-: Input Validation Attacks :-

Input Validation Attacks are where an attacker intentionally sends unusual input in the hopes of confusing the application.
The most common input validation attacks are as follows-

1) Buffer Overflow :- Buffer overflow attacks are enabled due to sloppy programming or mismanagement of memory by the application developers. Buffer overflow may be classified into stack overflows, format string overflows, heap overflows and integer overflows. It may possible that an overflow may exist in language’s (php, java, etc.) built-in functions.
To execute a buffer overflow attack, you merely dump as much data as possible into an input field. The attack is said to be successful when it returns an application error. Perl is well suited for conducting this type of attack.
Here’s the buffer test, calling on Perl from the command line:
$ echo –e “GET /login.php?user=\
> `perl –e ‘print “a” x 500’`\nHTTP/1.0\n\n” | \
nc –vv website 80
This sends a string of 500 “a” characters for the user value to the login.php file.
Buffer overflow can be tested by sending repeated requests to the application and recording the server's response.

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Unlock the supersecret Administrator account

Deep inside the bowels of Windows Vista, there's a secret Administrator account, and it's different from the normal administrator account you most likely have set up on your PC. This Administrator account is not part of the Administrator group. (Confused yet? You should be.) It's a kind of superadministrator, akin to the root account in Unix, and by default it's turned off and hidden. (In describing this hack, we'll always use the capital "A" for the secret Administrator account, and a lowercase "a" for a normal administrator account.)

In versions of Windows before Windows Vista, the Administrator account wasn't hidden, and many people used it as their main or only account. This Administrator account had full rights over the computer.

In Windows Vista, Microsoft changed that. In Vista, the Administrator account is not subject to UAC, but normal administrator accounts are. So the Administrator can make any changes to the system and will see no UAC prompts.

Turning on the Administrator account is straightforward. First, open an elevated command prompt by typing cmd into the Search box on the Start menu, right-clicking the command prompt icon that appears at the top of the Start menu, then selecting Run as administrator -- or just use the shortcut you created in the previous hack.

Then enter this command and press Enter:

Net user administrator /active:yes

From now on, the Administrator account will appear as an option on the Welcome screen, along with any user accounts you may have set up. Use it like any other account. Be aware that it won't have a password yet, so it's a good idea to set a password for it.

If you want to disable the account and hide it, enter this command at an elevated command prompt and press Enter:

Net user administrator /active:no

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                             How to Access Banned Websites

Surfing at school? Parents enabled website blocking? Stuck behind a strict firewall? There are lots of ways around the problem so that you can get to the sites you want to see without those cybernannies tying your hands…
phproxy is “dedicated to bringing you fast web browsing from behind web filters”. Simply tap in the URL of that banned site you really must see, it could be Facebook, MySpace, Youtube, or a renegade blogger behind enemy lines, and you will be able to access it with no problems. More seriously, the proxy allows you to visit a site anonymously because it is the proxy itself that is visiting the banned site not you, and so keeps your browsing hidden from prying eyes allowing you to protect your online identity.

Such a proxy also allows you to visit sites that have banned your IP. This might be a forum or just a website or blog from which you or other users on your IP range (whether on your school or company network or your ISP account) have been barred access. The proxy server is an open gateway between your web destination and you.

 

Other proxies exist, such as www.the-cloak.com (please make sure you include the hyphen in that URL or you will be in for a shock), and this page provides a shipload more.

 

More on an additional approach (Psiphon) here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psiphon

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Harvard Hack Betrays Joomla! Vulnerabilties?

A Harvard Website was hacked recently, with 125 MB of records stolen and later uploaded to BitTorrent for Peer-to-Peer distribution. gsas.harvard.edu was still down at the time this article was researched (it’s back up now).

The site was a local Joomla installation. A variety of simple Joomla! hacks have been identified and shared around the web in recent weeks. Most of these claimed vulnerabilities exploit weaknesses in 3rd party modules, which exposed some SQL Injection gaps. It is not yet clear whether the Harvard Grad. School of Arts and Sciences site fell victim to such an attack.

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