Automated penetration testing on the sly
By Thomas Ricker 
posted August 17th 2006 9:55AM
posted August 17th 2006 9:55AM
Security minded Immunity corp is developing a wireless handheld device dubbed Silica, meant to help security professionals conduct mobile penetration, or pen, tests on the sly. The device is fitted with Bluetooth and WiFi and comes pre-loaded with hundreds of automated exploits to simulate a malicious attack. So instead of conspicuously setting up shop with a laptop and cantenna, the (hopefully) white hat hacker just slips the Silica into a pocket to scan every WiFi and Bluetooth device while strolling about the office, campus, or city streets. The device will then download "items of interest" from penetrated systems before connecting 'em to an external listening post -- good times! Immunity is currently beta testing Silica with hopes of launching the device for right around $3,000 in October... and then shortly thereafter on eBay. Let the warpenning begin!
Or you could probably buy an OQO or a UMPC and with a little more prep work be able to do the same thing for $1000+ less.
Just a thought...
(HEY! I found a use for the UMPC(s)! Do I get a prize ?)
Whoa, does that price seem extremely high to anyone else?
Tiuk:
I dare to ask what exactly is the price of security for you? I guess $29.99 + tax on a router with firewall seems to be "good enough". What's your IP address, again?
John from Buffalo: you're right, you can't put a price tag on security.
Tiuk: you're right, this is extremely overpriced. You can get a cheap laptop with WiFi and Bluetooth and a disk containing Knoppix STD for a fractioon of the cost. Granted, it probably wouldn't do everything this little Silica plans to do and won't be as easy to use (probably). But then again, I doubt this SIlica will be exactly "point-and-click" easy to use...
maybe the price is a deterrant from regular folks getting their hands on it?
Word of advice -
If you want to be a security professional conducting mobile penetration tests...
it might help NOT to dress up like the unabomber - i.e, hoodie covering face outside while visibly hunched over your keyboard in a public space.
See, there is a philisophical question posed from probably a very Republican way of thinking. i.e. "We must stay the course at ANY cost.". I know there is a practicle reasoning to purchasing proven security tools, but honestly when you pay $699.00 + subsequent pricing over licences over time .... for ONE work station at a corporate level, $3000.00 for an audit tool to test security is CHEAP on the corporate rate of things. I know we purchase .NET obfuscation tools that run $500-700 depending on what we are trying to do with our source code. Naturally it's budgeted through time over the course of selling the software, but it protects against decompile by and large (not saying it's perfect by itself). So, corporate cost of $3000.00 to secure let's say something like FDA research ... or something worth millions of dollars in investment is what the company is REALLY targeting. Do you honestly think making a product to target the $69.99 market of consumer's is REALLY the deal here?! No.
This is for "real" security professionals looking to secure "real" data. Not just your email communication storage, or your inside AIM messaging.
I'll admit that I didn't exactly think my comment through. I understand the value of security, and that in a corporate environment a $3000 tool is worthwhile if it frees up the time of whoever is using it. Man hours cost money, and that's something a lot of people (even myself) often forget to factor in.
Now, that said, I'm sure a homebrew version could be developed for quite a price decrease. Whether devoting one's time to such a project is worthwhile is the question, I guess.
wrong, wrong, wrong. Look I work and live with some excellant white hats, and yes they can do this for cheaper, although this small is a little trick, but thats not who this is for! this is clearly aimed at the non-hat owning community, the script kiddies, or kitties depending >:^)~ who think putting wallpaper up counts as mods. These are the "I hack you" idoits who unfortunately are a major pain. anyone who knows how to do this stuff will most likely just use a laptop in a bag, and save their money for other stuff.
Here is what makes it worth the money, IF it does this.
The device is self operating and must have excellent range. It is constantly scanning for new networks and automatically runs the tests as it finds network. no interaction required. you can check an lcd screen for details, number of networks found, types and severity of vulnerabilities. make it beep on vuln found, something like that.
Then when you get back to office you can sync with the desktop or laptop and it automatically copies a nicely generated report on what it found and recommendations (just like it does in nessus vulnerability scanner [free])
Then and only then, would i buy this for use instead of a laptop. And I would happily buy it.