ITCS – Introduction

to Cyber Security
SPRING-2024
Objectives

Web application attacks

Database security
Privacy and anonymity
Network security
Software security
Mobile device security
Mobile app security;
What are Web Application
Vulnerabilities?
• Web application vulnerabilities involve a system flaw or weakness
in a web-based application.
• They have been around for years, largely due to not validating or
sanitizing form inputs, misconfigured web servers, and application
design flaws, and they can be exploited to compromise the
application’s security.
• These vulnerabilities are not the same as other common types of
vulnerabilities, such as network or asset. They arise because web
applications need to interact with multiple users across
multiple networks, and that level of accessibility is easily taken
advantage of by hackers.
Web Application Security

• Web Application Security may be defined as the term that defines

the protection of the web application that is used by the users of
that system in order to interact with them.
• The web application must be developed by keeping the security in
mind as the vulnerability can be leveraged by attackers in order to
breach the system. Compromising any vulnerability can also make
a path for the attacker to attack the organization’s network.
• To make sure that the application is protected from vulnerabilities,
there is a mechanism to perform manual and automated checks.
Web Application Security

• There are several tools available that allow the

cybersecurity analysts to run the scan and check if the
web application is vulnerable to any attack.
• The OWASP Top 10 is the list of vulnerabilities that are
commonly found in any application and are very severe
in nature.
• Below are some of the common web application
vulnerabilities that are usually found in the application.
Web Application Vulnerabilities?

• SQL Injection: The SQL injection is the vulnerability that lets the attacker
inject SQL queries in the application in order to access the data from the
database without authorization.
• Cross-site scripting: This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute the
JavaScript at the client-side so that they can get the information stored in
the client-side and also to force the client to perform a particular activity.
• Broken authentication: The is the second vulnerability mentioned in the
list of OWASP top 10. Any application that allows the authentication bypass
is vulnerable to this attack.
• XML External Entity: Any application that parses the XML entity from the
external data is vulnerable to this attack. The hacker can gain access to
sensitive files stored in the server using this weakness of the application.
Assignment
• OWASP top web application
vulnerabilities 2024
What does Database Security mean?

• Database security refers to the collective measures used to

protect and secure a database or database management software
from illegitimate use and malicious cyber threats and attacks.
• Database security procedures are aimed at protecting not just the
data inside the database, but the database management system
and all the applications that access it from intrusion, misuse of
data, and damage.
• It is a broad term that includes a multitude of processes, tools and
methodologies that ensure security within a database
environment.
Database Security

• Database security covers and enforces security on all

aspects and components of databases. This includes:
• Data stored in database.
• Database server.
• Database management system (DBMS).
• Other database workflow applications.
• Database security is generally planned, implemented and
maintained by a database administrator and or other
information security professional.
Database security controls

• System hardening and monitoring

• DBMS configuration
• Authentication
• Access
• Database auditing
• Backups
• Encryption
• Application security
Some of the ways database security is
analyzed and implemented include:
• Restricting unauthorized access and use by implementing strong and
multifactor access and data management controls.
• Load/stress testing and capacity testing of a database to ensure it does not
crash in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack or user overload.
• Physical security of the database server and backup equipment from theft
and natural disasters. Regular data backups can be planned as part of a
database security protocol, and multiple copies can be stored off-site to
provide redundancy and emergency recovery.
• Reviewing the existing system for any known or unknown vulnerabilities and
defining and implementing a road map/plan to mitigate them.
• Data encryption can provide an additional layer of security to protect the
integrity and confidentiality of data.
Why is database security important?

• Safeguarding the data your company collects and manages is of utmost importance. Database security can
guard against a compromise of your database, which can lead to financial loss, reputation damage,
consumer confidence disintegration, brand erosion, and non-compliance of
government and industry regulation.
• Database security safeguards defend against a myriad of security threats and can help protect your
enterprise from:
• Deployment failure
• Excessive privileges
• Privilege abuse
• Platform vulnerabilities
• Unmanaged sensitive data
• Backup data exposure
• Weak authentication
• Database injection attacks
Network Security

“Network security is the process of taking physical

and software preventative measures to protect the
underlying networking infrastructure from
unauthorized access, misuse, malfunction,
modification, destruction, or improper disclosure,
thereby creating a secure platform for computers,
users and programs to perform their permitted
critical functions within a secure environment,”
according to the SANS Institute.
Network Security

Network security experts focus on internal protection by

keeping close surveillance on passwords, firewalls, internet
access, encryption, backups and more. Their main focus is to
protect internal information by monitoring employee behavior
and network access. In contrast, cybersecurity experts would
likely focus on external threats by looking for hackers trying
to infiltrate the network and by gaining intelligence on
potential future attacks. If you work in network security, you
will likely be implementing and monitoring software used to
detect threats and protect a company’s network.
Why is network security important?

