Re: career advice

Great advice by Ali...

If you like web application security, may also wish to check out the OWASP.
For starters,  install OWASP WebGoat, which is a deliberately insecure
web application.
Then test it using "Zed Attack Proxy" and "fiddler/watcher" proxies,
and move on to
more active testing using W3AF, nikto/wikto, etc.

Another nice resource is
http://www.vulnerabilityassessment.co.uk/Penetration%20Test.html
Good Luck!




On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 5:41 PM, Ali-Reza Anghaie <[email protected]> wrote:
> You may think programming doesn't come easy to you but that doesn't
> mean you shouldn't try to get familiar with and understand a small
> variety of programming and scripting languages. I've given that as my
> top piece of advice for aspiring InfoSec professionals for ~13 years
> and every one has thanked me profusely in the end.
>
> What I'd suggest is starting from the tail-end and learning how to
> ~read~ code properly. To that end I can't recommend this book enough:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Code-Reading-Open-Source-Perspective/dp/0201799405/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2
>
> It's not the lightest reading but it's fairly accesible and once you
> add some practice you can also reference many other languages and
> scripts on the numerous http://stackexchange.com/ sites. That way, in
> short order, you can make sense of C, Ruby, Python, PHP, SQL, etc. the
> "cleaner" languages in a sense. And the gaping holes and the white
> rabbits to follow become clear even if you don't have a firm grasp on
> a given language.
>
> Now, to further consider what you want I'd say you should keep in mind
> that the majority of penetration testing and security research is
> based on architecture and process. It's not what most people read
> about and it's not as sexy as finding insanely difficult to exploit
> UDP to closed port exploits but it's the "bread and butter" for a
> majority of the field. Likewise a majority of "Enterprise Security
> Architecture" is well above the weeds. Sure you have to be familiar
> with OATH, revisions to it, and mixed-mode platforms like Opa, but you
> don't have to be an implementation expert per se on any of them. It
> requires A LOT of reflexive memory and reading. Referencing FOSS
> mailing lists and diagrams for design decisions, making sure you
> gather and organize documentation well, paying close attention to
> Changelogs, etc. just so you can continuously envision the changing
> landscape in your mind.
>
> So I'm going to recommend you go in three general directions based on
> what you wrote:
>
> 1) Code reading, understanding the basics, backwards-in approach..
>
> 2) Learn more and more about the numerous high-level Enterprise
> Architectures as they apply to web delivered systems, distributes
> systems, web APIs in particular, ..
>
> 3) Make sure you know you're way around Backtrack, Metasploit, etc.
> just to keep the layman interested. In the end that'll basically be
> your meal ticket to expanding your knowledge base.
>
> For (3) I'm going to give a short set of resources:
>
> 1) The PTES (http://www.pentest-standard.org/) is an effort to create
> something of a "quality standard" for Pen-testing. Consider this the
> baseline and not the ceiling. It's expanding and a good basis for
> further exploration.
>
> 2) This (http://www.tinyurl.com/msf-ptes) is a fairly new document
> that tries to map Metasploit use to the PTES. Good if you're trying to
> get a better grasp of Metasploit.
>
> 3) Explore http://www.securitytube.net/ for HowTo videos and talks from CONs.
>
> 4) Two two posts
> http://danielmiessler.com/projects/webappsec_testing_resources/#methodologies#
> && http://www.securityaegis.com/the-big-fat-metasploit-post/
>
> I want to re-emphasize though, most pen-test engagements find many
> holes examining the landscape well before Backtrack is booted or
> Metasploit loaded. If you're not looking at that level too, you're
> doing it wrong.
>
> OK.. that's all I'll dump on you for now. This could get quite lengthy. :-D
>
> You're welcome to connect on LinkedIn
> (http://www.linkedin.com/in/anghaie) and Twitter
> (https://twitter.com/#!/Packetknife). Good luck to you! Cheers, -Ali
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 16:52, Nathalie Vaiser <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Hello all,
>>
>> I'm hoping to get some direction/advice from some seasoned IT security
>> professionals...
>>
>> In short, I've been in IT for about 10 years (mainly as a system
>> administrator / helpdesk type of role - web servers).  I've always
>> been interested in security and have recently taken and passed the CEH
>> exam so that I can get some kind of foundation to build upon. I know
>> what I've learned so far is only the 'tip of the iceberg' and I've
>> been having difficulty deciding where I should focus my learning now,
>> in terms of preparing myself for a career in security, ideally as a
>> pen tester but possibly just in a defensive security role.
>>
>> I find it ALL very interesting, but I've been struggling with finding
>> a direction and focus for myself.  My current job duties don't involve
>> much security work but I'm hoping to eventually grow into that role
>> there. For now I'm taking time outside of work to further my IT
>> security skills.
>>
>> It seems 'web application security' is in high demand right now -
>> however - I'm not a developer nor programmer, and probably could never
>> be a good one if I tried (it just doesn't come easy to me).   I assume
>> if my focus would be on web application security I would need to know
>> more than just how to find vulnerabilities - I would need to be able
>> to at least consult or work with developers on fixing the problem, so
>> I'd be very limited and at a disadvantage without any programming
>> skills (am I right about this?).
>>
>> I do feel I would be at a disadvantage, for example I've started
>> practicing using OWASP Webgoat and am struggling with parts of it,
>> mainly for my lack of knowledge of Ajax, SQL, etc..
>>
>> If that is the case (that web application security shouldn't be my
>> focus since I have no programming/dev background), then I'm not sure
>> what to focus on, and what would make sense in terms of a viable
>> future career in security.  Possibly network security may be of
>> interest, which means I should probably consider studying for the CCNA
>> to get a much better foundation in networking.
>>
>> I know no one can decide for me, but what I'm looking for is feedback
>> on what scopes I may want to consider in the security field that are
>> large enough that they do encompass a career/job position, with the
>> caveat that my programming/dev skills are currently nill, and even
>> though I am considering learning some kind of programming (probably
>> Perl or Python) I can't see myself ever being extremely proficient
>> with it.
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
>>
>> Nathalie
>> CEH, MCP, MCTS, Linux+
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> This list is sponsored by: Information Assurance Certification Review Board
>>
>> Prove to peers and potential employers without a doubt that you can actually do a proper penetration test. IACRB CPT and CEPT certs require a full practical examination in order to become certified.
>>
>> http://www.iacertification.org
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> This list is sponsored by: Information Assurance Certification Review Board
>
> Prove to peers and potential employers without a doubt that you can actually do a proper penetration test. IACRB CPT and CEPT certs require a full practical examination in order to become certified.
>
> http://www.iacertification.org
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
This list is sponsored by: Information Assurance Certification Review Board

Prove to peers and potential employers without a doubt that you can actually do a proper penetration test. IACRB CPT and CEPT certs require a full practical examination in order to become certified. 

http://www.iacertification.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------