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Windows SharePoint Services – “To be, or not to be”

Microsoft formalized Patch Tuesday in October 2003 till today. It was focus on workstation, server and software product till today.  Any differences in the Microsoft architecture model in last decade? Perhaps your answer is the cloud platform and collaboration cloud. Yes, the cloud computing technology similar 14th and 17th centuries renaissance. Thus, a major component in existing technology world.

The point of view of IT management avoid of cloud computing in the earlier stage till today they are enjoy of this technology. As times go by, Microsoft SharePoint product widely deploys in IT environment. There is system architect build SharePoint work as data warehouse.

SharePoint design looks fine from Microsoft point of view. Furthermore both authentication and security are coexist with Active directory. It is a popular setup since it is a single sign on.

The vulnerabilities found on SharePoint in 2018 in retrospect (see below), it display that SharePoint are easy to cause remote code execution by attacker.

 

CVE Score Vulnerability Type(s)
CVE-2018-8254 An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Microsoft SharePoint Server does not properly sanitize a specially crafted web request to an affected SharePoint server. An authenticated attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially crafted request to an affected SharePoint server.

The attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could then perform cross-site scripting attacks on affected systems and run script in the security context of the current user. These attacks could allow the attacker to read content that the attacker is not authorized to read, use the victim’s identity to take actions on the SharePoint site on behalf of the user, such as change permissions and delete content, and inject malicious content in the browser of the user.

not yet calculated
CVE-2018-8252 An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Microsoft SharePoint Server does not properly sanitize a specially crafted web request to an affected SharePoint server. An authenticated attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially crafted request to an affected SharePoint server.

The attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could then perform cross-site scripting attacks on affected systems and run script in the security context of the current user. These attacks could allow the attacker to read content that the attacker is not authorized to read, use the victim’s identity to take actions on the SharePoint site on behalf of the user, such as change permissions and delete content, and inject malicious content in the browser of the user.

not yet calculated
CVE-2018-8168 A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Office software when the software fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka “Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability.” This affects Microsoft Word, Word, Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8157, CVE-2018-8158. 9.3 Exec Code Overflow
CVE-2018-0922 Microsoft Office 2010 SP2, 2013 SP1, and 2016, Microsoft Office 2016 Click-to-Run Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac, Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack SP2, Microsoft Office Web Apps 2010 SP2, Microsoft Office Web Apps 2013 SP1, Microsoft Office Word Viewer, Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2013 SP1, Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016, Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack SP2, Microsoft Online Server 2016, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 SP2, Microsoft Word 2007 SP3, Microsoft Word 2010 SP2, Word 2013 and Microsoft Word 2016 allow a remote code execution vulnerability due to how objects are handled in memory, aka “Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability”. 9.3 Exec Code Overflow Mem. Corr.
CVE-2018-0797 Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Office 2013, and Microsoft Office 2016 allow a remote code execution vulnerability due to the way RTF content is handled, aka “Microsoft Word Memory Corruption Vulnerability”. 9.3 Exec Code Overflow Mem. Corr.
CVE-2018-0792 Microsoft Word 2016 in Microsoft Office 2016 allows a remote code execution vulnerability due to the way objects are handled in memory, aka “Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution Vulnerability”. This CVE is unique from CVE-2018-0794. 9.3 Exec Code Overflow
CVE-2018-0789 Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2016 allow an elevation of privilege vulnerability due to the way web requests are handled, aka “Microsoft SharePoint Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability”. This CVE is unique from CVE-2018-0790. 9

Refer to attach Share Point architecture diagram, this is a common practice model deployment integrate to Azure (IaaS) Cloud platform. If coincidentally MS Excel and Share Point has vulnerabilities occurs (similar situation display on diagram). Which item become critical in nowadays IT environment, end point, server or cloud platform?

See whether below high vulnerabilities items happened on Jun 2018 can provides hints to you in this regard.

CVE-2018-8233 | Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability – An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka “Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability.” This affects Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers.

https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8233

CVE-2018-8251 | Media Foundation Memory Corruption Vulnerability – A memory corruption vulnerability exists when Windows Media Foundation improperly handles objects in memory, aka “Media Foundation Memory Corruption Vulnerability.” This affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers.

https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8251

CVE-2018-8252 | Microsoft SharePoint Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability – https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8252

CVE-2018-8254 | Microsoft SharePoint Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability – https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8254

— End —

 

 

 

 

Bitcoin exchanges must remain vigilant to low value coins

Heard that a vulnerability found on cryptocurrency (FuturXE (FXE)). The problem is that smart contact designer make a programming logic mistake. Department of Homeland Security confirm the bug this week. (CVE-2018–12025) – https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12025

The vulnerabilities and cyber attack looks never stop so far. Do you still remember virtual currency exchange Coincheck lost $400 million in NEM cryptocurrency in Jan 2018?

