Overview:
This course is a 100% hands-on deep dive into the OWASP Security Testing Guide and relevant items of the OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS), so this course covers and goes beyond the OWASP Top Ten.

Long are the days since desktop apps were written in Delphi. What is common between Microsoft Teams, Skype, Bitwarden, Slack, and Discord? All of them are written in Electron: JavaScript on the client.

Modern Desktop apps share traditional attack vectors and also introduce new opportunities to threat actors. This course will teach you how to review modern desktop apps, showcasing Node.js and Electron but using techniques that will also work against any other desktop app platform. Ideal for Penetration Testers, Desktop app Developers as well as everybody interested in JavaScript/Node.js/Electron app security.

All action, no fluff, improve your security analysis workflow and immediately apply these gained skills in your workplace, packed with exercises, extra mile challenges, and CTF, self-paced and suitable for all skill levels, with continued education via unlimited email support and lifetime access to training portal with step-by-step video recordings and interesting apps to practice, including all future updates for free.

Teaser Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qckegc2gbfo

 ( Get a FREE taste for this training, including access to video recording, slides, and vulnerable apps to play with: 1.5-hour workshop - https://7asecurity.com/free-workshop-desktop-apps  )

Attendees will be provided with

• Lifetime access to training portal, with all course materials
• Unlimited access to future updates and step-by-step video recordings
• Unlimited email support, if you need help while you practice at home later
• Interesting vulnerable apps to practice
• Digital copies of all training material
• Custom Build Lab VMs
• Purpose Build Vulnerable Test apps
• Source code for test apps

Course Content (ToC)

Section 1: Hacking Modern Desktop apps by Example

• Part 0 - Modern Desktop App Security Crash Course
  • The state of Modern Desktop App Security
  • Modern app security architecture and its components
  • Modern Desktop apps and the filesystem
  • Recommended lab setup tips
• Static Analysis and Tools
  • Tools and techniques to reverse and review Modern apps
  • Finding vulnerabilities in Modern app dependencies
  • Identification of the attack surface of Modern apps & information gathering
  • Static modification of Modern apps for analysis and debugging
  • Identification of common vulnerability patterns in Modern apps:
    • Common misconfigurations
    • Hardcoded secrets
    • Logic bugs
    • Access control flaws
    • URL handlers
    • XSS, Injection attacks, and more
  • Modifying Modern apps to alter behavior and debug issues
• Part 2 - Dynamic Analysis
  • Monitoring data: caching, logs, app files, insecure file storage, unsafe storage of app secrets, etc.
  • Crypto flaws
  • The art of MitM: Intercepting Network Communications
  • Defeating certificate pinning at runtime
  • The art of Instrumentation: Introduction to Frida
  • App behavior monitoring at runtime
  • Modifying app behavior at runtime
• Part 3 - Test Your Skills
  • CTF time

Section 2: Advanced Instrumentation & Attacks on Modern Desktop apps

• Part 0 - Advanced Instrumentation on Modern Desktop apps
  • Introduction to Frida on Desktop apps
  • Advanced usage of Frida against Modern Desktop apps
  • Writing custom Frida scripts to assist with common challenges
  • Reviewing app behavior at runtime
  • Modifying app behavior at runtime
  • Modifying app behavior at rest
• Part 1 - Advanced attacks on Modern Desktop apps
  • UI manipulation with XSS
  • Interesting attack vectors with XSS
  • Coverage of Multiple edge case scenarios to gain RCE
  • Dumping memory
  • Prototype pollution
  • Defeating crypto
  • Gaining RCE via IPC
  • Attacking WebSockets
  • Local Attacks and Privilege Escalation
  • Remote Attacks when Desktop Apps are deployed on the server
  • Bypassing Pining and More
• Advanced Modern Desktop Apps CTF
  • Challenges to practice advanced attacks and instrumentation on Modern Desktop apps

Prerequisite of Training Class

Hardware & Software: Attendees should bring

• A laptop with the following specifications:
• Ability to connect to wireless and wired networks.
• Ability to read PDF files
• Administrative rights: USB allowed, the ability to deactivate AV, firewall, install tools, etc
• Knowledge of the BIOS password, in case VT is disabled.
• Minimum 8GB of RAM (recommended: 16GB+)
• 60GB+ of free disk space (to copy a lab VM and other goodies)
• VirtualBox 6.0 or greater, including the “VirtualBox Extension Pack”

Student / Prerequisites for attendees ##

This course has no prerequisites as it is designed to accommodate students with different skills:

This said, the more you learn about the following ahead of the course, the more you will get out of the course:

• Advanced students will enjoy comprehensive labs, extra miles, and CTF challenges
• Less experienced students complete what they can during the class, and can continue at their own pace from home using the training portal.
• Linux command line basics
• Basic knowledge of Node.js, Electron, or JavaScript is not required but would help.

Who should attend

Any Desktop App developer, penetration tester, or person interested in Modern Desktop apps, Node.js, Electron, or JavaScript security will benefit from attending this training regardless of the initial skill level:

This course is for beginners, intermediate, and advanced level students. While beginners are introduced to the nuances of Modern Desktop App security from scratch, intermediate and advanced level learners get to perfect both their knowledge and skills on the subject. Extra mile challenges are available in every module to help more advanced students polish their skills.

The course is crafted in a way that regardless of your skill level you will significantly improve your Modern App security auditing skills:

If you are new and cannot complete the labs during the class, that is OK, as you keep training portal access, you will learn a lot in the class but can continue from home with the training portal.

If you are more advanced you can try to complete the labs in full and then take the CTF challenges we have for each section, you will likely also attempt to complete some exercises from home later :)

What to expect

Lifetime access to the training portal (including all future updates), unlimited email support, access to private groups to communicate with other students, interesting apps from various countries.

A fully practical class that will seriously improve your Modern Desktop App security knowledge and skills, regardless of the skill level you come in with. Battle-tested tips and tricks that take your abilities to the next level and that you can apply as soon as you go back to your workplace, making security testing of Modern Desktop apps as efficient as possible.

Intensive hands-on exercises that challenge you to deep dive into the world of Modern App security.

What not to expect

This is more than a usual online course: You get lifetime access to a training portal with step-by-step video recordings, slides, and lab exercises, including all future updates for free.

The course does not cover: 0-days, Windows/Linux/Mac OS exploits, x86 exploit writing, writing buffer or heap overflows.

Do not expect the teachers to be talking through slides most of the time: This class is practical, not theoretical, the teachers don’t bore you with slides all the time, instead, you do exercises all the time and the teachers help you solve the challenges you face as you complete them.