Insecure Deserialization is a vulnerability when an application deserializes (reconstructs objects from data) untrusted or potentially malicious data without proper validation or sanitization. This can allow an attacker to manipulate the serialized data, leading to serious consequences such as:

• Remote Code Execution (RCE): The attacker can inject code that gets executed on the server, giving them complete control over the application or system.

• Denial of Service (DoS): The attacker can craft input that causes the deserialization process to consume excessive resources, leading to system crashes or unresponsiveness.

• Data Manipulation or Theft: An attacker can manipulate the serialized data to modify application logic or access sensitive information.

Importance of Assessing Your Entire External Digital Presence

Modern applications often use serialization to exchange data between different components or systems. Any part of your external digital presence that accepts serialized data from users or external sources could be susceptible to insecure deserialization attacks. This includes:

• Web applications with user input fields

• APIs that accept serialized data

• Third-party integrations that exchange serialized data

Assessing your entire external digital presence is crucial because attackers can exploit insecure deserialization in various ways, leading to severe consequences. Identifying these vulnerabilities early on is critical to preventing unauthorized access, data breaches, and system compromises.

How ThreatNG Helps Address Insecure Deserialization Issues

ThreatNG, with its comprehensive external attack surface management capabilities, helps organizations identify and address insecure deserialization vulnerabilities in their external digital presence.

1. Comprehensive Discovery & Inventory: ThreatNG's powerful discovery engine identifies all external-facing assets, including web applications, APIs, and third-party services. It also analyzes archived web pages and exposed code repositories, potentially uncovering serialization usage and vulnerable patterns.

2. Vulnerability Identification & Assessment: ThreatNG actively scans for:

• Known vulnerabilities: It checks for known insecure deserialization vulnerabilities in identified technologies.

• Code patterns: It can analyze exposed code repositories for potential deserialization usage and identify insecure patterns.

• Data exchange points: It examines APIs and web applications that accept serialized data.

Prioritization & Risk Management: Identified vulnerabilities are prioritized based on severity and potential impact, helping security teams focus on the most critical risks.

Collaboration with Complementary Security Solutions:

ThreatNG integrates with other security tools to provide a layered defense against insecure deserialization:

• Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): ThreatNG can inform WAFs about vulnerable endpoints and potential attack patterns, enabling them to block malicious serialized input.

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Tools: ThreatNG can flag potential deserialization vulnerabilities in exposed code repositories, allowing SAST tools to conduct in-depth code analysis and provide remediation guidance.

• Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) Tools: RASP tools can monitor and block deserialization attempts within the application in real-time. ThreatNG can help configure RASP rules by identifying vulnerable endpoints and potential attack payloads.

Example Workflow

Let's imagine ThreatNG discovers a Java application using a vulnerable library for deserialization. Here's how it might collaborate with other solutions:

1. Discovery & Alert: ThreatNG identifies the vulnerable library and generates an alert highlighting the risk of insecure deserialization.

2. WAF Integration: Information about the vulnerable application and the type of attack is shared with the WAF.

3. WAF Rule Implementation: The WAF configures rules to inspect and potentially block requests containing serialized data, especially those targeting vulnerable applications.

4. SAST Integration: The vulnerability information is passed to a SAST tool, which analyzes the code and pinpoints the location of the vulnerable library.

5. Developer Notification: The vulnerability is reported to the development team, prompting them to update the library or implement proper input validation and sanitization to prevent deserialization attacks.

Insecure Deserialization is a severe vulnerability that can lead to significant security breaches. ThreatNG's comprehensive approach to external attack surface management and integration capabilities empowers organizations to proactively identify and mitigate insecure deserialization risks, protecting their systems and data from potential exploitation.