Exploits-Security-Attacks
Exploits
An "exploit" is a computer program that
"exploits" a vulnerability, whether or not it is published. Each exploit
is specific to a version of an application as it exploits flaws in that
version. There are various types of exploits:
- Privilege escalation. The most formidable exploits make it possible to take control of executed programs with administrator privileges (root privileges on UNIX type systems);
- Generation of a system error. The goal of some exploits is to flood a computer program to make it "crash".
Most of the time, exploits are written in C language
or Perl. They may however be written in any language for which there is
an interpreter on the target machine. The hacker who uses an exploit
therefore needs to have minimum knowledge of the target system and
programming bases to achieve his goals.
To be able to use it, the hacker usually needs to
compile it on the target machine. If the execution is a success, the
hacker can, depending on the role of the exploit, obtain access to the
remote machine's command interpreter (shell).
Counter-measures
To not fall victim to this type of program, a
system's administrator needs to keep informed of vulnerabilities
relating to the applications and operating systems he manages by
regularly visiting websites that index flaws and by subscribing to
specialized distribution lists.
Here are a few sites that index flaws along with their exploits and patches:
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