• Network security is one of the most important aspects to consider when

working over the internet, LAN or other method, no matter how small or
big your business is. While there is no network that is immune to
attacks, a stable and efficient network security system is essential to
protecting client data. A good network security system helps business
reduce the risk of falling victim of data theft and sabotage.
• Network security helps protect your workstations from harmful spyware.
It also ensures that shared data is kept secure. Network security
infrastructure provides several levels of protection to prevent MiM
attacks by breaking down information into numerous parts, encrypting
these parts and transmitting them through independent paths thus
preventing cases like eavesdropping.
How does network security work?

• There are many layers to consider when addressing

network security across an organization. Attacks can
happen at any layer in the network security layers
model, so your network security hardware, software and
policies must be designed to address each area.
• Network security typically consists of three different
controls: physical, technical and administrative. Here is
a brief description of the different types of network
security and how each control works.
Controls of Network Security

Physical Network Security

• Physical security controls are designed to prevent unauthorized personnel from gaining
physical access to network components such as routers, cabling cupboards and so on.
Controlled access, such as locks, biometric authentication and other devices, is essential in
any organization.
Technical Network Security
• Technical security controls protect data that is stored on the network or which is in transit
across, into or out of the network. Protection is twofold; it needs to protect data and
systems from unauthorized personnel, and it also needs to protect against malicious
activities from employees.
Administrative Network Security
• Administrative security controls consist of security policies and processes that control user
behavior, including how users are authenticated, their level of access and also how IT staff
members implement changes to the infrastructure.
Types of network security

We have talked about the different types of network security controls. Now let's
take a look at some of the different ways you can secure your network.
Network Access Control
• To ensure that potential attackers cannot infiltrate your network, comprehensive
access control policies need to be in place for both users and devices. Network
access control (NAC) can be set at the most granular level. For example, you could
grant administrators full access to the network but deny access to specific
confidential folders or prevent their personal devices from joining the network.
Antivirus and Antimalware Software
• Antivirus and antimalware software protect an organization from a range of
malicious software, including viruses, ransomware, worms and trojans. The best
software not only scans files upon entry to the network but continuously scans
and tracks files.
Types of network security

Firewall Protection
• Firewalls, as their name suggests, act as a barrier between the untrusted external networks and
your trusted internal network. Administrators typically configure a set of defined rules that blocks or
permits traffic onto the network. For example, Forcepoint's Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)
offers seamless and centrally managed control of network traffic, whether it is physical, virtual or in
the cloud.
• IPS & IDS – These are the tools that are used to detect malicious activity and stop it from being
executed. IPS stands for intrusion prevention system and IDS stands for the intrusion detection
system.
Virtual Private Networks
• Virtual private networks (VPNs) create a connection to the network from another endpoint or site. For
example, users working from home would typically connect to the organization's network over a VPN.
Data between the two points is encrypted and the user would need to authenticate to allow
communication between their device and the network. Forcepoint's Secure Enterprise SD-WAN
allows organizations to quickly create VPNs using drag-and-drop and to protect all locations with our
Next Generation Firewall solution.
Privacy

• Privacy is when nobody is aware of what you are doing but potentially
they know your identity.
• Privacy relates to content. Refraining from the public eye and
maintaining confidentiality. If you send an encrypted email to a friend
so only the two of you can open it, this is private. It is not public.
• Privacy is different than security in that you are now trying to control
access to data. Privacy measures are those you put in place to limit
who can access information which is important to you. This includes
both information which you possess such as your files and documents
and information which third parties are trying to gather about you.
Privacy Cont.…

