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Difference between revisions of "AppSensor Cheat Sheet"
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= Introduction = | = Introduction = | ||
| + | All users make mistakes, but attackers also perform actions that the user interface doesn't offer or are impossible to do without using tools like intercepting proxies. The AppSensor concept describes how to make applications attack-aware. | ||
| + | |||
| + | AppSensor will: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Identify whether your application is under attack in real time | ||
| + | * Optionally initiate an immediate response action to protect the application and its data | ||
| + | |||
| + | AppSensor does not: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Implement error handling for you (although detection points are often inherently linked with error handling code) | ||
| + | * Perform application security logging (but logging mechanisms could be used to record detected events) | ||
| + | * Protect you if you have existing vulnerabilities (fix known vulnerabilities and implement secure-SDLC activities to avoid new ones) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Where possible implement the recommendations in the other cheat sheets as thoroughly as possible first, before considering the ideas within AppSensor. Robust error handling mechanisms and security event logging should already be part of well designed quality software. | ||
= Purpose = | = Purpose = | ||
| + | |||
| + | Distribute detection points in the application to detect very suspicious and blatantly malicious use | ||
| + | |||
| + | Collect these event event data | ||
| + | |||
| + | Define a very low tolerance threshold, and take a predefined automated action once a user exceeds the limits of reasonable use | ||
= Pre-requisities = | = Pre-requisities = | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
= What to detect = | = What to detect = | ||
| + | |||
| + | It is very important not to make detection overly complex, and vital not to include events which could be triggered by normal, even accidental, behavior. | ||
The most commonly implemented detection points are: | The most commonly implemented detection points are: | ||
Revision as of 07:57, 24 May 2012
Introduction
All users make mistakes, but attackers also perform actions that the user interface doesn't offer or are impossible to do without using tools like intercepting proxies. The AppSensor concept describes how to make applications attack-aware.
AppSensor will:
- Identify whether your application is under attack in real time
- Optionally initiate an immediate response action to protect the application and its data
AppSensor does not:
- Implement error handling for you (although detection points are often inherently linked with error handling code)
- Perform application security logging (but logging mechanisms could be used to record detected events)
- Protect you if you have existing vulnerabilities (fix known vulnerabilities and implement secure-SDLC activities to avoid new ones)
Where possible implement the recommendations in the other cheat sheets as thoroughly as possible first, before considering the ideas within AppSensor. Robust error handling mechanisms and security event logging should already be part of well designed quality software.
Purpose
Distribute detection points in the application to detect very suspicious and blatantly malicious use
Collect these event event data
Define a very low tolerance threshold, and take a predefined automated action once a user exceeds the limits of reasonable use
Pre-requisities
What to detect
It is very important not to make detection overly complex, and vital not to include events which could be triggered by normal, even accidental, behavior.
The most commonly implemented detection points are:
How to respond
Thresholds:
Typical responses, that the application may already support in some manner, are:
- Change monitoring of the user (e.g. increase logging level)
- Raise an alert
- Add time delays
- Log a user out (and possibly lock the account)
More advanced responses could include
- Changing a function (adding a CAPTCHA, ??? )
- Disabling a function (for the user, for a group of users, for all users)
- Affecting behaviour of another systems (e.g. goods despatch held, firewall blocks IP address)
- Altering user properties (changing their credit level)
How to
Software acquisition
In your own code
No code available
Related articles
Other Year of Security for Java Week 18 - Perform Application Layer Intrusion Detection
Authors and primary contributors
Colin Watson - colin.watson[at]owasp.org
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