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6⃣ [PART 6] What is Web Application Security ? I've observed that many of you have a SaaS that requires the user to provide a URL and a request is made to the website. But without the right practices, you're exposing yourself to a very dangerous vulnerability. Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) -------------------------------- An SSRF occurs when an attacker can make your server perform requests to unintended locations. It's like tricking your server into becoming a proxy to access internal services or private networks. There are several types of SSRF, but for this post we'll concentrate on the “basic” one. ► Your service requests a URL from the user ► The backend makes the request and displays the response Without protection, it is therefore possible to interrogate internal resources and retrieve sensitive information. It's even worse in cloud environments: on AWS, for example, it's possible to retrieve IAM credentials, and then it's party time for the attacker. Depending on the logic of the application and how the request is made, it's more or less complicated to prevent this. Possible defensive measures include : ► URL Validation and an allowlist ► Proper DNS Resolution ► Network-Level Protection ► Cloud Platform Specific Protections I wanted to include an example of what a good example looks like, but the code is 163 lines long, so instead, what I recommend is that you rely on a robust, well-proven SSRF protection library.

What I've done today : Added the first 20 software to my Cybersecurity Software Directory, taking longer than expected. My goal is to have 100 software by the end of the week And you ?

Do you think taking a domain other than .com is a mistake ? I took an .xyz and even I naturally tend to type .com in the URL bar, so I wonder if it can have a real negative impact on the discovery of an application

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What is Web Application Security ? 🧵

9⃣ [PART 9] What Is Web Application Security ? What is a security audit ? 🤔 Spoiler alert: your small project needs it too, and it doesn't have to break the bank! Better known as pentesting (penetration testing), it's like inviting a professional thief to try and break into your house, but for your application. He'll try to find security holes before the bad guys do. It's all about hiring someone who thinks like an attacker. "But I'm just a small fish, who would want to hack me?" Here's the truth: automated scanners don't care about your size and smaller projects are often targeted because attackers assume they have weaker security. Some real scenarios : 1/ SaaS startup with 10 customers ► Never had a security audit ► Got hacked through a simple vulnerability ► Lost multiples customers ► Revenue impact: -$45,000/year 2/ Small e-commerce site ► First pentest revealed SQL injection ► Could have exposed 3,000 customer records ► Cost of pentest: $1,500 ► Just in potential GDPR fine avoided: A lot If you've never had a pentest, start with a one-day security audit. It's like a quick health check for your application 🏗️ What You Get: ► Quick identification of obvious vulnerabilities ► Basic security posture assessment ► Priority recommendations ► A starting point for your security journey Once you're more established, you should: ► Do "Regular" Audits ► Vary Your Testing Approaches (BlackBox, GreyBox, WhiteBox) ► Use Different Companies, why? Because different testers = different methodologies = better coverage A pentest with no finding isn't a waste! It's like a clean bill of health from your doctor. It means: ► Your security practices are working ► You have documentation of your security posture ► You can prove due diligence to customers ► You have a baseline for future comparison Practical Next Steps 📝 - Book a one-day security audit - Focus on critical components - Get quick wins - Address findings - Implement basic security monitoring - Document your security practices - Plan regular testing schedule - Build security into development

## Insecure Code 2⃣ Extract from a real Ruby on Rails application Due to a naive check, it is possible for an attacker to authenticate in the place of another user.

4⃣ [PART 4] What is Web Application Security ? Web Security Threats and How to Protect Against Them Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) ----------------------- XSS occurs when attackers inject malicious JavaScript into your website. Think of it as someone sneaking malicious code into your application that then runs in your users' browsers. There are three main types of XSS, and yes, they're all dangerous ! 1/ Reflected XSS : This is like a boomerang, the malicious code is part of the user's request and gets immediately reflected back. Example scenario: ► Attacker creates a link: `https://yourapp[.]com/search?q=` ► Sends it to a victim ► Your app displays the search term without sanitization Victim's browser executes the malicious script 2/ Stored XSS This is for me, the most dangerous, the malicious code gets stored, e.g in your database and serves to every user who accesses the affected page. It's like a malicious land mine waiting to explode! Example scenario: ► Attacker posts a comment containing malicious script ► Your app stores it in the database ► Every user viewing the comments gets attacked 3/ DOM-based XSS The sneaky one, the vulnerability exists in client-side code that modifies the DOM. The malicious payload never reaches your server ! Example scenario: ► URL contains malicious code: `https://yourapp[.]com#` ► Client-side JavaScript uses this value unsafely ► Attacker exploits DOM manipulation Well, I was going to talk about more things, including possible mitigation strategies, but I can't include more than 4 images in one post, so I'll do it tomorrow 😉

Want a FREE security audit of your product or just some security advice ? Drop a comment, I'll pick someone👇

What a day 😮‍💨 ➡️Sent a 37 page security audit report ➡️Performed an update on my site ➡️Add 20 new entries to my directory Hard to find time to interact with people on X And you ?

