RE: Informing Companies about security vulnerabilities...

From: Brian.Marino@onenterprises.com
Date: Wed Oct 04 2006 - 16:10:31 EDT


My sentiments exactly.

                                                                           
             bugtraq@cgisecuri
             ty.net
             Sent by: To
             listbounce@securi joe@learnsecurityonline.com;,
             tyfocus.com pen-test@securityfocus.com
                                                                        cc
                                       bugtraq@securityfocus.com
             10/04/2006 03:15 Subject
             PM RE: Informing Companies about
                                       security vulnerabilities...
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           

So you are admitting publicly that you and a class of students that you
teach are illegally testing random public
websites for the purpose of learning about security vulnerabilities? Sounds
like you/your company need to speak
with a lawyer.

- Robert
http://www.cgisecurity.com/ Application Security news and more
http://www.cgisecurity.com/index.rss [RSS Security Feed]

-----Original Message-----
From: listbounce@securityfocus.com [mailto:listbounce@securityfocus.com] On
Behalf Of Joseph McCray
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 3:07 AM
To: pen-test@securityfocus.com
Subject: Informing Companies about security vulnerabilities...

This probably won't sound like that big of a deal, but it still bothered me
so I figured I'd ask the list. I was teaching a Web Application Security
class last week and we were performing simple XXS, SQL Injection, etc on
the vulnerable web apps I use for class.

Normally, I go to a live public website or two during the class and we talk
about common tests to perform and how to approach certain types of
websites. A common subject is how to handle large website with tons of
dymanic content - so the class chose a major newspaper's website for the
discussion.

Usually when we do this we only find a few simple things (XXS for
example) - no big deal right. With this particular website we just kept
finding another, after another and on and on. Over 600 instances of XXS,
over 200 SQL Injection - this was bad. After a while it started to get
boring there was so many....

So I drafted a letter to the editor as well as several other prominent
people at the newspaper. It detailed my finding and recommended some
possible mitigation strategies. After emailing this I didn't hear anything
for a few days, so I emailed it again and followed up with a phone call.
After getting no response to the second email and then having been bounced
around from department to department when I called I just said forget it.

Has anyone else gone through a similar situation? Was the company
receptive? Other companies I've contacted in the past have been quite
receptive - I'm just curious if other people have gone through this as
well.

No need to fill the list with this, you can email me directly with your
inputs and stories.

--
Joe McCray
Toll Free:  1-866-892-2132
Email:      joe@learnsecurityonline.com
Web:        https://www.learnsecurityonline.com
Learn Security Online, Inc.
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