Informing Companies about security vulnerabilities...

[Joseph McCray <joe () learnsecurityonline com>]

This probably won't sound like that big of a deal, but it still bothered
me so I figured I'd ask the list. I was teaching a Web Application
Security class last week and we were performing simple XXS, SQL
Injection, etc on the vulnerable web apps I use for class.


Normally, I go to a live public website or two during the class and we
talk about common tests to perform and how to approach certain types of
websites. A common subject is how to handle large website with tons of
dymanic content - so the class chose a major newspaper's website for the
discussion. 

Usually when we do this we only find a few simple things (XXS for
example) - no big deal right. With this particular website we just kept
finding another, after another and on and on. Over 600 instances of XXS,
over 200 SQL Injection - this was bad. After a while it started to get
boring there was so many....

So I drafted a letter to the editor as well as several other prominent
people at the newspaper. It detailed my finding and recommended some
possible mitigation strategies. After emailing this I didn't hear
anything for a few days, so I emailed it again and followed up with a
phone call. After getting no response to the second email and then
having been bounced around from department to department when I called I
just said forget it.

Has anyone else gone through a similar situation? Was the company
receptive? Other companies I've contacted in the past have been quite
receptive - I'm just curious if other people have gone through this as
well.

No need to fill the list with this, you can email me directly with your
inputs and stories.

-- 
Joe McCray
Toll Free:  1-866-892-2132
Email:      joe () learnsecurityonline com
Web:        https://www.learnsecurityonline.com


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