DeepSec 2023 Talk: I’m Ok, You’re Ok, We’re Ok: Living with AD(H)D in Infosec – Klaus Agnoletti

Sanna/ September 22, 2023/ Conference

[This is a different topic than information security. Klaus’ presentation was included in the DeepSec 2023 schedule, because it deals with the way some of us are dealing with the individual thought processes. The work environment doesn’t fit for everyone.] I was diagnosed with AD(H)D almost three years ago, aged 44. Getting the diagnosis and being able to get proper medicine meant the world to me; suddenly I understood all those symptoms and I could function remarkably better. Better understanding also meant that I got more insight to why it was becoming increasingly harder for me to get and keep a job. So something had to happen. I’ve been an InfoSec professional for almost 20 years but after my diagnosis I moved to community marketing which basically meant doing the spare-time thing I love

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DeepSec 2023 Press Release: Digitalisation Requires More Than Just Technology – DeepSec Conference Combines Digitalisation With IT Security Trainings

Sanna/ September 20, 2023/ Conference, Press

Digitalisation is a great opportunity and has arrived in all areas of society. However, there is more to it than using digital data and computer systems. Processes and ways of working need to be adapted. In addition, information security must be considered throughout, from design to implementation. The DeepSec conference again has extensive training on this topic in its programme. Digitalisation generates opportunities and markets The basic idea of digitalised processes in companies and administration is simplification through the use of IT infrastructure. Data is more easily available. Documents can be searched and found more easily. This also means that more information is available in digital form. The opportunities and markets generated by this are not all legal. In 2022, data from one billion Chinese nationals was copied. In 2018, the Indian government reported

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: WEFF : p2p Communication without Third Party – Nikolaos Tsapakis

Sanna/ September 19, 2023/ Conference

References in public available literature pertaining to a completely serverless connection method between two peers behind routers implementing NAT are scarce. In this talk, we are describing a more generic method for NAT traversal that requires no intermediate server and relies on a multiple port testing method which resembles a brute force attack. We have created a proof of concept for verifying and showing our results. This talk relates to p2p communication without the need for a third party (intermediate server or other) for initiating the communication. We asked Nikolaos a few more questions about his presentation. Please tell us the top 5 facts about your talk. Privacy Decentralized communications Secure communications Easy to implement Fun to use How did you come up with it? Was there something like an initial spark that set

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: Skynet wants your Passwords! The Role of AI in Automating Social Engineering – Alexander Hurbean & Wolfgang Ettlinger

Sanna/ September 18, 2023/ Conference

We techies love solving problems with cool technology, to where we attempt to implement the economy in code. Although important in general, we know that, for example, blockchain, cryptography, and Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SSDLC) are irrelevant when the user enters their credentials on a phishing site. From an attacker’s point of view, though, we see that modern technologies such as artificial intelligence are immensely beneficial to attack one of the weakest links in security – humans. We will explore how modern technologies, for instance DeepFakes, Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), and Transformers, can be misused by bad actors. We will explore some interesting ideas for attacks, discuss their practical feasibility and show implementations of some of these attacks. We will also look at approaches to detect and defend against AI-powered attacks. We asked

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: !CVE: A New Platform for Unacknowledged Cybersecurity !Vulnerabilities – Hector Marco & Samuel Arevalo

Sanna/ September 11, 2023/ Conference

In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, the identification and acknowledgment of vulnerabilities through the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system plays a crucial role. However, vendor discretion in determining whether a security issue warrants a CVE assignment often results in overlooked vulnerabilities that pose significant risks. This presentation introduces the !CVE initiative, a groundbreaking platform that addresses this critical gap by identifying, tracking, and sharing unacknowledged cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Our presentation begins with an overview of the CVE system and the challenges security researchers face in dealing with unacknowledged vulnerabilities. We discuss real-world examples of security issues ignored by vendors and explore the potential consequences of these hidden threats. We then delve into the !CVE platform, detailing its mission, features, and collaborative approach to empower the security community. Through case studies, we show the value of

