This article explores measures to attack those malicious attackers who seek to harm our legitimate systems. The proactive use of exploits and bot networks that fight other bot networks, along with social engineering and attacker techniques are all discussed in an ethical manner. Part one of two.

Among all the exploits available for information systems, some are simply more valuable than others. Finding a flaw in a server is often coveted, and finding one in a client is quite functional. However, when one discovers a flaw in security software itself, it is both coveted and highly functional. Writing an exploit against an IDS or some anti-virus software, for example, gives a researcher a special feeling because he knows that he is going to exploit something that has been built, ironically, to improve the security of a system.

By Thorsten Holz andFrederic Raynal at SecurityFocus

[ Read more ]