Pass the ECCouncil Application Security 312-96 Questions and answers with CertsForce

The vulnerability described allows an attacker to manipulate the query string in the URL to alter the SQL query executed by the server. This is a classic example of a SQL Injection attack, where the attacker inserts or “injects” malicious SQL code into the query, which can lead to unauthorized access to database information. The altered URL http://www.ec-sell.com/products.jsp?val=200 OR '1'='1 is a typical SQL injection payload that forces the SQL query to return all products by making the WHERE clause always true ('1'='1).

To protect against SQL Injection attacks, developers should:

Use Prepared Statements: These include parameterized queries that separate SQL logic from data, preventing attackers from modifying the SQL query.

Employ Stored Procedures: They encapsulate the SQL logic on the server side and prevent exposure to SQL injection.

Validate User Input: Ensure that all user-supplied data is validated for type, length, format, and range.

Implement Error Handling: Avoid revealing detailed error messages that could give attackers clues about the database structure.

References: The EC-Council’s Certified Application Security Engineer (CASE) Java documentation outlines the importance of secure coding practices to prevent common vulnerabilities like SQL Injection12. Additionally, the training materials cover various defensive programming techniques that are essential for creating secure Java applications, including those that prevent SQL Injection attacks345.

To mitigate the security risk of users being able to view the website structure and file names, the correct action would be to disable directory listings. This is often accomplished through configuration settings in web server software, where you can specify whether to allow or deny the listing of directory contents. The option <int-param> <param-name>listings <param-value>false</int-param> effectively disables directory listings, preventing users and potential attackers from viewing the website's file and directory structure, thus enhancing security. Ensuring that directory listings are disabled is a common security practice to avoid revealing sensitive information about the web application's structure.References:

Web Server Security Best Practices documentation

OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) guidelines on securing web server configurations

The correct line of code for strictly validating the request parameter value before processing it for execution is option B. This code snippet uses a regular expression to ensure that the CatId parameter only contains alphanumeric characters, which is a common validation technique to prevent SQL injection and other forms of attacks. The Pattern.compile("[a-zA-Z0-9]*$") creates a pattern that matches a string of zero or more alphanumeric characters. The matcher method is then used to match the pattern against the CatId parameter obtained from the request. If the parameter matches the pattern, m.matches() returns true, indicating that the parameter is valid.

References: The answer provided is in accordance with the best practices for input validation as outlined in the EC-Council’s Certified Application Security Engineer (CASE) JAVA training and certification program. The program emphasizes secure coding practices, including input validation to protect against common security threats such as SQL injection. For further details, please refer to the official EC-Council CASE JAVA course materials and study guides12.

 To ensure that Tomcat can be shut down only by the user who owns the Tomcat process, the server.xml file should be configured to disable the shutdown port. This is done by setting the port attribute of the  element to -1. The shutdown attribute should be set to a value (like “SHUTDOWN”) that would be known to the server administrator. This configuration prevents remote or unauthorized shutdowns of the Tomcat server via the shutdown port.

References: The information is consistent with best practices for securing Tomcat servers as per the guidelines found in various resources, including Stack Overflow discussions and Tenable® security configurations123. For official EC-Council Application Security Engineer (CASE) JAVA documentation and learning resources, please refer to the EC-Council’s official materials and courses45.