Finding Security Vulnerabilities

Security vulnerabilities are any kind of software or hardware defect. After gaining knowledge of a vulnerability, malicious users attempt to exploit it. An exploit is the term used to describe a program written to take advantage of a known vulnerability. The act of using an exploit against a vulnerability is referred to as an attack. The goal of the attack is to gain access to a system, the data it hosts or to a specific resource.

Software vulnerabilities

Software vulnerabilities are usually introduced by errors in the operating system or application code, despite all the effort companies put into finding and patching software vulnerabilities, it is common for new vulnerabilities to surface. Microsoft, Apple, and other operating system producers release patches and updates almost every day. Application updates are also common. Applications such as web browsers, mobile apps and web servers are often updated by the companies or organizations responsible for them.

In 2015, a major vulnerability, called SYNful Knock, was discovered in Cisco IOS. This vulnerability allowed attackers to gain control of enterprise-grade routers, such as the legacy Cisco 1841, 2811, and 3825 routers. The attackers could then monitor all network communication and had the ability to infect other network devices. This vulnerability was introduced into the system when an altered IOS version was installed in the routers. To avoid this, always verify the integrity of the downloaded IOS image and limit the physical access of the equipment to authorized personnel only.

The goal of software updates is to stay current and avoid exploitation of vulnerabilities. While some companies have penetration testing teams dedicated to search, find and patch software vulnerabilities before they can get exploited, third party security researchers also specialize in finding vulnerabilities in software.

Google’s Project Zero is a great example of such practice. After discovering a number of vulnerabilities in various software used by end-users, Google formed a permanent team dedicated to finding software vulnerabilities. Google Security Research can be found here.

Hardware vulnerabilities

Hardware vulnerabilities are often introduced by hardware design flaws. RAM memory for example, is essentially capacitors installed very close to one another. It was discovered that, due to proximity, constant changes applied to one of these capacitors could influence neighbor capacitors. Based on that design flaw, an exploit called Rowhammer was created. By repeatedly rewriting memory in the same addresses, the Rowhammer exploit allows data to be retrieved from nearby address memory cells, even if the cells are protected.

Hardware vulnerabilities are specific to device models and are not generally exploited through random compromising attempts. While hardware exploits are more common in highly targeted attacks, traditional malware protection and a physical security are sufficient protection for the everyday user.