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Mehran heard that drinking a high protein supplement after f…

Mehran heard that drinking a high protein supplement after football training would improve his muscle mass. To test his hypothesis, the experimental group would receive a high protein drink and the control group would drink only water. Who should be selected for the control group in this experiment?

Veeam Warns of Critical Vulnerability in Service Provider Co…

Veeam Warns of Critical Vulnerability in Service Provider Console[1] Backup, recovery, and data protection firm Veeam has released patches for two Veeam Service Provider Console vulnerabilities, including a critical severity flaw that can lead to remote code execution (RCE). The Service Provider Console is a cloud-enabled platform enabling users to manage and monitor data protection operations and services across physical, virtual, and cloud-based Veeam solutions. The critical security defect disclosed on Tuesday, which was tracked as CVE-2024-42448 (CVSS score of 9.9), could lead to RCE on the Service Provider Console server. “From the VSPC management agent machine, under the condition that the management agent is authorized on the server, it is possible to perform Remote Code Execution (RCE) on the VSPC server machine,” Veeam warned in an advisory. The second bug could be exploited under the same conditions to “leak an NTLM hash of the VSPC server service account and delete files on the VSPC server machine. The flaw is tracked as CVE-2024-42449 (CVSS score of 7.1). The company said that Veeam Service Provider Console version 8.1.0.21377 and all version 7 and 8 build numbers are affected. Earlier versions, which are no longer supported, could also be impacted. Both vulnerabilities were discovered during internal testing, and their patches were included in Veeam Service Provider Console version 8.1.0.21999. However, the company says no mitigation action is available for either. “We encourage service providers using supported versions of Veeam Service Provider Console (versions 7 & 8) to update to the latest cumulative patch. Service Providers using unsupported versions are strongly encouraged to upgrade to the latest version of Veeam Service Provider Console,” Veeam added.   During the vulnerability analysis (stage 5 of PASTA), we identified several vulnerabilities that could affect the security of the system’s operation. The previous report describes these vulnerabilities. Create the required misuse cases diagram and design the flaw analysis using the abuse cases to define the required mitigations (at least one for each misuse case). Submission: The complete UML diagram misuse is compounded by the use cases to the system, the misuse cases, and the required mitigations. The diagram must be made using Visual Paradigm[2]. Submissions of any other diagram or diagrams built into a paper will not be considered and will receive zero points in the activity.   [1] https://www.securityweek.com/veeam-warns-of-critical-vulnerability-in-service-provider-console/ [2] https://online.visual-paradigm.com/   Criteria Description Points Correct Use of Misuse Case Diagram               The diagram must correctly represent the misuse cases associated with the vulnerabilities identified (CVE-2024-42448, CVE-2024-42449). Misuse cases should clearly show potential attacks, such as RCE and NTLM hash leakage, that can occur during the system’s operation. 20 points Inclusion of Relevant Use Cases   The diagram should show the system’s normal use cases alongside the misuse cases, illustrating how the system can be exploited.   10 points Mitigations for Each Misuse Case   The diagram should include at least one appropriate mitigation measure (e.g., patching the vulnerabilities, implementing stronger access controls, etc.) for each misuse case.   10 points 6. Clarity and Organization of Explanation (3 points) Diagram Formatting and Adherence to UML Standards. The diagram must be clear, well-organized, and easy to follow, with all elements properly labeled. Misuse cases and mitigations should be distinguished. 10 points

