IT Security Stack Exchange
IT Security Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [vulnerability]

A weakness or flaw in computer software and hardware which allows an attacker to take advantage of (exploit) a targeted system.

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SSL3 "POODLE" Vulnerability

Canonical question regarding the recently disclosed padding oracle vulnerability in SSL v3. Other identical or significantly similar questions should be closed as a duplicate of this one. What is the POODLE vulnerability? I use…
tylerl
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Meltdown and Spectre Attacks

Canonical question regarding the 2018 Jan. disclosed Meltdown and Spectre Attacks. Other identical or significantly similar questions should be closed as a duplicate of this one. Main concerns What is speculative execution and what does it…
M'vy
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Is exploit-free software possible?

I have heard that there will always be vulnerabilities in codes, software. However, I don't understand why it is not possible to have an exploit-free software. If companies keep updating their software, eventually there will be no vulnerabilities,…
Zheer
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How is the Heartbleed exploit even possible?

I have read about the Heartbleed OpenSSL vulnerability and understand the concept. However what I don't understand is the part where we pass 64k as the length and the server returns 64kb of random data because it does not check whether we really…
Talha Sayed
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Are there technical differences which make Linux less vulnerable to virus than Windows?

What makes Linux so different than Windows in terms of anti-virus needs? My question is not if I should get an anti-virus for my Linux. I perfectly understand why an AV is important. I would like to understand if there are conceptual (technical)…
user69377
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How can I argue against: "System is unhackable so why patch vulnerabilities?"

An operating system has reached End of Support (EoS) so no more security patches are coming for the OS ever. An embedded device running this OS needs to be updated to a newer version. However, the engineers who designed the original product feel…
Ken
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Why does my IT department block Firefox?

We received a message from the IT bods this week stating: Summary of the issue: IT will disabling and blocking the use of the browser Firefox next Thursday the 03.12.20 on all IT managed devices. Due to certain vulnerabilities and security risks…
Sam
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Is it a security vulnerability if the addresses of university students are exposed?

I am sorry for my lack of knowledge in this matter. My university (basically an international university in the UK that has students from different countries) has a website which requires the students to login before they can access their…
Ghulam Ali
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Does CVE-2021-44228 impact Log4j ports?

Log4j has been ported to other languages, such as log4perl, log4php, log4net, and log4r. Are these ports vulnerable to CVE-2021-44228 as well? I believe that they aren't because the vulnerability uses JNDI (Java Naming and Directory Interface),…
Fire Quacker
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Is divide-by-zero a security vulnerability?

Even though sometimes software bugs and vulnerabilities are deemed as the same concept, there must be at least one distinct aspect between them, and I think the most prominent one is exploitability (the latter one having the property). What I'm…
Gwangmu Lee
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How is 'Removing RAM' a security risk?

Today I was watching a video on 'Ethical Hacking' where, while discussing hardware attacks, the narrator said: Removing RAM or components from a desktop or a laptop Here's a screenshot: I understand that removing stuff like storage drives is a…
undo
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CVE-2018-10933 - Bypass SSH Authentication - libssh vulnerability

Looks like CVE-2018-10933 was just released today and you can find a summary here from libssh here Summary: libssh versions 0.6 and above have an authentication bypass vulnerability in the server code. By presenting the server an…
User0813484
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Does removing a GUI from a server make it less vulnerable?

Lately, I was watching an online video about Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) and in one of the videos it says "removing GUI from Windows server makes it less vulnerable." Is that true? If so, how does removing the GUI have that…
R1W
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Are staggered roll outs of security patches bad?

Many Android devices, including the Google Nexus line, are now receiving monthly security patches via OTA updates, accompanied by the Android Security Bulletins. However, these updates are often released in what is known as "staggered roll outs,"…
tonytan
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Who "brands" vulnerabilities?

It appears that every time there's a vulnerability discovered major enough to hit the news, its been assigned a brand name and often even a logo. Heartbleed, Spectre, Meltdown, Foreshadow, etc. Who decides and produces these? Is it typically the…
Kai
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