The hack only involved NEM, because the security breach was caused by the lack of strong security measures of Coincheck with regards to their implementation of NEM, lacking the use of mutlisignature support or a cold wallet.

It looks that criminal group will be intereted of low market value cryptocurrency. For instance, CVE-2018-10468 hacker exploits useless token combine with vulnerability steal the token. Coincheck lost $400 million in NEM but the market price of each coin is in lower value.

FutureXE market price equal to zero buy still avaiable to buy on the market. I think this type of coins will be lure criminal group interest. The fact is that this type of coins willl be exploits for money laundering. Since the coin has vulnerability occured, criminal group can hiring hacker to steal the coin and waiting for bitcoin exchanges reimburse the fund to achieve the money laundering objective.

— End —

June 2018 – Red Shell service arousing public question!

DNS logs explicitly shown the internet user activities. For instance a malicious network traffic that can be identified in DNS logs. The technical details includes command and control (C2) traffic of the following cyber attacks.
Ransomware, malicious ads and redirects, exploit kits, phishing, typosquatting attacks, DNS hijacking; denial of service (DoS) attacks; and DNS tunneling.

Pi-hole is a Linux network-level advertisement and internet tracker blocking application which acts as a DNS sinkhole. DNS Sinkholing is a mechanism aimed at protecting users by intercepting DNS request attempting to connect to known malicious or unwanted domains and returning a false, or rather controlled IP address. The controlled IP address points to a sinkhole server defined by the DNS sinkhole administrator.

The Sinkhole server can be used to collect event logs, but in such cases the Sinkhole administrator must ensure that all logging is done within their legal boundaries and that there is no breach of privacy.

Red Shell helps PC & console games uncover where their players
come from through reliable attribution. Their system architecture build by PI-HOLE and bind opensourece application. Meanwhile PI-HOLE and BIND can do reverse engineering. It can do the end point monitoring, aim to keep track the customer behaviour.

A concerns of public and question the analytics package provided by Innervate, Inc., to game publishers.
Innervate, a Seattle-based company founded to help game makers reach more customers, is launching its new Red Shell service today.

Reference:

European Union Agency for Network and Information Security

What is a “DNS Sinkhole”? – https://www.enisa.europa.eu/topics/csirts-in-europe/glossary/dns-sinkhole

Remark: Administrator must ensure that all logging is done within their legal boundaries and that there is no breach of privacy.

My reflections – Why do we require complete artificial intelligence into daily life?

The important thing is to never stop questioning, said Albert Einstein.

Since there is no prefect design items in the world. and therefore bug fix or so called software patch update is the acceptable method. So when I heard Apple issued the security update for Siri (speech recognition application program). As usual I will be interested of the techincal details of the security update. But my consideration this time not on cyber security. My question is that why do we require complete artifical intelligence into daily life. As we know after Apple Siri, Microsoft launched Cortana, Amazon launched Alexa. The speech recongnition was significant success (see attached diagram). The aim of this function not target smartphone only. The major goal is integrate this function into Artifical Intellgence system. The situation of today technology world similar following circumstances. That is once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. But my personal opinion is that we are on the way go to simple thinking logical model. The logical thinking steps will be replaced and transfer to another parties.  In fact that it will enhace the security and operation effeciency. Meanwhile the resources in the world is limit. For instance the existing resources in normal non AI environment can be consume for 100 years. But when we integrate our life to AI, how long will be maintain in the consuming cycle?

Apple secuirty announcement reference – https://support.apple.com/en-hk/HT208848

June 13, 2018 – ISC Releases Security Advisory for BIND

 

Operating system · Linux, NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, macOS, Windows · Type · DNS server · License · Mozilla Public License (ISC license before 9.11). Website, www.isc.org/downloads/bind. BIND is the most widely used Domain Name System (DNS).

ISC Releases Security Advisory for BIND Published Wednesday, June 13, 2018 – A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to obtain sensitive information.