1: Know what companies do with your data. Facebook you know how much information they
harvest and share with others. Google loves to track you as well (online and offline). You can
see our online privacy Article for a few measures to help against online tracking. Better yet,
before you give your data to a company, head over to tosdr.org (Terms of Service – Didn’t
Read) and see what they say about how that site uses your data.
2: Tune your computer and program settings. Windows 10 is a pretty good operating system
but has standard settings to share your information. Open up your privacy settings and turn
off all of the sharing settings you don’t need. Many programs have usage monitoring
agreements as well for “improvement studies.” Watch for those check boxes while installing.
And remember, any time a program has to go online to retrieve information, that means it is
sending out information as well. For example, Windows Media Player, while capable of
retrieving song/album info online, also calls back to Microsoft at the same time to update
them on your music.
Privacy Cont.…
3: Cloud storage… not near as secure or private as you might hope. There are actually
encryption programs you can pair with your cloud storage to keep everything private
and only accessible to you. You can also even host your own cloud storage from your
own network.
4: Use a VPN. While great for security, it also provides an amazing boost to privacy. Did
you know your ISP actually harvests and sells your browsing history? With a good VPN
running, they can only tell you are using the internet but lose the capability to monitor
what you are doing.
5: Encryption. I listed this for cloud storage but it goes much further. In fact, encryption
is pretty well your #1 tool when it comes to privacy. Want to keep your computer’s data
private? Encrypt the hard drive. Want to keep emails private (and insure people know
only you could have sent them)? Encrypt the emails. Anything encrypted using a secure
password and algorithm pretty well insures privacy.
Anonymity

• Having anonymity means your online actions do not trace back to you. Anonymity can
function with or without privacy. Consider a Facebook profile (we’ll assume you are
doing something to stop Facebook from tracking your IP here). You can create an
account using a fake name and fake email address. This makes your posts from that
account anonymous as they no longer tie back to you. They are not private however;
anyone on Facebook can still read them. If you then set that account to private so that
only select people can find it and read posts, it is both anonymous and private.
• Anonymity can be harder to achieve online being that so many different services try to
track your every action. And the truth of the matter is, you can’t really be anonymous
online if you aren’t somewhat anonymous offline as well. These tracking systems are
simply so advanced that they can pair related behaviors online and offline in order track
people. But here’s a few things you might consider:
Anonymity Cont.…

1: Have I mentioned a VPN? Security, privacy, and anonymity. I put this under
privacy but realistically, it’s keeping you private by anonymizing your traffic. That
said, if you use a VPN and then sign into Facebook or some other account, it’s still
pretty easy to trace your actions during that internet session back to you…
2: Use virtual machines. There are virtual machines designed purely for
anonymity. They definitely aren’t for everyone but they are relatively easy to
install and work with. Also, actions taken within the virtual machines aren’t really
recorded by your actual computer. Have an issue with the virtual machine or
think it may have been compromised? Not a big deal… a brand new one can be
implemented in minutes.
Anonymity Cont.…

3: Tor. I touched on this at the end. Tor is an internet browser based off of Firefox. It is set
up for security and connects you into the Tor network to anonymize your traffic. What
this network does is bounce your traffic around multiple relay nodes before it gets to its
destination. This prevents the traffic from being tied back to you. It’s slower than
traditional browsers because your traffic is moved between nodes and not as full
featured as normal browsers but does serve to allow for an anonymous connection. You
can read more about how it works.
4: Fake accounts. In my short intro to anonymity I mentioned creating a Facebook
account using a fake name (note that this does violate their policies and they may delete
the account if they decide it is fake… but if you are using like legitimately as you would a
normal one, this is not likely to happen). Having your online presence functioning under
a pseudonym provides you a layer of anonymity.
What is Pseudonymity?

• Say you choose to use an alias for social media or for a

forum online to hide your identity, an adversary may
not know who you are but can still attribute posts and
activity to you.
• This is an alias, a cover, a false identity. This is often
referred to as 'pseudonymity'.
Internet Privacy: To Trust or Not to Trust?

To get a brief glimpse into how serious the threat to online privacy
can be, let’s explore a few examples. The following showcase the
U.S. and U.K. governments’ blatant disregard for internet privacy:
• Prism
• Prism is the name of a surveillance program under the NSA that
compels tech companies like Microsoft, Google, YouTube, Apple, etc.
to grant access to user data on their servers.
• Optic Nerve
• SIGINT Enabling Project
Internet Privacy: 10 Ways to Increase
Your Data Privacy and Anonymity Online
1. Clear Your Cache and Delete Temporary Internet Files
2. Use Incognito or Private Browsing Mode
3. Use Extensions That Protect Your Privacy Online
4. Use the Tor Network to Surf the Internet
5. Switch Search Engines
6. Use a Trusted Service for Instant Messaging
7. Review Your Choice of Operating System
8. Choose the Right VPN
9. Use Good Sense to Judge Whether an App Is Requesting Excess Permissions
10. Some Other Tools for Maintaining Internet Privacy and Anonymity Online
https://sectigostore.com/blog/internet-privacy-anonymity-in-the-age-of-internet-
surveillance/
Software Security

Software Security– Is not even found in Merriam Webster’s Dictionary

because it is not considered an officially recognized term. Software
Security is an engineered software that protects a program from malicious
attack or hacking. As a relatively new entity, the security deflects
ramifications against its software security such as:
• Bugs
• Buffer overflows
• Design flaws
• Malicious intruders
• hackers
• Improper digital handling
What does Software Security mean?

