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Desktop application security in Python

CYDPyDsk3d

3 days

Python

Pricing Inquiry Download PDF

Preparedness

General Python development

Audience

Python developers working on desktop applications

Group size

12 participants

Labs

Hands-on

Outline

Cyber security basics
Input validation
Security features
Using vulnerable components
Cryptography for developers
Common software security weaknesses
Wrap up

Objective list

Getting familiar with essential cyber security concepts
Identify vulnerabilities and their consequences
Learn the security best practices in Python
Input validation approaches and principles
Managing vulnerabilities in third party components
Understanding how cryptography can support appplication security
Learning how to use cryptographic APIs correctly in Python

Description

Your application written in Python works as intended, so you are done, right? But did you consider feeding in incorrect values? 16Gbs of data? A null? An apostrophe? Negative numbers, or specifically -1 or -2³¹? Because that’s what the bad guys will do – and the list is far from complete.

Handling security needs a healthy level of paranoia, and this is what this course provides: a strong emotional engagement by lots of hands on labs and stories from real life, all to substantially improve code hygiene. Mistakes, consequences, and best practices are our blood, sweat and tears.

All this is put in the context of Python, and extended by core programming issues, discussing security pitfalls of the programming language.

So that you are prepared for the forces of the dark side.

So that nothing unexpected happens.

Nothing.

Cyber security basics
- What is security?
- Threat and risk
- Cyber security threat types
- Consequences of insecure software
  - Constraints and the market
  - The dark side
Input validation
- Input validation principles
  - Blacklists and whitelists
  - Data validation techniques
  - Lab – Input validation
  - What to validate – the attack surface
  - Where to validate – defense in depth
  - How to validate – validation vs transformations
  - Output sanitization
  - Encoding challenges
  - Lab – Encoding challenges
  - Validation with regex
  - Regular expression denial of service (ReDoS)
  - Lab – Regular expression denial of service (ReDoS)
  - Dealing with ReDoS
- Injection
  - Injection principles
  - Injection attacks
  - SQL injection
    - SQL injection basics
    - Lab – SQL injection
    - Attack techniques
    - Content-based blind SQL injection
    - Time-based blind SQL injection
  - SQL injection best practices
    - Input validation
    - Parameterized queries
    - Additional considerations
    - Lab – SQL injection best practices
    - Case study – Hacking Fortnite accounts
  - Code injection
    - Code injection via input()
    - OS command injection
      - Lab – Command injection
      - OS command injection best practices
      - Avoiding command injection with the right APIs
      - Lab – Command injection best practices
      - Case study – Shellshock
      - Lab – Shellshock
      - Case study – Command injection via ping
      - Python module hijacking
      - Lab – Module hijacking
  - General protection best practices

Input validation
- Integer handling problems
  - Representing signed numbers
  - Integer visualization
  - Integers in Python
  - Integer overflow
  - Integer overflow with ctypes and numpy
  - Lab – Integer problems in Python
  - Other numeric problems
    - Division by zero
    - Other numeric problems in Python
    - Working with floating-point numbers
- Files and streams
  - Path traversal
  - Path traversal-related examples
  - Lab – Path traversal
  - Additional challenges in Windows
  - Virtual resources
  - Path traversal best practices
  - Format string issues
- Unsafe native code
  - Native code dependence
  - Lab – Unsafe native code
  - Best practices for dealing with native code
Security features
- Authentication
  - Authentication basics
  - Multi-factor authentication
  - Authentication weaknesses – spoofing
  - Case study – PayPal 2FA bypass
  - Password management
    - Inbound password management
      - Storing account passwords
      - Password in transit
      - Lab – Is just hashing passwords enough?
      - Dictionary attacks and brute forcing
      - Salting
      - Adaptive hash functions for password storage
      - Password policy
        
        NIST authenticator requirements for memorized secrets
        Password length
        Password hardening
        Using passphrases
        Password change
        Forgotten passwords
        Lab – Password reset weakness
      - Case study – The Ashley Madison data breach
        
        The dictionary attack
        The ultimate crack
        Exploitation and the lessons learned
      - Password database migration
    - Outbound password management
      - Hard coded passwords
      - Best practices
      - Lab – Hardcoded password
      - Protecting sensitive information in memory
        
