Burp Suite : Configuring the browser and redirecting traffic

1.   Vide my last post about installing Burp Suite here ,now I move ahead to configure your browser in order to redirect all HTTP/S requests through Burp Proxy, instead of the actual target website. In my case here I am configuring a Mozilla Browser with proxy host address to 127.0.0.1 and the proxy port to 8080 , for both HTTP and HTTPS.The typical configuring of browsers is more or less common with major browsers with minor differences in interfaces.Here next I place you screen shots as I surfed a redirected traffic both for http and https via Burp Suite.First steps to configure Mozilla followed by screen shots :

Configuring Mozilla Firefox

- Click Firefox menu and then Preferences.
- In the Advanced options, under the Network tab, click on connection Settings.
- Select Manual proxy configuration.
- Enter the proxy host address as 127.0.0.1 and the proxy port as 8080.
- Select Use this proxy server for all protocols.
- Make sure to remove all exceptions from the No Proxy for field.
- Click OK and close.

2.   So now you have a working installation of Burp Suite and your browser is properly configured to intercept all requests.Now to test go to the browser, enter any http://www.****** site in the address bar and press Enter . If all is well, Burp Proxy should intercept this request. In Burp Suite,go to the Proxy and Intercept tab and verify that the web request is waiting for your approval.Ensure tha the Intercept on button is enabled; click on it and allow the request to transit through Burp by pressing Forward in Burp Suite Interface. Now in the browser, you should see the http page you entered in address bar.

Now try a https site and you are bound to see this warning as seen below in the screenshot.You will be presented with a This Connection is Untrusted page.In such a case, you are required to manually approve the connection by clicking on I Understand The Risks, then Add Exceptions... and Confirm Security Exception. To make sure that Burp Proxy is actually causing the warning, you click on the certificate status View... and see that the certificate belongs to PortSwigger CA as seen below in one screenshot.

 PortSwigger CA certificate

This setup means that Burp Suite is now ready for use as the traffic is being redirected as desired as per configuration....

Green Computing and Security Aspects

Green computing is a buzzing word in the IT sector in past few years for a  substantially serious reason that abridges with futurity that may turn to be a perturbing factor for the succeeding generations if not planned and given due concern today. Given the quantity of indisputable E-waste being generated across globe, the concern is actually flagitious. Any reader amply clear on green computing may not be able to relate of what Information security domain has got to do with green computing, but alas there is a connect as I decipher ahead in this article which got published in CSI Communications journal by Computer Society of India in this months issue.The link to the article is http://www.csi-india.org/communications/CSI%20Aug.%2015%20Combine.pdf

Career in CYBER SECURITY : Where to start ?

1.  I get a lot of queries on my blog posts related to cyber security courses and any time I am in some forum or discussion from all range age  groups regarding serious career scope in India in the field of Cyber Security.Is it worth taking a plunge in a field which currently only has more of a keen interest value rather then offering  lucrative pay packet job?The younger age group which generally has young engineering graduates look little restless of taking the risk but the field is pretty exciting for those who are passionately interested in it.

2.  The field is immense and huge to start with.For a fresher it would be pretty cumbersome to find where to start from.The moment any typical search is made for a cyber security course on google,the results are too huge and confusing to get started on.For a novice guy who doesn’t  have any background in this field but keen to start a career in this field, I would submit few first steps to start before ways and career road automatically starts guiding ahead.

3.   Firstly,make it very clear in your mind that this field is very dynamic...you have to be continuously on your toes to be updated around what’s happening in this field.Millions of cyber incidents are happening,thousands of zero days are being discovered,thousands of case studies are being released about various cyber incidents and as you start understanding you need to prioritize of what all to grasp in detail .....follow up good tweets of cyber security experts.The courses you do in this field will not be like the typical graduation certification that you do once and will make you a B.Tech for the rest of your life without ever some one asking about the syllaabi.Most of the course and certification have a shelf life of 2-3 years after which you need to renew them to continue your professional standing in the market.

4.   The best thing about this field is that you can build your career and get your basics clear by putting in you hard-work along with the world of open-source that’s your window to knowledge bank.Be it the white papers or applications or Operating systems etc most of the entire gambit of tools is free....yes...for last about 8-9 years of my association with the field I have not bought or purchased any software or OS or toolkit to practice basic hacks and penetration tests.

5.   For a start in respect of courses....I would submit that most of the courses valued globally like CEH,CISSP etc by EC-COUNCIL are pretty costly and just doing them does not guarantee anything with respect to job.You have to be aware of lots besides these courses.For a start for a typical Indian novice fresher I would recommend to start with CCCSP,CCCS etc...links given below :

http://cdac.in/index.aspx?id=cyber_security for courses offered by CDAC on cyber security and forensics.

http://esikshak.in/eSikshak/help/English/eSikshak/cccs.htm for CCCS by CDAC

http://esikshak.in/eSikshak/help/English/eSikshak/CCCSP.html for CCCSP by CDAC

more listed at http://anupriti.blogspot.in/2012/12/cyber-security-courses-in-india.html ....though slightly old post...but everything holds good today...