• Software security is an idea implemented to protect

software against malicious attack and other hacker risks
so that the software continues to function correctly
under such potential risks. Security is necessary to
provide integrity, authentication and availability.
• Any compromise to integrity, authentication and
availability makes a software unsecure. Software
systems can be attacked to steal information, monitor
content, introduce vulnerabilities and damage the
behavior of software. Malware can cause DoS (denial of
service) or crash the system itself.
Continue….

• Buffer overflow, stack overflow, command injection and SQL

injections are the most common attacks on the software.
• Buffer and stack overflow attacks overwrite the contents of
the heap or stack respectively by writing extra bytes.
• Command injection can be achieved on the software code
when system commands are used predominantly. New
system commands are appended to existing commands by
the malicious attack. Sometimes system command may
stop services and cause DoS.
Continue….

• SQL injections use malicious SQL code to retrieve or modify

important information from database servers. SQL injections
can be used to bypass login credentials. Sometimes SQL
injections fetch important information from a database or
delete all important data from a database.
• The only way to avoid such attacks is to practice good
programming techniques. System-level security can be
provided using better firewalls. Using intrusion detection and
prevention can also aid in stopping attackers from easy
access to the system.
Software Security Cont.…

• The types of software security that you will see

commonly are:
• Antivirus software
• Firewall security
• Antispyware software
• Spyware removal software
• Encryption software
• Virus protection software
What is mobile device security?

• Mobile Device Security refers to the measures designed to protect

sensitive information stored on and transmitted by laptops,
smartphones, tablets, wearables, and other portable devices. At the
root of mobile device security is the goal of keeping unauthorized users
from accessing the enterprise network. It is one aspect of a complete
enterprise security plan.
• Mobile application security involves examining the structure of mobile
applications and studying how they work, as well as looking at major
threat areas and what hackers or other attackers want to accomplish.
Security experts develop assessments based on issues like theft of
financial data or personal identifiers, or unauthorized access to
devices.
Cont.…

• Areas covered by mobile application security include threat modeling,

source code review and risk analysis. Developers may look at areas like
a database, cache or configuration files, or at the underlying platform
to understand how to better protect mobile applications and devices
from vulnerabilities.
• In a sense, mobile application security is a kind of "next-generation"
process based on security solutions intended for the personal
computer. Like personal computers, mobile devices run on operating
systems that have their own vulnerabilities and security issues. As
mobile devices become ubiquitous, security experts are scrambling to
catch up by developing mobile application security processes and
solutions for the future.
Why is mobile device security
important?
With more than half of business PCs now mobile, portable
devices present distinct challenges to network security,
which must account for all of the locations and uses that
employees require of the company network. Potential
threats to devices include malicious mobile apps, phishing
scams, data leakage, spyware, and unsecure Wi-Fi
networks. On top of that, enterprises have to account for
the possibility of an employee losing a mobile device or the
device being stolen. To avoid a security breach, companies
should take clear, preventative steps to reduce the risk.
What are the benefits of mobile device
security?
Mobile device security, or mobile device management, provides the following:
• Regulatory compliance
• Security policy enforcement
• Support of “bring your own device” (BYOD)
• Remote control of device updates
• Application control
• Automated device registration
• Data backup
Above all, mobile device security protects an enterprise from unknown or
malicious outsiders being able to access sensitive company data.
What is Mobile App Security?