        Challenges in protecting memory
- Information exposure
  - Exposure through extracted data and aggregation
  - Case study – Strava data exposure
  - System information leakage
    - Leaking system information
  - Information exposure best practices
- Python platform security
  - The Python ecosystem and its attack surface
  - Python bytecode and security
  - Security features offered by the Python runtime
  - PEP 578 and audit hooks
  - Sandboxing Python
Using vulnerable components
- Assessing the environment
- Hardening
- Malicious packages in Python
- Vulnerability management
  - Patch management
  - Bug bounty programs
  - Vulnerability databases
  - Vulnerability rating – CVSS
  - DevOps, the build process and CI / CD
  - Dependency checking in Python
  - Lab – Detecting vulnerable components

Cryptography for developers
- Cryptography basics
- Cryptography in Python
- Elementary algorithms
  - Random number generation
    - Pseudo random number generators (PRNGs)
    - Cryptographically strong PRNGs
    - Using virtual random streams
    - Weak and strong PRNGs
    - Using random numbers in Python
    - Case study – Equifax credit account freeze
    - Lab – Using random numbers in Python
  - Hashing
    - Hashing basics
    - Common hashing mistakes
    - Hashing in Python
    - Lab – Hashing in Python
- Confidentiality protection
  - Symmetric encryption
    - Block ciphers
    - Modes of operation
    - Modes of operation and IV – best practices
    - Symmetric encryption in Python
    - Lab – Symmetric encryption in Python
    - Asymmetric encryption
      - The RSA algorithm
        
        Using RSA – best practices
        RSA in Python
      - Elliptic Curve Cryptography
        
        The ECC algorithm
        Using ECC – best practices
        ECC in Python
      - Combining symmetric and asymmetric algorithms
        
        Key exchange
        Diffie-Hellman key agreement algorithm
        Key exchange pitfalls and best practices
- Integrity protection
  - Authenticity and non-repudiation
  - Message Authentication Code (MAC)
    - MAC in Python
    - Lab – Calculating MAC in Python
  - Digital signature
    - Digital signature with RSA
    - Digital signature with ECC
    - Digital signature in Python
- Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
  - Some further key management challenges
  - Certificates
    - Chain of trust
    - PGP – Web of Trust
    - Certificate management – best practices
Common software security weaknesses
- Time and state
  - Race conditions
    - File race condition
      - Time of check to time of usage – TOCTTOU
      - Insecure temporary file
    - Avoiding race conditions in Python
      - Thread safety and the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)
      - Case study: TOCTTOU in Calamares
- Errors
  - Error and exception handling principles
  - Error handling
    - Returning a misleading status code
    - Information exposure through error reporting
  - Exception handling
    - In the except,catch block. And now what?
    - Empty catch block
    - The danger of assert statements
    - Lab – Exception handling mess
- Code quality
  - Language elements
    - Using dangerous language elements
    - Using obsolete language elements
    - Portability flaw
    - Module injection and monkey patching
    - Dangers of compile(), exec() and eval()
    - Sandboxing Python
- Denial of service
  - Denial of Service
  - Resource exhaustion
  - Cash overflow
  - Flooding
  - Algorithm complexity issues
Wrap up
- Secure coding principles
  - Principles of robust programming by Matt Bishop
  - Secure design principles of Saltzer and Schröder
- And now what?
  - Software security sources and further reading
  - Python resources

Pricing

3 days Session Price

2250 EUR / person

Live, instructor led classroom training
Discussion and insight into the hacker’s mindset
Hands-on practice using case studies based on high-profile hacks and live lab exercises

Inquiry

Customized Course

Tailor a course to your preferences

Send us a brief description of your business’s training needs
Include your contact information
One of our colleagues will be in touch to schedule a free 45 minute pre-training consultation

Inquiry

Interested in the trainings but still have some questions? Curious about how you can customize a training for your team? Send us a message and a team member will be in touch within 24 hours.

Desktop application security in Python

CYDPyDsk3d

3 days

Table of contents

Pricing

3 days Session Price

2250 EUR / person

Customized Course

Tailor a course to your preferences

Inquiry

Interested in the trainings but still have some questions? Curious about how you can customize a training for your team? Send us a message and a team member will be in touch within 24 hours.

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