6. Besides these courses which only give a very basic over view of the field,you should start getting conversant with LINUX flavors available viz UBUNTU, Fedora, OpenSuse, Linux MInt etc to mention a few....besides a horde of excellent security distros are available with all possible youtube videos and manuals on the net for helping from scratch.Get conversant and start playing with maximum tools available in these.Few of the distros that I would recommend are listed  below :

- ARCHASSAULT at https://archassault.org/

- Kali Linux at

- BackBox at

- BackTrack R3 at

- Knoppix STD

- Pentoo

- DEFT

- Parrot

- Caine

- Samurai Web Testing framework

- Matriux Krypton

- Bugtraq

- Node zero

- Cyb org

- Helix

- Network SEcurity Toolkit

- Wireshark(not an OS)

- GRML

- Chaos

- Katana

-  Damn Vulnerable Linux

- Auditor

and I must tell you these are only few to test before you start getting basic idea of what’s happening around.

7.   You have to be passionate enough to carry yourself successfully in this field.The moment you are out of touch for whatever reasons you have a lot to catch.Every thing is available on the net..be it the study material...be it any software to start.....you actually do not straight away enrol for a course..prepare yourself with the basics as available vide these distros...basic linux and then do some course to start building your documented profile.If you have reached reading here and you have queries you can get back to me here ....post a comment.

Equation Group : Advanced Secretive Computer Espionage Group

The Equation Group is a highly advanced secretive computer espionage group, suspected by security expert Claudio Guarnieri and unnamed former intelligence operatives of being tied to the United States National Security Agency (NSA). Because of the group's predilection for strong encryption methods in their operations, the name Equation Group was chosen by Kaspersky Lab, which discovered this operation and also documented 500 malware infections by the group's tools in at least 42 countries.This presentation gives an over view in brief based on the Kaspersky Report.

Configuring Burp suite with Iceweasel

1.   Burp Suite is an integrated platform for attacking web applications. It contains a variety of tools with numerous interfaces between them designed to facilitate and speed up the process of attacking an application. All of the tools share the same framework for handling and displaying HTTP messages, persistence, authentication, proxies, logging, alerting and extensibility. There are two versions available including a free version and also Burp Suite Professional.It is a Java application that can be used to secure or penetrate web applications.The suite consists of different tools, such as a proxy server, a web spider, intruder and repeater.BurpSuite allow us to forward all of the web traffic from your browser through BurpSuite so that you can see each HTTP Request and Response and manipulate it to your heart’s content. This post will configure burp suite with Iceweasel in Kali Linux .

2.   Open Internet - Iceweasel Web Browser

3.   Click on Edit then Preferences

4.   Preference Window will be open Now go to Advance → Network → Setting

5.   Select Manual Proxy then set 127.0.0.1 in HTTP Proxy area and port should be 8080. Use this proxy server for all protocols by checking the box. Clear the No Proxy field then Finally Click OK.

6.   Now open burp suite Application → Kali Linux → Top 10 Security Tools → Burpsuite

7.   You get to see the following screen

8.    After Burp Suit is opened,Click on Proxy Tab then Click on Option Subtab and watch carefully local host interface running box should be check in Proxy Listeners.

9.    Scroll down in the same tab (Proxy Tab → Option subtab) 

Intercept Client Requests

    → Select URL Match type and keep Clicking UP button till URL Match type reach at the top.

    → Check Box 'Intercept requests based on the following rules.

Now select 'File Extension' and click on Edit.Edit Window will be open. Here we will add 'jpeg' file extension. You can add or remove file extension as per your need. So, Write code and click on OK.

10.  We will Add file extension match type according to below details:
      Boolean Operator : And
      Match type : File Extension
      Match relationship : Does not match
      Match condition: (^gif$|^jpg$|^png$|^css$|^js$|^ico$|^jpeg$)

11.  Select 'File extension'  and keep Clicking UP button till 'File extension' reach at the 2nd top.

12.   Now Open Iceweasel and type www.google.com in the web address area....and u r ON if all set right

Source of help : http://knoxd3.blogspot.in/2014/05/how-to-configure-burp-suite-with.html

Quantifying your WEB SECURITY

This small presentation will sail through a set of questions for any web/Internet user and will mark for every question as the user decides to answer.The safety score as it ends up lets the user know of where he stands in terms of IT SECURITY on the web!!!!