IP Library Granted Patent US 8,484,738
Granted Patent B2
US 8,484,738 · App. 12/043,673 · Granted Jul 9, 2013

System and method for providing application penetration testing

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,484,738
App. No.
12/043,673
Granted
Jul 9, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method provide application penetration testing. The system contains logic configured to find at least one vulnerability in the application so as to gain access to data associated with the application, logic configured to confirm the vulnerability and determine if the application can be compromised, and logic configured to compromise and analyze the application by extracting or manipulating data from a database associated with the application. In addition, the method provides for penetration testing of a target by: receiving at least one confirmed vulnerability of the target; receiving a method for compromising the confirmed vulnerability of the target; installing a network agent on the target in accordance with the method, wherein the network agent allows a penetration tester to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the target; and executing the arbitrary operating system commands on the target to analyze risk to which the target may be exposed.

Claims (29)

1. A system for providing penetration testing of a target application, comprising:

logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to find at least one database injection vulnerability in said target application so as to gain access to data associated with said target application, wherein said target application contains at least one data entry point, and wherein finding said at least one database injection vulnerability includes using a set of predefined strings that contain at least one of a group consisting of different syntaxes, commands, meta characters and alphanumerical characters to populate each of said at least one data entry points of said target application and using a set of predefined answers associated to each predefined string;

logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry, configured to confirm said at least one database injection vulnerability and determine if said target application can be compromised by using the set of predefined strings to answer questions about the database injection vulnerability including a database management system, syntax of an underlying database command and syntax to compromise said database injection vulnerability wherein the database management system, syntax of the underlying database command and syntax to compromise the database injection vulnerability are determined by answers provided by the target application matched against the set of predefined answers associated to each predefined string; and

logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to compromise and analyze said application by extracting or manipulating data from a database associated with said application.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said target application is a Web application.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to report results of said analysis.

4. The system of claim 2 , further comprising logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to install a first network agent within a first Web server hosting said target application.

5. The system of claim 4 , further comprising logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to install a second network agent within a computer device, wherein said computer device is in communication with said first Web server.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said logic configured to compromise and analyze said target application includes a database query console, wherein said database query console comprises a logic configured to receive arbitrary database queries, execute said arbitrary queries taking advantage of said at least one application vulnerability and returning the results of said queries.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said logic configured to find at least one database injection vulnerability, said logic configured to confirm said at least one database injection vulnerability, and said logic configured to compromise and analyze said target application run from a local network agent or a remote network agent.

8. The system of claim 7 , further comprising logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to execute security exploitation modules in said local and remote agents.

9. A method of providing penetration testing of a target application, comprising the steps of:

finding at least one database injection vulnerability in said target application so as to gain access to data associated with said target application, wherein said target application contains at least one data entry point, and wherein finding said at least one database injection vulnerability includes using a set of predefined strings that contain at least one of a group consisting of different syntaxes, commands, meta characters and alphanumerical characters to populate each of said at least one data entry points of said target application and using a set of predefined answers associated to each predefined string;

confirming the at least one potential database injection vulnerability by using the set of redefined stringy s to answer questions about the database injection vulnerability including a database management s stem syntax of an underlying database command and syntax to compromise said database injection vulnerability, wherein the database management system, syntax of the underlying database command and syntax to compromise the database injection vulnerability are determined by answers provided by the target application matched against the set of predefined answers associated to each predefined string;

receiving at least one arbitrary database query;

executing the at least one arbitrary query taking advantage of the at least one confirmed database injection vulnerability; and

returning results of the at least one arbitrary query.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said target application is a Web application.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of installing a second network agent on a computer device that is in communication with said web server hosting said target application.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein said at least one confirmed database injection vulnerability is a vulnerability that is susceptible to a database injection attack.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of installing a network agent on the web server hosting said target application in accordance with said method, wherein said network agent allows a penetration tester to execute arbitrary operating system commands on said web server hosting said target application; and executing said arbitrary operating system commands on said web server hosting said target application to analyze risk to which said target application may be exposed.