All right, the first 100 entries in my Directory are available 🥳

An audit that starts well And you, what are you doing?

1⃣0⃣ [PART 10] What Is Web Application Security ? Already number 10 🥳 Yesterday we talked about what a security audit / pentest is, today we're going to look at what you can expect from it, but also what you can ask for beforehand. What to Look for in a Pentesting Company ? You can ask for : ► Similar industry experience ► Case studies ► Sample reports ► Testing methodology Do not hesitate to ask for information on the testing methodology and favor a manual approach, if automated tools are used you can ask which ones, apart from the tools created internally, there is no secret to had about that What is a clear deliverables ? ► Detailed technical findings ► Business impact analysis ► Remediation guidance Also, the post-audit support is very important if you do not understand a vulnerability or cannot reproduce it, you must be able to obtain help from the company that discovered it. You can even ask if after the fix, the vulnerabilities can be re-checked, this is however not obligatory / not always included in the audit offer. Don't forget, security testing is an investment, not an expense. It's not just for big companies. Start small, but start now. A one-day audit is better than no audit, and regular testing shows you take security seriously. Remember: ► Every project needs security testing ► Start with a basic audit ► Build up to regular testing ► Clean reports are valuable ► Security is an ongoing journey Book that first security audit. Your future self (and your customers) will thank you !🚀

"Validate first" they say, but why is it so difficult to get feedback ?

3⃣ [PART 3] What is Web Application Security ? Web Security Threats and How to Protect Against Them 1. SQL injection ----------------------- What's involved ? Imagine that someone enters malicious SQL code into your login form instead of a normal username. If not properly protected, this code could give them access to your entire database! How to protect yourself? ► NEVER rely on user input (Global rule) ► Use parameterized queries (most modern frameworks allow this). ► Use an ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) like Prisma, Sequelize or Django ORM. Fortunately, with modern solutions, this vulnerability is not as common as it used to be, simply because ORMs effectively protect against SQL Injection. But ... misuse of these ORMs can still leave you vulnerable, so don't take security for granted and have your code audited. Tomorrow I'll share a post about two more common vulnerabilities, including my favorite one

Do you think taking a domain other than .com is a mistake ? I took an .xyz and even I naturally tend to type .com in the URL bar, so I wonder if it can have a real negative impact on the discovery of an application

"Validate first" they say, but why is it so difficult to get feedback ?

What I've done today : Added the first 20 software to my Cybersecurity Software Directory, taking longer than expected. My goal is to have 100 software by the end of the week And you ?

6⃣ [PART 6] What is Web Application Security ? I've observed that many of you have a SaaS that requires the user to provide a URL and a request is made to the website. But without the right practices, you're exposing yourself to a very dangerous vulnerability. Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) -------------------------------- An SSRF occurs when an attacker can make your server perform requests to unintended locations. It's like tricking your server into becoming a proxy to access internal services or private networks. There are several types of SSRF, but for this post we'll concentrate on the “basic” one. ► Your service requests a URL from the user ► The backend makes the request and displays the response Without protection, it is therefore possible to interrogate internal resources and retrieve sensitive information. It's even worse in cloud environments: on AWS, for example, it's possible to retrieve IAM credentials, and then it's party time for the attacker. Depending on the logic of the application and how the request is made, it's more or less complicated to prevent this. Possible defensive measures include : ► URL Validation and an allowlist ► Proper DNS Resolution ► Network-Level Protection ► Cloud Platform Specific Protections I wanted to include an example of what a good example looks like, but the code is 163 lines long, so instead, what I recommend is that you rely on a robust, well-proven SSRF protection library.

I just updated my website, it will serve as my 'Under construction' page until I can do better. What do you think ?