Cookie-based session management is a method used to maintain…

Cookie-based session management is a method used to maintain stateful sessions between a client (typically a browser) and a server. It leverages HTTP cookies to store session data on the client side. Here’s how it works: Session Creation: When a user logs in or interacts with a web application, the server creates a session for that user. The session stores important information, such as user credentials, preferences, or session-specific data. Session Identifier: Instead of storing the session data directly in the browser, the server generates a unique session identifier (usually a random string) and sends it back to the client as a cookie. This cookie is stored in the client’s browser. Cookie Storage: The cookie, which includes the session ID, is sent with each subsequent request made by the client to the server. This allows the server to associate the incoming request with a specific session on the server side. Session Validation: When the server receives a request with a session cookie, it checks the session ID against its session storage (usually stored on the server or in a database). If the session is valid, the server retrieves the corresponding session data and processes the request accordingly. Session Expiration: Sessions typically have an expiration time, after which the session data is invalidated. This can be configured in the server or through the cookie’s expiration date. Additionally, cookies can be configured to be persistent or session-based (i.e., deleted when the browser is closed). Cookie-based session management is crucial for businesses as it ensures secure and personalized user experiences, enhances operational efficiency, enables better marketing strategies, and ensures compliance with data protection regulations. It is crucial for businesses for several reasons: Enhanced User Experience: Stateful Sessions: Cookies allow businesses to maintain user sessions across multiple interactions with their website or application. This ensures users don’t need to re-authenticate or re-enter their information with each page request, making the experience more seamless and efficient. Personalization: By storing session data in cookies, businesses can provide personalized experiences for users, such as remembering preferences, settings, and cart contents, which can increase user satisfaction and engagement. Security and Access Control: Authentication and Authorization: Cookie-based session management ensures that only authenticated users can access certain parts of the website or application. This is crucial for businesses that require secure user access (e.g., e-commerce platforms, banking sites). Protection Against Unauthorized Access: With session cookies, businesses can track user sessions and detect anomalies, like simultaneous logins from different devices, which may signal unauthorized access attempts. Scalability and Efficiency: Reduced Server Load: By storing session identifiers in cookies and maintaining minimal session data on the server side, businesses can reduce the amount of memory and storage needed on their servers. This makes it easier to scale applications, especially in high-traffic scenarios. Stateless Server Architecture: Cookie-based sessions enable the server to remain stateless, meaning each request from the client can be processed independently, without requiring the server to remember prior interactions. This leads to more efficient processing and better performance, especially for large-scale businesses. Analytics and Tracking: User Behavior Tracking: Cookies can store information about user behavior, such as which pages they visit or which products they view, allowing businesses to gather valuable insights. This helps in refining marketing strategies, offering targeted promotions, and improving customer service. Retargeting and Marketing: Cookies are commonly used in digital advertising to track user activity across different websites, enabling businesses to retarget users with personalized ads. This can drive higher conversion rates and more sales. Regulatory Compliance: GDPR Compliance: In regions like the EU, businesses are required to obtain user consent for cookies. By managing sessions through cookies, businesses must ensure that they follow legal requirements, which helps in avoiding potential legal issues or fines. Data Protection: Cookies can be secured using features like HttpOnly, Secure, and SameSite attributes to protect sensitive session data from being intercepted, ensuring compliance with data protection standards. Cost-Effectiveness: Simplified Infrastructure: Managing sessions through cookies reduces the need for complex session management systems. It can lower infrastructure costs, especially for small to medium-sized businesses that want to avoid investing in advanced session storage solutions like databases or memory caches. While cookie-based session management provides many benefits, it also introduces several vulnerabilities and issues that can compromise security and user experience if not properly managed. These include: Session Hijacking: Attack: If an attacker intercepts a session cookie (e.g., via a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack or transmitted over an insecure HTTP connection), they can impersonate the legitimate user. Mitigation: Secure and HttpOnly cookie flags and enforcing HTTPS (TLS) can help protect against interception. Implementing short session expiration times and requiring re-authentication for sensitive actions further reduces this risk. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Attack: If a website is vulnerable to XSS attacks, malicious JavaScript code injected into the site can access session cookies (if not flagged as HttpOnly) and send them to an attacker-controlled server. Mitigation: Ensure that cookies are set with the HttpOnly flag to prevent JavaScript from accessing them. Additionally, input sanitization and proper escaping of output can help protect against XSS. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): Attack: CSRF exploits the trust a website has in a user’s browser. An attacker can trick a user into making an unintended request to a website, using the victim’s session cookie to perform actions on their behalf (e.g., changing account settings or making a transaction). Mitigation: Use anti-CSRF tokens, ensure state-changing requests (like form submissions) require POST methods, and consider implementing SameSite cookie attributes to prevent cookies from being sent along with cross-site requests. Session Fixation: Attack: An attacker can set a session ID for the user before they log in, and after login, the attacker can use the same session ID to impersonate the user. Mitigation: Regenerate session IDs after the user logs in, and ensure that session IDs are unique and randomly generated to prevent session fixation. Cookie Theft via Malicious Extensions or Software: Issue: Browser extensions or malware installed on the user’s device can access cookies, including session cookies, and steal them. Mitigation: Encourage users to use secure and reputable browsers and extensions, and regularly remind them to be cautious of phishing attacks or suspicious software. Cookie Overflow: Issue: Cookies have size limitations (typically around 4 KB per cookie). Storing large amounts of session data in cookies can cause overflow issues or lead to loss of data. Mitigation: Limit the amount of data stored in cookies. Sensitive session data should be stored server-side, with only the session identifier (ID) being stored in the cookie. Cookie Expiry and Persistence: Issue: Persistent cookies can lead to security risks if not properly managed. If session cookies do not expire or are not deleted when the user logs out, attackers could exploit the persistence to gain unauthorized access. Mitigation: Ensure that session cookies are set to expire after a reasonable period of time, especially for sensitive applications. Implement a logout mechanism that clears the session cookie.     Lack of Session Timeout: Issue: If session expiration is not enforced, users may unknowingly remain logged in, increasing the risk of unauthorized access if their session is hijacked. Mitigation: Implement session expiration based on idle time (e.g., 15–30 minutes of inactivity), and prompt users to re-authenticate after the session expires. Weak Session IDs: Issue: If session IDs are predictable (e.g., sequential numbers or weak random values), attackers can guess session IDs and hijack sessions. Mitigation: Use strong, cryptographically secure, random session identifiers (e.g., UUIDs or GUIDs) to prevent attackers from guessing session IDs. Cookie Spoofing: Attack: An attacker may attempt to modify the session cookie to impersonate a different user, especially if the session ID is not properly validated or secured. Mitigation: Implement strict validation on the session ID, ensuring it matches the user’s current session on the server side. Use digital signatures for session data if needed to detect tampering. Insecure Storage of Session Data: Issue: Storing sensitive session data (e.g., user credentials, access tokens) in cookies or the browser’s local storage can expose this data to theft. Mitigation: Never store sensitive data directly in cookies. Store only non-sensitive data, such as session IDs, and keep all sensitive data on the server-side. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) with Third-Party Cookies: Issue: If a website uses third-party cookies (e.g., for advertising or analytics), those cookies may be susceptible to attacks like XSS and cross-site tracking. Mitigation: Limit third-party cookies, use privacy-focused policies like SameSite, and ensure proper security measures on third-party services to protect users. Given these challenges, OWASP Application Security Verification Standard 4.0.3 defines a set of requirements for implementing an OTP system. # Description CWE 3.4.1 Verify that cookie-based session tokens have the ‘Secure’ attribute set. (C6) 614 3.4.2 Verify that cookie-based session tokens have the ‘HttpOnly’ attribute set. (C6) 1004 3.4.3 Verify that cookie-based session tokens utilize the ‘SameSite’ attribute to limit exposure to cross-site request forgery attacks. (C6) 16 3.4.4 Verify that cookie-based session tokens use the “__Host-” prefix so cookies are only sent to the host that initially set the cookie. 16 3.4.5 Verify that if the application is published under a domain name with other applications that set or use session cookies that might disclose the session cookies, set the path attribute in cookie-based session tokens using the most precise path possible. (C6) 16   [1] https://online.visual-paradigm.com/   During the vulnerability analysis (stage 5 of PASTA), we identified several vulnerabilities that could affect the security of the system’s operation. The previous report describes these vulnerabilities. Create the required misuse cases diagram and design the flaw analysis using the abuse cases to define the required mitigations (at least one for each misuse case). Submission: Submit the complete UML Misuse Case diagram compounded by the use cases to the system, the misuse cases, and the required mitigations. The diagram must be made using Visual Paradigm[1]. Submissions of any other type of diagram (Class Diagram, Component Diagram) or built into a paper will not be considered and will receive zero points in the activity. Submitting any diagram other than a Misuse Case will result in the question receiving zero points.  Submitting handwritten diagrams will result in the student receiving zero points.   Rubric: Criteria Description Points 1. Identification of Actors (5 points) Correctly identifies the relevant actors in the system. Each actor should be distinct and necessary for the system. 5 points: All actors identified correctly. 3-4 points: Most actors identified, with one or two missing or incorrectly classified. 0-2 points: Several actors missing or misclassified. 2. Identification of Use Cases (6 points) Correctly identifies the key use cases. Each use case should be relevant to the system flow. 6 points: All key use cases identified with clear description. 4-5 points: Most key use cases identified, but with some missing or unclear. 0-3 points: Many key use cases missing or incorrect. 3. Identification of Misuse Cases (7 points) Identifies relevant misuse cases based on systems’ vulnerabilities. 7 points: All major misuse cases identified and correctly linked to vulnerabilities. 5-6 points: Most misuse cases identified, but with minor issues. 0-4 points: Many misuse cases missing or incorrect. 4. Mitigations (7 points) Provides reasonable and effective mitigations for each identified misuse case. 7 points: Clear and effective mitigations provided for all misuse cases. 5-6 points: Mitigations provided for most misuse cases, with some gaps or less effective solutions. 0-4 points: Few or no mitigations provided, or mitigations are ineffective. 5. UML Misuse Case Diagram (7 points) The diagram represents the relationships between actors, use cases, misuse cases, and mitigations logically and accurately. 7 points: The diagram is complete, accurate, and well-organized. Clear representation of use cases, misuse cases, and mitigations. 5-6 points: The diagram is mostly correct but may have minor organizational or accuracy issues. 0-4 points: The diagram is incomplete, confusing, or incorrectly structured. 6. Clarity and Organization of Explanation (3 points) Diagram Formatting and Adherence to UML Standards 3 points: The diagram is clear, adheres to UML standards, and uses a Visual Paradigm. 2 points: The diagram is understandable but contains minor formatting or structural errors.0-1 point: The diagram is unclear, messy, or not following UML standards.