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: Introducing CS2BR – Teaching Badgers New Tricks – Moritz Thomas & Patrick Eisenschmidt

Sanna/ September 8, 2023/ Conference

Staying under the radar and remaining undetected is one of our priorities during Red Teaming assessments. After all, we’re simulating real threat actors and want to reach our objectives without raising any suspicion. This becomes a more and more challenging task as new defences are implemented, requiring us to add new tools and techniques to our tool belt. Occasionally, though, there is a new technique that brings a broad set of features and doesn’t leave countless traces. This talk is about one such technique: beacon object files (BOFs)! BOFs aren’t exactly the new hot stuff, as a matter of fact, they’ve been around for more than two years now. In those two years, a de-facto BOF standard has been adapted by many C2 frameworks out there. But what happens when your C2 doesn’t support

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: 1h Talk – LeaveHomeSafe: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly – Abraham Aranguren

Sanna/ September 7, 2023/ Conference

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the development and deployment of various contact tracing apps worldwide, including the Hong Kong government’s LeaveHomeSafe app. In this talk, we will present the findings of our comprehensive security assessment of LeaveHomeSafe, which uncovered a range of vulnerabilities from minor to critical. We will discuss the overall app design and functionality, the uncovered issues related to data privacy and security, as well as interesting edge-case scenarios. We will delve into the technical details of the vulnerabilities we found, demonstrating the tools and techniques used to identify and exploit them. Our talk will also cover the disclosure process, as well as the subsequent press and official Hong Kong government reactions, which garnered international attention. The talk will break down the good, the bad and the ugly of this security

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: Zero-Touch-Pwn: Abusing Zoom’s Zero Touch Provisioning for Remote Attacks on Desk Phones – Moritz Abrell

Sanna/ September 7, 2023/ Conference

Cloud communication platforms like Zoom have become a fundamental aspect of modern communication and are widely used in daily work. However, in certain scenarios, traditional endpoints such as desk phones or analog gateways are still required. Today, these devices can be integrated with most major cloud communication providers through the use of their provisioning services, which centralize configurations and firmware. This session is about a security analysis of the Zoom “Zero Touch Provisioning” method with certified hardware. It will reveal several vulnerabilities that, when combined, allow an attacker to remotely compromise arbitrary devices, enable massive eavesdropping on conversations or rooms, remote control of devices, or using them as a pivot point to attack the adjacent corporate network. Be curious about the details of hard-coded cryptographic material, improper authentication, lack of immutable root of trust,

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: Automating Incident Response: Exploring the Latest Conversational AI Tools – Hagai Shapira

Sanna/ September 6, 2023/ Conference

As security incidents become increasingly complex, it’s crucial for SOC and incident response teams to focus on actual malicious investigations. However, their ability to do so is often limited by time-consuming human interactions with stakeholders. In this talk, we’ll explore different levels of automation approaches for incident response, culminating in the latest additions of conversational AI tools. These tools enable full investigations with human stakeholders to be performed automatically, with an analyst only as a silent observer/supervisor. We’ll discuss the benefits and limitations of using conversational AI tools in incident response, as well as real-world examples of how these tools have been used effectively. By the end of the talk, attendees will have a better understanding of how to leverage this technology to streamline their incident response processes and improve their overall security posture.

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: Horror Stories from the Automotive Industry – Thomas Sermpinis

Sanna/ September 4, 2023/ Conference

In this talk, we will revisit some of the scariest stories we faced during over 50 penetration testing and security research projects, with a twist. In the ever-emerging industry of automotive, with old and new OEMs trying to get a share of the pie, many things are at stake, with many things getting overlooked, forgotten, or even deliberately covered. We will go through a journey of critical findings in different targets and the constant battle between penetration testers, developers, and mid to upper management. This will help the audience get an understanding of how the industry behaves right now, what they (and what we) are doing wrong, and how the future of automotive security should be shaped, not only for the sake of security but also for the sake of safety and reliability. This

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: The Attacker Mindset: Practical Lessons from the Field – Yossi Sassi