What is Web Application Security ? 🧵

7⃣ [PART 7] What Is Web Application Security ? Today, a vulnerability that without hesitation affects almost all of you which is also my favorite. I could do dozens of posts on this vulnerability, but I'll keep it brief. Broken Access Control ----------------------- Behind this barbaric name, there are actually several sub-categories of vulnerabilities, but in general, they affect everything related to authorization management. Why do I say it affects almost all of you ? Because even for experienced developers, it's a really complicated thing to implement, and it's something that's currently extremely poorly managed in LLM-generated code. So when I see a product with complex access control management, such as user/team management or multi-tenant, I smile in anticipation. The easiest example to illustrate in this category is IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference). It may not ring a bell, but a recent drama made a lot of noise about this vulnerability. A classic example: a user can access or modify another user's data by simply changing an ID in the URL or API request. And no, just using UUIDs instead of sequential IDs isn't enough protection ! Large companies such as Uber have paid the price for making this mistake. ► Always verify that the current user has permission to access the requested resource ► Implement proper authorization checks at EVERY endpoint ► Use role-based access control (RBAC) ► Don't rely solely on obscurity (like UUIDs) for security

Is the number of followers a measure of confidence for you ? If so, what's the minimum number of followers ?

Still under construction but I'm creating my own directory template What could I improve ?

Does anyone know the most cost effective AWS instance to run a model such as nvidia/Llama-3.1-Nemotron-70B ?

1⃣ [PART 1] What is Web Application Security ? Hey, indie hackers friends! 👋 Let's talk about something that may not be the most exciting part of building your SaaS, but is absolutely crucial: web application security. Don't worry - I'll keep it simple and practical, focusing on what you really need to know as a solo founder or small team. ➡️Why Should You Care? Imagine the situation: You've just launched your SaaS after weeks of hard work. You get your first paying customers, things are looking good, and then... boom! Someone finds a security flaw and your users' data is exposed. Not only is this a technical nightmare, it can also destroy the trust you've worked so hard to build. As indie hackers, we often wear many hats and have to prioritize. Even if we don't need the same security configuration as a banking system, we absolutely must have the basics in place. ➡️What Exactly Is Web Application Security? Think of web application security as your home security system. Just as you want to protect your home from break-ins, you want to protect your web application from unauthorized access and attacks. Simply put, web application security is about ► Protecting your users' data (such as passwords and personal information) ► Ensuring that only authorized users can access certain functions ► Preventing attackers from breaking or misusing your application ► Maintain your users' trust and your reputation Tomorrow we'll take a look at the three core pillars of web security !

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3⃣ [PART 3] What is Web Application Security ? Web Security Threats and How to Protect Against Them 1. SQL injection ----------------------- What's involved ? Imagine that someone enters malicious SQL code into your login form instead of a normal username. If not properly protected, this code could give them access to your entire database! How to protect yourself? ► NEVER rely on user input (Global rule) ► Use parameterized queries (most modern frameworks allow this). ► Use an ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) like Prisma, Sequelize or Django ORM. Fortunately, with modern solutions, this vulnerability is not as common as it used to be, simply because ORMs effectively protect against SQL Injection. But ... misuse of these ORMs can still leave you vulnerable, so don't take security for granted and have your code audited. Tomorrow I'll share a post about two more common vulnerabilities, including my favorite one

October 27, 2023: I want to improve myself 1 year later, where I am ? I've started reading more books, listening to podcasts, exercising, taking care of my health, paying more attention to many things Result: - 13Kg lost - Ran my first 10Km - Learned a ton about a ton of things - Launched my first side business - My best year ever in terms of money - Fitter than ever, never tired - Happier than ever - Still love my 9-5 job And lots of other things, now the important thing is to keep going, I can't wait to take a second look back in a year.

5⃣ [PART 5] What is Web Application Security ? Yesterday we started talking about XSS (Cross-Site Scripting), today we're going to talk about some measures that can be put in place. Content Security Policy (CSP) ------------------------ CSP is a security layer that helps prevent XSS attacks by specifying which content sources are trusted and can be loaded by the browser, thus blocking the execution of malicious scripts from unauthorized sources. Output Encoding Based on Context ------------------------ Converts characters into their encoded equivalents based on where they appear (HTML, JavaScript, URLs, etc.) to prevent them from being interpreted as code. Framework-specific best practices ------------------------ Involve using built-in security features and templating systems that automatically escape user input and prevent XSS vulnerabilities. Input validation and sanitization (Golden Rule) ------------------------ involves checking user input against allowed patterns/characters and removing/encoding potentially malicious content before processing or storing it. Tomorrow we'll be talking about a vulnerability that's impacting a lot of SaaS here, why ? because you're accepting arbitrary URLs, but we'll see about that tomorrow 😁