Offical announcement – https://kb.isc.org/article/AA-01616/0/CVE-2018-5738

June 13, 2018 – Intel Releases Security Advisory on Lazy FP State Restore Vulnerability

Many CPU architectures support lazy saving of floating point state (registers) by allowing floating point capability to be disabled, resulting in an exception when a floating point operation is performed. Virtually all floating point math is done in SSE (and thus XMM registers) in 64 bit mode. Attacker is able via a local process instead of web browser. A newly scheduled task can use the exploit described herein to infer the Floating Point register state of another task, which can be used to leak sensitive information.

Official announcement – https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00145.html

Why do we require AI (Artifical intelligence)?

Preface

When a child is born, his destiny is learning. He requires continuous learning the knowledge. His objective looks simple because his goal is survival.

What is the objective of AI (Artificial Intelligence)?

The aim of the development of AI it is to mimic in machines the “intelligent” behavior of humans.

The major element of AI (Artifical Intelligence). It is learning. The computer similar a baby, the world empower the knowledge to him. As a result, his learning path including human behaviour, human thinking logic, languages, decision making logic. But how does artificial intelligence do the correct decision not jeopardize the world? This is the ethics.

Does science world ignore the key element before A successful build?

The super computer contains super processing power with high calulation speed. It is without difficulties to do the data analytic. But emulate a human logic thinking require huge volume of data set includes human behaviour data set, differect catagories of data, the historical of crime activities, business decisions logic,…etc.

Hey! Is there any contradition found on this place. For instance, a ethic will be bound to human logical thinking? For instance, you visit library to read the book. This is equilvant learning mode. But in the libray, the book could not contain personal data, personal behaviour acivities provides. So this is the classical learning mode.

You pick up sister or brother letter in the mail box. The ethics will guide you are not allow to open the letter, right? But why does the artificial intelligence have this privileges to read the personal data? The AI read the personal data without consent!

Intelligence is not bestowed by whom, but are the condition of each person is born with and enjoys. However the whole way is for human survival in the earth. If machine contains artifical intelligence. From techincal point of view, it looks like human build a new competitor for himself? The major point is that AI will be wind their way to survivail in the world once their technology is mature.

I am not speaking the conspiracy. It is reality since they are in the machine learning phase. Their evolutions are shown as below:

1st Generation

Data science: Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract knowledge and insights from data in various forms, both structured and unstructured,similar to data mining.

2nd Generation

Machine learning: Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence in the field of computer science that often uses statistical techniques to give computers the ability to “learn”.

Final stage

Artifical intelligence: Artifical intelligence is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence (NI) displayed by humans and other animals.

Source of data of machine learning nowadays

Datasets of population, economic and development across the world: https://data.worldbank.org/

Data operate in educational institutions and education demographics from the US and around the world: https://nces.ed.gov/

The collection of social, economic and population data in UK: https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/

The national crime statistics, with free data available at national, state and county level: https://ucr.fbi.gov/

Information gathered by NASA’s space exploration missions: https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

Conclusion

Human pollute the world because of living standard growth and modern industries.
Artificial intelligence in final phase will be …..
A song is on the way!

Don’t kill the world, don’t let it down. Do not destroy basic ground…..

 

–End–

June 2018 – Cisco releases security update for their products

The marketing strategy of Cisco covered full scope of Cyber security and computer world. Since provides a wide angle of functional product features are hard to avoid vulnerabilities occurs. And therefore the security update are in frequent on the way. No harm! This is the IT world.

Cisco IP Phone 6800, 7800, and 8800 Series with Multiplatform Firmware Session Initiation Protocol Denial of Service Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-multiplatform-sip

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Web Services Denial of Service Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-asaftd

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Certificate Bypass Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-AnyConnect-cert-bypass

The Enterprise Console in Cisco AppDynamics App iQ Platform before 4.4.3.10598 (HF4) allows SQL injection, aka the Security Advisory 2089 issue.

https://docs.appdynamics.com/display/PRO44/Release+Notes#ReleaseNotes-4.4.3.10598%28HF4%29Updates

Cisco FireSIGHT System VPN Policy Bypass Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-FireSIGHT-vpn-bypass

Cisco Identity Services Engine Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-ise-xss

Cisco Integrated Management Controller Supervisor and Cisco UCS Director DOM Stored Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-ucsdimcs

Cisco IOS XE Software Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting Login Authentication Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-aaa

Cisco Meeting Server Information Disclosure Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-cms-id

Cisco Network Services Orchestrator Arbitrary Command Execution Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-nso

Invalid Curve Attack – 2017

https://nodesecurity.io/advisories/324

https://github.com/cisco/node-jose

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning Unauthorized Password Recovery Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-prime-password-recovery

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning Cleartext Passwords Written to World-Readable File Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-cpcp-id

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning SQL Injection Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-prime-sql

