The Need to Defend Against Both Static and Dynamic Attacks

Every developer sets out to write bug-free code that runs as it should, meets client requirements, and doesn’t expose sensitive data. Unfortunately, time constraints, inexperience, and inattention result in the release of applications rife with security vulnerabilities.  

Attackers use every trick in the book to exploit those weaknesses and manipulate the application for various purposes. Defending code against static and dynamic attacks becomes easier when you employ techniques designed to close the loopholes hackers like to go after.  

🤔 Understanding static cyber attacks 

Static cyberattacks target security vulnerabilities in systems and software resulting from design, configuration, or implementation flaws. Examples of static cyberattacks include: 

Code injection 

Attackers inject malicious code into applications and systems by exploiting vulnerabilities caused by poor coding practices, including logic flaws. One example is a developer failing to add input validation to a text field on a web form. Once malware gains access to the application, it can spread to other sensitive organizational systems, potentially leading to data breaches.  

Buffer overflow 

Buffers are sequential sections of memory that contain information, such as character strings or arrays. Attackers attempt to write outside the bounds of the allocated memory, resulting in data corruption, a crashed program, or the execution of malicious code.  

Weak or flawed encryption 

Encryption processes protect data from unauthorized access. Poor key management can lead to data breaches. For example, if you use hard-coded keys in your software, a hacker could compromise them to tamper with sensitive information.  

Access control misconfiguration 

Organizations rely on access control policies to protect digital assets and prevent unauthorized access to apps, data, and resources. If you fail to revoke a user’s permissions when they change roles or leave the company, they could use those permissions to steal data or perform other malicious actions.  

Security misconfiguration 

Examples of security misconfigurations include failing to change the default settings on new software and making storage buckets in cloud infrastructure publicly accessible. Bad actors use security misconfigurations to install malware within networks and access sensitive database information.  

🎯 Understanding dynamic cyber attacks 

Dynamic attacks target vulnerabilities exposed in actively running applications. Examples of real-time flaws that hackers go after include:  

Malware 

Hackers typically distribute malware through emails, software, and malicious websites. Inadvertently downloading malware from one of those sources can immediately infect systems and start causing damage, such as: 

• Stealing sensitive data like login credentials and credit card numbers 
• Hijack company devices, data, or networks for money 
• Disrupt critical systems so that an organization cannot function 

SQL injection 

Hackers use input fields in websites and other applications to insert malicious SQL code. If successful, they can launch attacks designed to extract sensitive information, execute arbitrary commands, or manipulate databases to gain unauthorized access. 

Cross-site scripting (XSS) 

Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks involve inserting malicious scripts into web pages written in languages such as JavaScript. When users inadvertently trigger scripts within their browsers, attackers can perform actions such as stealing cookies or taking over the user’s account.  

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) 

DDoS attacks flood systems and networks with large volumes of traffic, making them inaccessible to regular users. Hackers orchestrate DDoS attacks using botnets or compromised devices. The disruption can lead to financial losses and to organizations being extorted to get the attackers to restore activity.  

📖 What is static analysis? 

Static analysis examines various methods for exploiting applications without executing them. It helps find vulnerabilities caused by coding errors and syntax issues. Static Application Security Testing, or SAST, is a static analysis technique that focuses on identifying weaknesses in source code, configuration files, and binaries. Examples of techniques used in SAST include: 

• Pattern matching: Involves using predefined patterns or signatures to look for coding errors, insecure coding practices, or other vulnerabilities within source code.  
• Data flow analysis: Tracks the flow of data within code to locate security issues involving output coding, input validation, or insecure data handling. This methodology helps detect security risks, such as information leakage or improper data sanitization.  
• Control flow analysis: Examines code to identify authentication, authorization, and session management issues. Reviewing structures like loops and conditionals interacting with sensitive operations can help uncover logic flaws and security weaknesses. 
• Dependency analysis: This involves analyzing code dependencies and the interactions between components, such as libraries, external APIs, and frameworks. SAST tools help identify potential issues with external components, such as insecure APIs and outdated libraries.  
• Code metrics and quality checks: Assesses various aspects of code, like size and maintainability, to grade its overall quality and find areas for improvement.  

📖 What is dynamic analysis? 

In contrast to static analysis, dynamic analysis involves examining how code operates while it is executing. Dynamic application security testing (DAST) tools interact with applications to evaluate their behavior during runtime and locate potential security weaknesses. Examples of techniques used in DAST include: 

• Real-world simulations: DAST tools simulate attacks used by real-world hackers against applications to determine how applications respond to them. Examples include sending malicious requests or inputs to an application’s interface.  
• Runtime analysis: This process involves reviewing an application’s behavior as it operates. DAST tools monitor responses to locate potential issues that could lead to security breaches.  
• Coverage analysis: Review how much of an application’s code and critical components, like API endpoints and input parameters, have been tested. DAST identifies whether there are sufficient test cases for every scenario. 

🚀 The importance of a complete testing strategy 

Kiuwan understands the importance of defending applications against cyber attacks. Our end-to-end security platform provides teams with everything they need to perform SAST analysis, identify, and remediate application vulnerabilities. Our platform also performs security assessments on open-source components to ensure code quality.

One of the benefits of using Kiuwan for application security testing is that it supports over 30 languages and integrates with multiple IDEs. Our team can help you quickly become proficient in ensuring the security of your organization’s products, both internally and externally.  Curious? Request a free demo to see it in action.