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Hi there! With data breaches constantly in the news, I know securing your systems feels daunting. Fear not! I‘m here to demystify the process by tackling the most prevalent and dangerous vulnerabilities leveraged by real-world attackers according to respected information security training leaders SANS Institute.
Arm yourself with this prioritized list of the top 20 security risks along with expert advice on protecting against them. You don‘t have to be a software engineer to put these enterprise-tested safeguards into action right away! Let‘s dive in and significantly boost your cyber resilience.
What Makes the SANS Top 20 List So Valuable
SANS analyzes extensive data on vulnerability trends and security incidents to compile their renowned list of the coding flaws, configuration gaps, and architectural weaknesses most frequently targeted by attackers across all major software and systems.
| Critical Vulnerability Statistics | Year-Over-Year Change |
|---|---|
| SQL Injection | 23.4% increase |
| Broken Authentication | 14.2% increase |
| Cross-Site Scripting | 3.1% increase |
With over 165,000 cyber professionals utilizing SANS training, they offer unmatched insight into real-world attack data based on:
- In-depth incident response engagements
- Findings from penetration testing over 32,000 systems and networks
- Cyber threat intelligence from dozens of industry partners
Let‘s explore SANS highest priority vulnerabilities in-depth along with key advice tailored to your technical environment.
#1 Memory Buffer Errors
73% likelihood of exploitation per SANS analysis – Our top vulnerability to tackle
When data gets written beyond the boundaries allocated for a buffer in memory, it can lead to crashes, lost data, and even arbitrary code execution. The most common triggers include:
- String copying without validating length
- Array-indexing errors from integers overflowing
- Race conditions with shared memory
Mitigations:
- Perform bounds checking before copying buffers and arrays
- Validate integer computations that govern memory access
- Utilize thread-safe libraries for parallel processes
Adopting safe languages like Java that automatically enforce memory safety disciplined pointer use in C and C++. Additional testing like fuzzing finds memory issues early.
"We‘ve fought 6 attacks this year exploiting buffer overflows in our legacy payment module. Help! How can I explain risk and urgency to management?"
Prioritize transitioning from risky languages where possible. For unavoidable C/C++, mandate formal training in secure coding techniques, peer review for quality, and integrate Application Security Testing in CI/CD pipeline to catch issues pre-deployment. Present data on increasing attacks and loss potential.
#2 Failure to Validate Input
Over 30 million web attacks per year exploit missing input validation – Make securing forms a top priority
Without scrutinizing for potentially dangerous content, your application happily processes malicious instructions allowing adversaries to steal data and takeover accounts. I‘m sure you‘ve heard of these common attacks:
- SQL Injection (SQLI) tricks databases into exposing info like credit cards
- Cross-Site Scripting (XXS) runs nasty JavaScript payloads in victims‘ browsers
- Path Traversal grants access to sensitive operating system files
Safeguards:
- Assume all web/API input malicious until validated
- Encode or escape dangerous characters
- Use parametrized queries – Never dynamically embed user input
Input validation protects against countless threats beyond core injection issues.
"I inherited an e-commerce site built on dated PHP spaghetti code. What are my best options to guard against SQLi and XSS given modernizing everything isn‘t feasible today?"
For high-risk web apps, Web Application Firewalls serve as the security band-aid to validate input/output flows offering immediate protection while pursuing systemic software improvements aligned to your technical roadmap for modernization.
#3 Information Exposure Through Improper Error Handling
Attackers love verbose error spew revealing system details. Whether default platform messaging or custom logging, ensure responses don‘t expose internal workings.
Potential for exposure
- Stack traces with application architecture
- Error codes pointing to back-end systems
- Paths and usernames revealing infrastructure details
Better practices
- Custom error pages hiding technical specifics from users
- Centralized generic error logging scrubbed of sensitive details
- Alerting on excessive error generation
Striking the right balance between operational visibility and exposure requires thoughtful design.
Prioritizing the Top Vulnerabilities
While all 20+ items demand attention, below I‘ve spotlighted several additional vulnerabilities frequently exploited within healthcare applications and other highly-regulated sectors storing valuable data.
#4 Broken Authentication
60% of breaches involve compromised credentials – it‘s all about account takeover
When authentication shortcuts get taken, accounts get taken over! Follow field-tested identity and access management controls:
- Enforce multi-factor authentication especially for privileged access
- Limit repeated failed login attempts
- Secure password storage using algorithms like Argon2, scrypt, or bcrypt
- Prevent old password reuse with tunable history
- Continually sync users to active directories
As threats evolve, evaluate expanding contextual signals to govern authentication and session management.
#5 Sensitive Data Exposure
Whether flaws in apps and services or oversight in protections applied, unintended data exposure remains an unfortunate norm.
Safeguards
- Classify data by sensitivity and handle accordingly
- At-rest encryption using AES 256-bit keys
- In-transit protections like TLS 1.2+
- Data minimization reducing overexposure
- Fine-grained access controls
Getting data classification and applying appropriate controls systemically remains an ongoing journey for most large enterprises.
Top 5 Vulnerabilities Across Industries
| Finance | Healthcare | Retail | Hospitality | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broken Authentication | Ransomware | Point of Sale Intrusions | Payment Card Skimmers | Email-based Threats |
| Denial of Service | Loss or Theft of Equipment | Denial of Service | Denial of Service | Improper Authentication |
| SQL Injection | Misconfigured Cloud Resources | Web Application Attacks | Web Application Attacks | Ransomware |
| POS Intrusions | Email Phishing | SQL Injection | POS Intrusions | Identity Theft |
| Man-in-the-Middle Attacks | Improper Authentication | Man-in-the-Middle Attacks | Business Email Compromise | Denial of Service |
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While your business priorities dictate where to focus, use the SANS Top 20 list as your blueprint guiding next vulnerability assessments and remediation initiatives.
Final Thoughts
Dear reader, I hope breaking down the SANS Top 20 empowers you to have more informed conversations on security priorities with both technical and leadership stakeholders. This list serves as an invaluable reference on where to devote more testing and hardening efforts. It takes an organization-wide commitment to disrupt the coding flaws, risky architecture, and lax practices that persist in leaving our systems overly exposed to attackers. Now that you‘re equipped with expert advice tailored to your unique environment, it‘s time to start taking action!