[ISN] How to Write Secure PHP Code

From: InfoSec News (alerts@private)
Date: Thu Mar 15 2007 - 22:20:11 PST


Forwarded with permission from: Security UPDATE <Security_UPDATE (at) list.windowsitpro.com>

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=== CONTENTS ===================================================

IN FOCUS: How to Write Secure PHP Code

NEWS AND FEATURES
   - Panda Software Sees Rise in Rootkits
   - Relative Unknowns Top Antivirus Test Chart
   - Microsoft Pushes Ahead with OneCare
   - Recent Security Vulnerabilities

GIVE AND TAKE
   - Security Matters Blog: Gaping Hole in Wordpress
   - FAQ: Windows Not Ready for Daylight Savings Time
   - Tell Us About the Products You Love!
   - Share Your Security Tips

PRODUCTS
   - NAC Appliance Gets Cheaper and Faster

RESOURCES AND EVENTS

FEATURED WHITE PAPER

ANNOUNCEMENTS


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=== IN FOCUS: How to Write Secure PHP Code =============
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mark at ntsecurity / net

Last week, I wrote about a few things you need to know about securing 
your PHP installations. I also pointed to several sites that offer good 
information about what to look out for and what configuration changes 
you might need to make. If you missed that article, you can read it on 
our Web site at the URL below. 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFC7:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

If you have PHP installed, then obviously you're going to run PHP code. 
Some of that code might be written by third-party developers and some 
of it you might write yourself. Either way, you should learn about 
secure coding practices for PHP. Doing so can help you write better 
code and help you audit third-party code for potential problems. 

As an example of why the latter is important, be sure to read my blog 
article "Gaping Hole in Wordpress" (you can link to it from the GIVE 
AND TAKE section of this newsletter below) to learn about how someone 
slipped some "back doors" into Wordpress, which is a hugely popular 
PHP-based blogging platform. You can write simple scripts that audit 
third-party code to look for potential back doors by scanning the code 
for any or all of the dangerous functions I discussed last week. 

To help you write your own secure PHP code, I went looking for 
resources and found several decent Web sites that provide writing aid 
and some tools that look for coding vulnerabilities. The sites at the 
URLs below are a big help, so take some time to study them carefully. 
If you know of any others, send me a message with a URL and I'll share 
it here in the newsletter for everyone's benefit. 

Secure Programming in PHP
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFC6:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

PHP - Secure coding
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFC0:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

Secure Programming for Linux and Unix HOWTO, Chapter 10, Language-
Specific Issues, 10.8 PHP (this pertains to Windows also)
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFBC:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

PHP Security Consortium's PHP Security Guide
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFDA:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

PHP Input Filter (Developer Shed's Network, PHP Scripts)
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFBD:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

SecurePHP Wiki
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFCD:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

PHP Top 5 (security problems extracted from SANS Top 20 list)
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFD4:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

Top 10 ways to crash PHP
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFC5:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

Chorizo! Web Application Security Scanner
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFDD:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

PHP Security Scanner
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFD7:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

===

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=== SECURITY NEWS AND FEATURES =================================

Panda Software Sees Rise in Rootkits
   Panda Software said that in 2006, its PandaLabs team tracked a 62 
percent increase in the amount of malicious code that used rootkit 
technology. The figure is on track to increase even more in 2007.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFCA:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

Relative Unknowns Top Antivirus Test Chart
   In a recent test by AV Comparatives, the top three overall 
performers were G DATA Software AntiVirusKit, AEC TrustPort Antivirus 
Workstation, and Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Premium--not household 
names in the US.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFC9:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

Microsoft Pushes Ahead with OneCare
   In the wake of reports that its Windows Live OneCare security suite 
is inadequate, Microsoft announced plans to release a Live OneCare 2.0 
beta soon.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFC8:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   If you subscribe to this newsletter, you also receive Security 
Alerts, which inform you about recently discovered security 
vulnerabilities. You can also find information about these 
discoveries at
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFBF:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D


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=== GIVE AND TAKE ==============================================

SECURITY MATTERS BLOG: Gaping Hole in Wordpress
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFD0:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

If you use Wordpress, you might need to upgrade to version 2.1.2 
pronto! There are a couple of huge holes in the code, apparently 
inserted by someone for the purpose of intrusion.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFCC:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D

FAQ: Windows Not Ready for Daylight Savings Time
   by John Savill, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4DFCF:57B62BBB09A6927928FAD7D792CB2F3D 

Q: What is the daylight saving time (DST) problem?

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=== PRODUCTS ===================================================
   by Renee Munshi, products@private

NAC Appliance Gets Cheaper and Faster
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=== RESOURCES AND EVENTS =======================================
   For more security-related resources, visit
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Thu Mar 15 2007 - 22:28:35 PST