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning Access Control Deficiency in Batch Function Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-prime-escalation

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning Unauthenticated Remote Method Invocation Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-prime-rmi

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning Access Control Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-prime-access

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning Unauthorized Password Reset Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-prime-password-reset

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning Access Control Bypass Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-prime-bypass

Cisco Unified Communications Manager Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-ucm-xss

Cisco Unified Communications Manager Cross-Frame Scripting Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-cucm-xfs

Cisco Unified Computing System Role-Based Access Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-ucs-access

Cisco Unified IP Phone Software Denial of Service Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-ip-phone-dos

Cisco Unity Connection Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-cuc-xss

Cisco Web Security Appliance Layer 4 Traffic Monitor Security Bypass Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-wsa

Cisco WebEx Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-webex-xss

Cisco WebEx Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-webex-xss1

Cisco Wide Area Application Services Software Disk Check Tool Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-waas-priv-escalation

Cisco Wide Area Application Services Software Static SNMP Credentials Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-waas-snmp

* Multiple Cisco Products Disk Utilization Denial of Service Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180606-diskdos

Who is most faster? Crossbar SW or PCR?

Preface

China won 1st of the TOP500 list of the world’s top supercomputers on June 2016. Can we say PCR is the mainstream? Or still keep crossbar switch deployment?

Who’s ready to break a record today?

IBM announced on June 2018. SUMMIT’s do mathematical calculations at the rate of 200 quadrillion per second, or 200 petaflops.

The Sunway TaihuLight has a processing speed of 93 petaflops.

What are the key components of the Chinese supercomputer architecture?

Do you remember the Parallel Capacity Resource (PCR) clusters? The mature technology found in 2002. The success of the PCR clusters was followed by the purchase of the Multiprogrammatic Capability Resource (MCR) cluster in July, 2002 from Linux NetworX (see below diagram). The PCR cluster debuted as the Top 500 Supercomputers list in November, 2002.

The Sunway TaihuLight uses a total of 40,960 Chinese-designed SW26010manycore 64-bit RISC processors based on the Sunway architecture.Each processor chip contains 256 processing cores, and an additional four auxiliary cores for system management (also RISC cores, just more fully featured) for a total of 10,649,600 CPU cores across the entire system.

Parallel Capacity Resource (PCR) cluster architecture create the mystery power!

The differences between China supercomputer and traditional mainframe supercomputer.

I speculated that China supercomputer architecture established by Parallel Capacity Resources Cluster concept for system development. Some technical details as finger print to proof of concept. Detail is shown as below:

1. Sunway TaihuLight, with 10,649,600 computing cores comprising 40,960 nodes.

2. System OS not mentioned on technical report, however I believed that the OS kernel development on top of System V (Unix/Linux).

Cyber Security protection ( Linux NetworX versus IBM SUMMIT comparison)

IBM SUMMIT

Programming lanugage:

X10 is an open-source programming language being developed at IBM Research in collaboration with academic partners. The programming language designed specifically for parallel computing using the partitioned global address space (PGAS) model. A computation is divided among a set of places, each of which holds some data and hosts one or more activities that operate on those data. It has a constrained type system for object-oriented programming, a form of dependent types.

http://x10.sourceforge.net/documentation/languagespec/x10-latest.pdf

System Architecture:

Processor Security – When a partition is booted, the hypervisor initializes all of the hardware registers available to the partition to a known state. Later, when the partition is no longer running on a hardware thread, the hypervisor copies the current register contents to a save area associated with this specific logical processor. This copying of the registers is done for both dedicated and shared processor partitions. These virtualized registers are maintained in hypervisor memory (physical real memory) so that the memory cannot be altered.

Memory – The HPT (Hardware Page Table) is a mapping from the partitions address space to physical real addresses. Each partition that is created has its own HPT. Whenever a partition is running on a hardware thread, the hardware always uses the information from that partition’s HPT to translate the addressing. The HPT is part of the firmware memory usage on the server and since it is maintained only in real memory, only the PowerVM hypervisor can make changes to the HPT.

Linux NetworX and next generation

The specific cyber security did not mentioned since it priority to focusing the processing power. Should you have interest of the parallel capacity resource (PCR) computer architecture. Please refer below URL for referemce.

https://computing.llnl.gov/tutorials/linux_clusters/#Background

Reference:

The New York Times – Move Over, China: U.S. Is Again Home to World’s Speediest Supercomputer

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/technology/supercomputer-china-us.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftechnology

2016 Supercomputer magazine

2016 Supercomputer magazine