14. A system for providing target application penetration testing of a target application, comprising:

logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to take a description of a database injection vulnerability and exploit a said database injection vulnerability, wherein said exploiting includes confirming said at least one database injection vulnerability and determining if said target application can be compromised by using a set of predefined strings that contain at least one of a group consisting of different syntaxes, commands, meta characters, and alphanumerical characters, to answer questions about the database injection vulnerability including a database management system, syntax of an underlying database command and syntax to compromise the database injection vulnerability, wherein the database management system, syntax of the underlying database command and syntax to compromise the database injection vulnerability are determined by answers provided by the target application matched against a set of predefined answers associated to each predefined string;

logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to execute arbitrary database commands, wherein said arbitrary database commands are allowed by database access permissions assigned to said compromised target application, by translating these database commands to input accepted by said target application; and

logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to retrieve the answer to said arbitrary database commands,

wherein said system runs in an end user computer than can access said target application as an end user.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein said target application is a Web application.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to install a first network agent within a first Web server hosting said target application.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising logic implemented via hardware logic circuitry configured to install a second network agent within a computer device, wherein said computer device is in communication with said first Web server.

Assignments (15)
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF FIRST LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY INTEREST RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME 51059/0861 Recorded Nov 24, 2025
From: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
To: FORTRA, LLC (FORMERLY KNOWN AS HELP/SYSTEMS, LLC)
Reel/Frame 073783/0406 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECOND LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY INTEREST RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME 51059/0911 Recorded Nov 21, 2025
From: ACQUIOM AGENCY SERV ICES LLC
To: FORTRA, LLC (F/K/A HELP/SYSTEMS, LLC)
Reel/Frame 073662/0442 →
ASSIGNMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 14, 2025
From: GOLUB CAPITAL MARKETS LLC (AS EXISTING AGENT)
To: ACQUIOM AGENCY SERVICES LLC (AS SUCCESSOR COLLATERAL AGENT)
Reel/Frame 072471/0665 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 3, 2025
From: PNC BANK. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: COURION CORPORATION; CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CORE SDI, INC.; COURIONLIVE CORPORATION; COURION HOLDINGS, INC.; COURION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC.
Reel/Frame 070086/0008 →
ASSIGNMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 20, 2021
From: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC, AS EXISTING AGENT
To: GOLUB CAPITAL MARKETS LLC, AS SUCCESSOR AGENT
Reel/Frame 056322/0628 →
SECOND LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 19, 2019
From: HELP/SYSTEMS, LLC
To: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051059/0911 →
FIRST LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 19, 2019
From: HELP/SYSTEMS, LLC
To: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051059/0861 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2019
From: CORE SDI, INC.
To: HELP/SYSTEMS, LLC
Reel/Frame 048381/0497 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2019
From: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: COURION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC.; CORE SECURITY SDI CORPORATION; CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CORE SDI, INC.; CORE SECURITY LIVE CORPORATION; CORE SECURITY HOLDINGS, INC.; DAMABLLA, INC.
Reel/Frame 048281/0835 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 4, 2018
From: SARATOGA INVESTMENT CORP. SBIC LP
To: COURION CORPORATION; CORE SDI, INC.; CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 044535/0830 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 10, 2016
From: COURION CORPORATION; CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CORE SDI, INC.
To: SARATOGA INVESTMENT CORP. SBIC LP, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 040298/0816 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2015
From: MULTIPLIER CAPITAL, L.P.
To: CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CORE SDI, INC.
Reel/Frame 037372/0488 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2015
From: COURION CORPORATION; CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CORE SDI, INC.; COURIONLIVE CORPORATION; COURION HOLDINGS, INC.; COURION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC.
To: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 037374/0301 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE RECEIVING PARTY DATA PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 021171 FRAME: 0709. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Dec 22, 2015
From: TESTA, ALBERTO G. SOLINO; RICHARTE, GERARDO G.; RUSS, FERNANDO F.; KELYACOUBIAN, DIEGO M.; FUTORANSKY, ARIEL; TISCORNIA, DIEGO B.; WAISSBEIN, ARIEL; MANRIQUE, HECTOR A.; DE ACHA CAMPOS, JAVIER R.; ARIAS, EDUARDO; CUFRE, SEBASTIAN P.; BRZOSTOWSKI, AXEL E.
To: CORE SDI, INC.
Reel/Frame 037358/0525 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 23, 2013
From: CORE SDI, INC.; CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: MULTIPLIER CAPITAL, LP
Reel/Frame 031077/0477 →