Gray Hat Hacking, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

Protecting Yourself from Client-Side Exploits

This chapter was not meant to scare you away from browsing the Web or using e-mail. The goal was to outline how browser-based client-side attacks happen and what access an attacker can leverage from a successful attack. We also want to point out how you can either protect yourself completely from client-side attacks, or drastically reduce the effect of a successful client-side attack on your workstation.

Keep Up-to-Date on Security Patches

This one can almost go without saying, but it’s important to point out that most real-world compromises are not due to zero-day attacks. Most compromises are the result of unpatched workstations. Leverage the convenience of automatic updates to apply Internet ...