Re: How to Pen Test Crazy

[MetaJunkie <metajunkie () gmail com>]

Pete,

I liked your article.

I agree with at least 90% of it.  The part that I'm concerned with is
regarding comments that could negatively impact patch-management.  At
the risk of making any Buddhist endeavour of slaying the ego more
difficult for you - you should understand that you have become a voice
that carries weight in the infosec community.  While I can agree that
if your entire InfoSec Program is focussed on "security through
patchity", you are destined to lose at some point; I find it difficult
to reconcile the realities of the necessity to patch systems with the
following statement from your article:

             ... "Furthermore it's also perpetuating security through
patchity, a process that's so labor intensive to assure homeostasis
that nobody could maintain it indefinitely which is the exact
definition of a loser in the cat and mouse game."

I have followed ISECOM since early Idea Hamster days - and I continue
to approve of the out-of-the-box thinking that is promoted by you and
everyone involved.  I don't think you are saying that patches are
unimportant - but the quote above might lead someone to think that
they might as well not try - because they are a dead mouse anyway.

If what you are saying is that we need more being done to secure
information, then I agree with you (and as an InfoSec Professional I
do more).  But, if you are implying that patching and vulnerability
assessment is not required - I think you might be a part of the
'crazy' you have written about here.

Are we in agreement that patching, and vulnerability assessment should
be a part of the whole machine - but not the machine itself?

-metajunkie




On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 3:42 PM, Pete Herzog <lists () isecom org> wrote:
> The current security model is crazy. And the current crazy testing methods
> actually make it look like it's not. I think that's why so many people fail
> to see how broken the current consumer-ready security model is. Look at the
> current attacks and how security companies, even HUGE ones with their
> security measures and countermeasures built on this model are letting the
> people hang.
>
> This is how to pen test that scenario. This is how to pen test crazy.
>
> The whole article is available at:
>
> https://www.infosecisland.com/blogview/14651-How-to-Pen-Test-Crazy.html
>
> Sincerely,
> -pete.
>
> --
> Pete Herzog - Managing Director - pete () isecom org
> ISECOM - Institute for Security and Open Methodologies
> www.isecom.org - www.osstmm.org
> www.hackerhighschool.org - www.badpeopleproject.org
>
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This list is sponsored by: Information Assurance Certification Review Board

Prove to peers and potential employers without a doubt that you can actually do a proper penetration test. IACRB CPT 
and CEPT certs require a full practical examination in order to become certified. 

http://www.iacertification.org
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