• Mobile app security is a measure to secure applications

from external threats like malware and other digital
frauds that risk critical personal and financial
information from hackers.
• Mobile app security has become equally important in
today’s world. A breach in mobile security can not only
give hackers access to the user’s personal life in real-
time but also disclose data like their current location,
banking information, personal information, and much
more.
What is Application Security and Why is
It Important?
• Application Security is the process of testing and examining an application to
ensure that mobile apps, web applications, or APIs are secure from potential
attacks. Organizations often lack the expertise and bandwidth to monitor their
applications adequately and adapt their security protocol to mitigate
emerging threats. Also, changing compliance laws require enterprises to
follow strict mandates to protect people from inept security (similar to
GDPR compliance dictates).
• Application security increases operational efficiency, addresses compliance
requirements, reduces risk, and improves trust between a business and users.
Public security breaches and compliance violations severely tarnish the
reputation of an enterprise and make potential users wary of trusting the
business' services. Implementing effective application security is a worthwhile
investment.
Impact of Weak Mobile App Security

• Consumers are often dependent and trust organizations

to test their applications for security measures before
making them available to them. However, studies
conducted by IBM revealed shocking facts.
Customer Information

• The above numbers provide enough motivation for hackers to exploit security
loopholes in mobile applications and hackers try to leverage any or all of the
following things from unsecured codes:
• Hackers gain login credentials of any website or device; for example, email, banking,
social networking websites, etc. Anubis banking Trojan is a notorious example in this
category, which enters the user’s device by downloading compromised apps, some
of which are even hosted on the official app stores of Android. Once a device is
infected, the Trojan forces it to send and receive SMS, read contact lists, request
permission to access device location, allow push notifications, and determine the IP
address of the mobile connection along with access to personal files on the mobile
device.
• In May 2019, WhatsApp acknowledged that its app was vulnerable to spyware from
an Israeli firm NSO group that could infect a mobile device simply by calling a user
on WhatsApp from an unknown number.
Customer Information

• The user’s device could be compromised even if the

user did not accept the call. Once infected, the spyware
could send almost all data ₋ including contact lists, GPS
information, media files, etc. from the device to the
hacker’s server.
Financial Information

• Hackers can gain credit and debit card numbers to

make bank transactions, particularly in cases where a
one-time password is not required. Researchers from
Kaspersky discovered a new version of the banking
Trojan called Ginp, which could steal user credentials
and credit card information from a user’s device. Its
ability to take control of the SMS feature of the device
allows it to manipulate banking functions. Its code was
found to be manipulating 24 apps of Spanish banks.
Financial Information
IP Theft

• Hackers gain the code base of the app to illegally create

their clones or simply steal the intellectual property of
the company that owns the app. The more successful an
app is, the more number of clones it is likely to attract
on app stores. For example, Fortnite and PUBG Mobile
became popular and were not available on Google Play
store, but many cloning soon became available because
of their high popularity, so much so that at one point
Google had to warn its users that the official Fortnite
was not available at Google Play.
Revenue Loss

• It is possible to access premium features of apps,

especially in utility and gaming apps, which are a source
of revenue for the owner of the app. In 2016, the mobile
security company Bluebox revealed how hackers were
able to access the premium features of popular apps
Hulu and Tinder by exploiting security holes in them and
causing losses to their owners. At that time, Hulu’s
monthly subscriptions were selling at $7.99 a month for
its OTT streaming service.
Brand Confidence

• Apart from losing crucial user data, the loss can come in
the form of both misuses of user information as well as
lawsuits from affected parties. While the positive of
undertaking security drills is that customers stay loyal
and trust the brand, the negative is the loss of
customers’ confidence forever. Companies should
realize that at the center of their business lies the
confidence of their customers in their brand. Thus, the
rationale for app development should rightfully consider
this aspect of the business.
Loopholes in Mobile App Security

• Mobile apps are not designed to serve as anti-viruses or to transmit

data securely over the internet. Rather they focus on a smooth
interface and provide the best functionality to users. Similarly
installing an antivirus app may secure the network and prevent
attacks on a device, but it cannot provide protection against weak
passwords or a poorly designed app.
• Most of the common security lapses are documented by industry
experts under the aegis of The Open Web Application Security Project
(OWASP) for reference for developers. Its popular list OWASP Mobile
Top 10 comprehensively builds on the pooled knowledge of industry
experts about the present and developing attack vectors on mobile
devices.
https://www.appsealing.com/owasp-mobile-top-10-a-comprehensive-guide-for-mobile-developers-to-
counter-risks/
Android App Security Risks

Reverse Engineering
• Android apps are developed in Java with an integrated
development environment (IDE) like Eclipse. These Java apps can
be reversed with various tools available on the internet. With
Android, the bytecode can be altered and packed again in the
form of APK files. Reversing Android apps can easily provide test
login credentials, insights into bad design, details about the
libraries and classes used. It can also provide details about the
type of encryption used in the app. This can help the attacker is
not only hacking one device but multiple devices using the same
decryption method.
Insecure Platform Usage

