Posts by Rapid7

2 min InsightIDR

How to detect new server ports in use on your network

In this blog, we discuss how to detect new server ports in use on your network.

2 min

Stateful WAF AKA the Bronze Age

The first post in this series kicked off our history series on the development of web application firewalls [/stateless-web-application-firewall-aka-the-stone-age], with a discussion of what the earliest technology was capable of. Early WAFs were based on pattern recognition. That made them fast, but it also made it easy for attackers to sidestep the rigid patterns that were the building blocks of the first-gen WAF. If the problem is that stone age WAFs have stateless rules, then the obvious

4 min

Coinhive: Making Other People’s Web Browsers Mine Cryptocurrency

Over the weekend, we had a discussion at tCell about cryptocurrency, because there was a rash of stories [https://scotthelme.co.uk/protect-site-from-cryptojacking-csp-sri/] about cryptocurrency mining being done through malicious JavaScript. (Scott Helme of securityheaders.io [https://securityheaders.io/]noted that the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s data privacy regulator, was among the many web sites affected [https://twitter.com/Scott_Helme/status/962684239975272450].) According

4 min

XSS Bug Reports Made Easy

When attackers compromise a website with XSS [/2017/08/why-is-cross-site-scripting-so-hard], it is important to understand what actually happened leading up to the exploit, as well as information on how the exploit was performed, and have clear information on how to remediate. The importance of this was recently illustrated to me in working with one of our customers on an alert triggered by an XSS [/2017/08/prevent-xss-attacks] exploit on the customer’s web application. This blog is an accoun

3 min InsightIDR

How To Detect Unauthorized DNS Servers On Your Network

DNS was never designed as a very secure protocol, and it is a popular target for attackers. Here is how you can detect unauthorized DNS servers on your network

2 min

Think Like a Hacker: Going Beyond Network Security

From health care companies to credit agencies and telecommunication firms, hackers didn’t hold back in 2017. With no simple solution to hacking on the horizon, it’s a safe bet that 2018 will come with its own share of data breaches, compromises and concerns. Short of pulling the plug and living in the dark, how can companies protect their data and beat hackers at their own game? It’s all in your head. Key Characteristics To Thinking Like A Hacker Here’s the bottom line: IT security fai

6 min Automation and Orchestration

How to Choose a Security Orchestration and Automation Platform

In the market for a security orchestration and automation platform [https://www.rapid7.com/solutions/security-orchestration-and-automation/] but don’t know what solution is right for you? Or perhaps you’ve made some rushed decisions with past products and want to take a more careful approach this time around? We get it — sifting through all different security orchestration [https://www.rapid7.com/fundamentals/security-orchestration/] options on the market today is no walk in the park. At the end

2 min

Protecting Your Web Site from the Doubleclick XSS Vulnerability

Advertising largely supports free content on the Internet, and many significant sites rely on DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), Google’s advertising platform for publishers to monetize their traffic. Unfortunately for the AdOps world, DFP has been hosting cross-site scripting (XSS)-vulnerable ads since 2015! Ouch. You’re writing compelling content for your readers and using Google ads to pay the bills. Google has tools for you, and you’ve just found out that these tools could compromise your

2 min Detection and Response

Firewall Reporting Excessive SYN Packets? Check Rate of Connections

In this blog, we break-down what you should do if your firewall is reporting excessive SYN packets.

3 min

Deploying CSP Properly

Browser makers began implementing the Content Security Policy, or CSP specification back in 2011. Since then, many development teams and organizations have adopted CSP wholeheartedly to try and thwart XSS attacks, but it seems the effort may have been wasted for the majority. To analyze recent CSP adoption, Google performed an Internet-wide analysis [1] on a search engine corpus of approximately 100 billion pages from over 1 billion hostnames; the result covers CSP deployments on 1,680,867 hos

4 min Automation and Orchestration

How to Securely Handle a Lost or Stolen Device: A Practical Workflow

It’s 10pm and you receive an email from a teammate that their laptop was stolen at a local networking event. You learn that not only was their computer unlocked, but they were logged into their company email and Salesforce accounts at the time the device was stolen. Devices like laptops and phones hold a lot more value than the technology itself. Everything from customer data to company files and account logins are stored and easily accessible on these devices, making them easy targets for data

4 min Automation and Orchestration

Security Career Paths: Common and Unique Roles

Security is one of the most in-demand roles today. According to recent numbers [https://www.csoonline.com/article/2953258/it-careers/cybersecurity-job-market-figures-2015-to-2019-indicate-severe-workforce-shortage.html] , the demand for security workers is expected to grow to 6 million worldwide by 2019. So how do you get into or grow your career in security? What makes security so interesting is the many directions you can take — traditional or not. This post will walk you through how to build

6 min IoT

NCSAM Security Crash Diet, Week 4: IoT

The final week of our 'Security Crash Diet' series for NCSAM explores what the IoT device purchasing process is like for consumers who want to buy IoT with security in mind. Spoiler: It isn't easy.

2 min Automation and Orchestration

Why Security Teams Should Embrace (Not Fear) Automation

It’s not the coming of the apocalypse. It’s not the end of the security profession. And it’s certainly not a bad thing. We’re talking about the rise of automation. As security threats become a bigger part of the day-to-day concerns at all types of organizations, bringing in machines has become necessary to keep up. In fact, security automation can help you become even more valuable as an employee. Being at the heart of the security orchestration and automation [https://www.rapid7.com/solutions/s

6 min Phishing

NCSAM Security Crash Diet, Week 3: Privacy and Backups

In week three of Rapid7's NCSAM 'Security Crash Diet' series, our cybersleuth 'Olivia' tests practical advice on privacy (think location-sharing) and has a few scary moments with backups.