Attack Section

Taking Action:

What does "Permanently Block IP address" do?

This option instructs the security solution to block all future traffic attempts from that specific IP address.

What does "Allow IP address" do?

Choosing this option would allow traffic from that specific IP address despite the potential attack attempt.

How are attacks identified and grouped by IP address?

The security solution analyzes traffic patterns and compares them against known attack signatures or threat intelligence to identify suspicious activity.

What factors should I consider before blocking an IP address?
  • False positives: Security systems can sometimes misidentify legitimate traffic as attacks. Investigate before blocking to avoid impacting authorized users.

  • IP reputation: Check if the IP is known to be malicious using online tools or threat intelligence feeds.

Impact on legitimate users: Blocking a shared IP address might affect other users behind that IP. Consider alternative mitigation strategies if necessary

Are there other ways to manage attacks besides blocking IP addresses?
  • Rate limiting: Restrict the number of requests an IP address can send within a specific timeframe.

  • Challenge-response mechanisms: Implement CAPTCHAs or other challenges to differentiate between bots and human users.

  • Security rules customization: Create custom rules based on specific threat intelligence to target attack patterns.

What is SQL injection?

SQL injection is a cyberattack technique where malicious code is injected into website forms or database queries. This code can then be used to steal sensitive data, modify information, or disrupt website functionality.

Do we get the information about what was the targeted URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)?

Yes, we get information like the below given example:

  • /wp-content/plugins/about.php - This suggests the attacker might have targeted a specific plugin on a WordPress website.

Can we know the severity of the attack?

Yes, depending upon the attacks they are categorized as high and low.

  • High - This indicates a potentially serious attack that could have compromised the website or user data.

Request Details:

What information is included in the request headers?

This section shows details about the attacker's browser, encoding preferences, and connection type.

Do we get to know what type of attack it was?

Yes, we get all the information about different kinds of attack like:

  • An SQL injection attempt. This means the attacker tried to inject malicious code into a web page to potentially steal data or gain unauthorized access to the system

How did Prophaze detect the attack?

Prophaze identified specific characters or patterns in the request body that are commonly used in SQL injection attempts (e.g., "print_r"). Other similar methods are also used depending on the attack patterns.

What did the attacker try to achieve?

SQL injection attempts can be used for various malicious purposes, such as:

  • Stealing sensitive information from the database (usernames, passwords).

  • Modifying data stored in the database.

  • Taking control of the database server.

What does the Request Body section show?

It reveals a series of parameter names ("google", "cdshell", etc.) containing the same malicious code (print_r(1357908642);). This code likely attempts to interact with the website's database in an unauthorized way.

What can be learned from the Request Headers?

These headers reveal information about the attacker's browser (e.g., Mozilla/4.0) and potentially spoofed information (e.g., User-agent indicating an outdated browser).

What can be learned from the Request Body?

This section contains suspicious code (print_r(1357908642);) repeatedly used with different keys, likely an attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in the targeted plugin.

Rules Triggered:

What kind of rules are triggered by attacks?

Example of triggered rules:

1.High:

  • SQL Injection character found (A04:2021-Insecure Design)

  • SQL String Termination (Body) (A04:2021-Insecure Design)

2.Low:

  • Suspicious traffic - Header (Alert)

What actions can be taken to prevent similar attacks?
  • Keep website software (including plugins) updated to address known vulnerabilities.

  • Use strong input validation techniques to sanitize user input before processing it in database queries.

  • Consider implementing additional security measures like Web Application Firewalls (WAF) for advanced protection.

DDOS

Understanding the Chart:

What does the X-axis (horizontal) represent?

The X-axis represents time, according to the dates selected.

What does the Y-axis (vertical) represent?

The Y-axis represents the number of requests received. The scale goes from 0 to any number of requests received.

What do the values on the chart represent?

Each data point on the line represents the total number of requests received during that specific time interval.

Understanding the DDoS Attacks Table:

What information is provided in the table?
  • Time: Date and time the potential DDoS attack was detected.

  • IP Address: IP address of the attacker. Be cautious, spoofed IP addresses are common in DDoS attacks.

  • Referrer URL: The website that is potentially linked to the attack (might be empty if not applicable).

  • Status: The HTTP status code returned by the server (likely 503 - Service Unavailable during a DDoS attack).

  • Request URI: The specific resource or page requested by the attacker.

  • Action: Options to Explore details, Block the IP address, Allow the IP address, Block the entire country (caution advised), or Allow the specific requested URL.

What can I do with the information in the DDoS Attacks table?
  • Explore: Investigate the details of the attack attempt to understand the attack method.

  • Blocking Actions: Use with caution! Blocking legitimate traffic can disrupt user access. Analyze the IP address and attack details before blocking.

  • Allow Actions: If you trust the source (unlikely for DDoS attacks), you can allow specific IPs or URLs.

How are DDoS attacks identified?

Prophaze analyze traffic patterns for unusual activity, such as sudden surges in traffic volume or a large number of requests originating from a multiple source.

Prophaze might employ various techniques like:

  • Traffic volume analysis: Identifying sudden spikes in traffic that deviate significantly from baseline patterns.

  • Rate limiting analysis: Flagging IP addresses sending an unusually high number of requests within a short period.

  • Packet inspection: Analyzing network packets for characteristics associated with DDoS attacks (e.g., spoofed IP addresses, SYN floods).

  • Behavioral analysis: Monitoring traffic patterns for suspicious behavior like abnormal request types or geographical distribution.)

DDoS Attack Types:

Are there any indicators in the provided data that suggest specific attack types?

Looking at the targeted resources (Request URI) might offer clues. For example, attacks targeting "/.well-known/acme-challenge/" could be part of a credential stuffing attack utilizing Let's Encrypt certificates. Chng the example.

What are some common DDoS attack mitigation techniques?
  • Rate limiting: Restricting the number of requests an IP address can send within a specific timeframe.

  • IP filtering: Blocking traffic from known malicious IP addresses.

  • Challenge-response mechanisms: Implementing CAPTCHAs to differentiate between bots and human users.

What are some advanced DDoS mitigation techniques that could be employed?
  • Challenge-response mechanisms: Implementing CAPTCHAs or similar challenges at the network level to filter out automated bot traffic.

  • Geo-fencing: Restricting access to your website from specific geographical regions known for DDoS attacks (use with caution to avoid impacting legitimate users).

DDoS Attack Detection:

What specific methods does the security solution use to identify DDoS attacks?
  • Traffic Anomaly Detection: Does it analyze traffic patterns to identify deviations from baseline behavior (e.g., sudden spikes in traffic volume, unusual request patterns)?

  • Signature-based Detection: Does it compare attack traffic to known DDoS attack signatures for identification?

  • Geolocation Analysis: Does it consider the geographical distribution of traffic to identify suspicious activity (e.g., a large volume of traffic originating from a single region)?

How can I prevent DDoS attacks?

Mitigating DDoS attacks completely might be difficult, but some practices can help:

  • Implement best practices for website security and traffic filtering.

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