Security/Penetration Testing Interview Questions

• What type of security testing you performed?
• What types of web testing security problems do you know?
• Please classify vulnerabilities that you know.
• What are two common techniques used to protect a password file?
• What is integer overflow?
• What is your understanding of root causes of vulnerabilities?
• What is ISO 17799?
• Can you describe security defect prevention?
• List and briefly define three classes of intruders.
• What are three benefits that can be provided by an intrusion detection system?
• What services are provided by the SSL Record Protocol?
• Why do we need validate users input for length and characters?
• Why we need to keep track of individual users and authentication?
• What is runtime inspection?
• Describe with examples Fuzzers and Sniffers tools:
• Define buffer overflows.
• What are format string vulnerabilities?
• What is SQL injection?
• Provide example of command injection.
• Provide example of broken access control.
• List and briefly define the parameters that define an SSL session state.
• List and briefly define the parameters that define an SSL session connection.
• Why do we need port scanning?
• How to use an interactive proxy and a set of fuzz strings to manually test the application’s handling of data?
• What is cookie gathering?
• What is a honeypot?
• What is phishing attack?
• What is a dual signature and what is its purpose?
• How can you ensure that all input fields are properly validated to prevent code injection attacks?
• What tools can you use to validate the strength of SID (session ID)?
• What is file enumeration?
• What steps are involved in the SSL Record Protocol transmission?
• What are hidden fields in HTTP?
• What protocols comprise SSL?
• How to implement (create) a custom fuzz utility and test it against your application?
• Describe SOAP and WSDL.
• List and briefly define the principal categories of SET participants.
• How to test a scriptable ActiveX object?
• What is the difference between statistical anomaly detection and rule-based intrusion detection?
• What metrics are useful for profile-based intrusion detection?
• What is the difference between rule-based anomaly detection and rule-based penetration identification?
• What is a salt in the context of UNIX password management?
• List and briefly define four techniques used to avoid guessable passwords.
• What is the difference between an SSL connection and an SSL session?
• List and briefly define Acronyms and Abbreviations Related to Software security
• Write an example of misusing strcpy() in C and C++ in such a way that a buffer overflow condition exists as a bug
• Why we use firewall for security when we have facilities like access-list on routers ?
• What are the most important steps you would recommend for securing a new web server? Web application?
• You have been asked to review the source code for a compiled script that is being used to validate logon credentials for a web application. The file is called "logon_validate" and a typical logon request looks like this -
• If you were not using Apache as the reverse proxy, what Microsoft application/tool could you use to mitigate this attack?
• What do you see as challenges to successfully deploying/monitoring web intrusion detection?
• What online resources do you use to keep abreast of web security issues? Can you give an example of a recent web security vulnerability or threat?
• What does this log entry indicate? How could you identify what the contents are of the "hacked.htm" file that the attacker is trying to upload?
• What are some examples of you how you would attempt to gain access?
• What application generated the log file entry below? What type of attack is this? Assuming the index.php program is vulnerable, was this attack successful?
• One of your web servers is logging multiple requests similar to the following:
• What is your definition of the term "Cross-Site Scripting"? What is the potential impact to servers and clients?
• What do you see as the most critical and current threats effecting Internet accessible websites?
• What is a firewall?
• Describe how to manage a firewall
• What is a Denial of Service attack?
• What is a “spoofed” packet?
• What is a SYN Flood?
• What do you do if you are a victim of a DoS?
• What is GPG/PGP?
• What is SSH?
• What is SSL? How do you create certificates?
• What would you do if you discovered a UNIX or Network device on your network has been compromised?
• What would you do if you discovered a Windows system on your network has been comrpromised?
• What is DNS Hijacking?
• What is a log host?
• What is IDS or IDP, and can you give me an example of one?
• Why are proxy servers useful?
• What is web-caching?

• What are the most important steps you would recommend for securing a new web server?

  The following are the most important steps for securing a new web server:
  1. Update/patch the web server software
  2. Ensure that the server functionality is minimized and disable the extra modules
  3. Always remove the fault scripts / data
  4. Increase the verboseness of logging
  5. Update the ownership / permissions of the files.
  

  What are the most important steps you would recommend for securing a new web server?

  • Minimize rights.
  • Update permissions.
  • Delete default data and scripts.
  • Make use of software firewall.
  • Enable and make use of IIS logging.
  • Regular backup.
  • Updating the windows tool installed.