Sanna/ September 1, 2023/ Conference

Occasionally we come across the expression “attacker mindset”, yet without properly understanding what it means in practice. What does it REALLY mean? Is it a different way of thinking? Planning? Improvising? Or execution? Or maybe all of the above? We’ll dive into some practical examples & hands-on demos to understand what this term actually means, from an engagement perspective. We asked Yossi a few more questions about his talk. Please tell us the top 5 facts about your talk. Based on real-world engagements at dozens of customers worldwide, four continents, including Fortune 100 companies. Learn how to “think” like an adversary, not just hear about tools & techniques. Various hands-on demos to demonstrate the session topic. Cool research and code from self exploration. Gain overall insights, whether you are a Red or Blue teamer

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DeepSec 2023 Talk: Nostalgic Memory – Remembering All the Wins and Losses for Protecting Memory Corruption – Shubham Dubey

Sanna/ August 31, 2023/ Conference

Memory corruption, a vulnerability that emerged in the 1980s and gained prominence with the discovery of the first buffer overflow in the fingerd Unix application exploited by the Morris worm in 1988, has since become a significant concern in the field of information security. Its prevalence was further underscored by the influential Phrack edition 49 titled “Smashing the Stack for Fun and Profit” in 1996. Today, memory corruption remains one of the most pressing security challenges, compelling the entire defensive security industry to develop robust countermeasures. This session aims to delve into the progress made by the security industry in mitigating and protecting against different types of memory corruption, as well as the current state of these efforts. During the talk, I will explore various techniques that have been introduced worldwide to safeguard against

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DeepSec 2023 Press Release: Language Models do no cognitive Work –

Sanna/ August 30, 2023/ Conference, Press

The term Artificial intelligence (AI) is in the media, but it consists only of language simulations. If one follows the logic of the products currently offered under the AI label, we could easily remedy the shortage of skilled workers in the information technology sector. Take random people and let them consume tutorials, code examples, training videos and other documents related to the field of application for a few months. After this learning phase, skilled workers would automatically be available. TThe DeepSec conference is asking why there is still a lack of qualified personnel in IT. Algorithmically, the problem already seems to have been solved. Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI The so-called generative AI, which is now on everyone’s lips, is mathematically assigned to the research field of artificial intelligence. GPT, LLaMa, LaMDA or

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DeepSec 2023 Press Release: DeepSec 2023 publishes Programme – This year’s conference focuses on language models and infrastructure

Sanna/ August 30, 2023/ Conference, Press

  Everyone is discussing Artificial Intelligence language models that have vast amounts of learning data. Language models are supposed to revolutionise information technology overnight, but their first applications are actually digital attacks. TThe current state of deep fake detection, social engineering attacks, and security incident response benefits will be highlighted at the DeepSec security conference this year. Of course, there are many more presentations that are indispensable for digital defence. Language models do not think, they forge Attacks through phishing emails and social engineering bypass technical measures through communication. By imitating victims’ language, attackers try to get them to support the attack with their own actions. Artificial persuasion is the speciality of AI language models, as they are designed to simulate conversation. Alexander Hurbean discusses which tools are available for these attacks and how

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DeepSec 2023 Training: Security Intelligence: Practical Social Engineering & Open-source Intelligence for Security Teams – Christina Lekati

Sanna/ August 25, 2023/ Conference, Interview, Training

Social engineering attacks remain at the top of the threat landscape and data breach reports. Reports tend to oversimplify breaches as just phishing attacks, but current research shows it’s more complex. Social engineering attacks have been evolving. Successful phishing emails are usually a result of a larger attack based on research and intelligence that identifies organizational vulnerabilities. But it doesn’t stop there. Weaponized psychology is still a powerful component of social engineering attacks. Security professionals and testers need to know how social engineering works and how to stop attacks. This class aims to provide participants with the necessary knowledge on open-source intelligence and social engineering, to help security teams build better protective measures (proactive & reactive) and to inform their security strategy. It also aims to help penetration testers improve their recommendations and provide

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