Insecure Platform Usage

• Android OS and apps become vulnerable to the OWASP Mobile Top 10
risks when app developers ignore the best practices published by
Google to communicate with its mobile OS, particularly through
unsecured Android intents and platform permissions. For example,
when the developer does not secure exported services or issues a
wrong flag to an API call, their app stands exposed to hackers. Hackers
tend to snoop on Android devices to receive BroadcastReceiver
instances which are meant for legitimate apps. Developers tend to
ignore the use of LocalBroadcastManager to send and receive
messages for legitimate apps, thus creating a security lacuna.
Insecure Platform Usage

Ignoring Updates
• Many Android developers do not update their apps regularly or pay heed
to the OS patches issued by Android, which results in a lack of protection
against newly found vulnerabilities. Updates cover the latest security
patches and ignoring the same can expose applications to the latest
security risks.
Rooted Devices
• The Android OS lets users root their devices using third-party apps with
some warning issued to them. However, not every user understands that
their rooted device exposes it to manipulation from hackers and malware.
For developers, it, thus, becomes essential either not to allow their app to
run in a rooted environment or issue regular warnings to users.
iOS App Security Risks

Unlike Android, Apple iOS operating system strictly enforces security features
and is a closed operating system. Apps cannot communicate with other apps or
directly access the directories or data of other apps. iOS apps are developed in
native Objective C language with tools like Xcode. It is based on the same ARM
version of XNU kernel as that of OSX, which is used in Apple’s laptops and Mac
computers.
Jailbreak
• Jailbreaking is a popular term used in the context of Apple devices. It involves
finding an exploit in the kernel that allows users to run unsigned code on
mobile devices. Jailbreaking is tethered, which means that every time a user
reboots their phone, it should be connected to a laptop or run a jailbroken
code. While untethered jailbreak means that the code will remain on the phone
even after a reboot.
iOS App Security Risks

User Authentication
• iOS offers device-level security through Face ID and Touch ID and claims that they are secure because
they use a processor separate from the rest of the OS. It is called the Secure Enclave, which runs on a
dedicated microkernel. However, hackers have shown that Touch ID can be compromised, most notably
with a device called GrayKey, which makes brute-forcing the passcode guessing easy by doing away
with the need to wait between attempts at guessing. When app developers use Touch ID systems to
protect data or services within their apps, they are also exposed to this type of vulnerability.
Insecure Data Storage
• Most apps store data in SQL databases, cookies, binary data stores, or even as common text. These
storage locations can be accessed by hackers when the operating system, framework, or compiler is
vulnerable. Also, jailbreaking devices lead to data exposure. When hackers gain access to the database,
they modify the app and collect the information on their machines. Jailbroken devices expose even the
most sophisticated encryption algorithms.
Security experts have also found that insecure data storage is one of the most common vulnerabilities in
iOS devices, which hackers exploit to steal passwords, financial information, and personal data or users.
Common Application Risks

Lack of encryption
• Encryption is a method of transporting data in ciphered
code which cannot be viewed without matching it with a
secret key. According to data by Symantec, nearly 13.4
percent of consumer devices and 10.5 percent of
enterprise devices do not have encryption enabled,
which can easily expose sensitive data as plain text.
Using a high-level of data encryption ensures that the
app cannot be easily cracked.
Malicious code injection

• User forms can be easily used to inject malicious

code and access the server data. For example,
certain apps do not restrict the characters a user
can input in a field. This allows hackers to inject
a line of Javascript in to the login form and gain
access to private information.
Binary planting

• It is a general term where an attacker puts a binary file

containing malicious code on a local file system in the mobile
device and then executes it to gain control over the device. This
can be done with the help of a malicious SMS or forcing the user
to click on malicious links. This way, hackers can put malicious
code even in legitimate folders or within installer files and
execute it at will, thus compromising the device security. Binary
planting can lead to reverse engineering as well, where attackers
try to deconstruct the code of an app and gain access to the core
code. Once the code is revealed, hackers can manipulate it to
find the vulnerabilities and exploit it for further malicious action.
Mobile botnets

• They are a type of bots that run on IRC networks

created with the help of Trojans. When an infected
device connects to the internet, it starts to work as
a client and sends information to a server. Mobile
botnets aim to gain complete control over the
device and can be used to send emails and text
messages, make phone calls, and access personal
data, like photos and contact lists.
Questions ????