxons blaring
4. Make common webappsec blunders harder to justify by providing a
common framework to enable safer options, such as safe indirect object
references, and so on. OWASP has developed the ESAPI, an enterprise
security API. It satisfies a number of common "I told you so" issues,
such as membership, indirect object references, and so on. I am sure
we will see other ports other than Java.
5. Connecting to the developer community. We're converted. We know
what works - but most of us on this list do not develop the apps, only
review them. Developers always seem to be surprised when we 0wn their
apps. Let's start talking to them - a lot.
What are your favorite developer conferences?
What are your thoughts on what could be improved?
thanks,
Andrew van der Stock
Lead Author, OWASP Guide
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