Next wave in .NET Platform: Dublin

Dublin. The next wave to build and manage composite applications...

Microsoft .NET 4.0 added new significant functionality to the next version of WCF and WWF. A new set of enhanced Windows Server application server capablities code named, Dublin, to offer greater scalability and easier manageability which extends IIS to provide a standard host for applications that use workflow or communications.

Dublin will initially be made available for download and use by Windows server customers. Dublin will first become available after the release of the .NET FW 4.0 and VS 2010.

Dublin will continue to provide backward compatibility for existing WWF and WCF applications. Customers can confidently start building applications on top Windows server 2008 and .NET 3.5., with assurances that those application will enjoy the benefits of Dublin when it becomes available.

Dublin will be the first Microsoft Server product to support for Oslo Modelling platform. It doesn't require Oslo to operate and provide benefits of hosting .NET applications, however, admins will be able to deploy the applications from Oslo repository directly to Dublin application server.

Dublin provides model-drivern Oslo applications with powerful runtime environment out of the box.

The integration server and application server workloads are distinct and complementary. Customer that need to connect heterogenous systems across an enterprise, like with BizTalk, but don't need to develop and run custom application logic, will deploy BizTalk Server. When customers need both capabilities, BizTalk server and Dublin will work together.

Dublin has prebuilt developer services and greater scalability and easier manageability.

Common Web Application Vulnerabilities...

Common Web Application Vulnerabilities:
By examining common vulnerabilities that have appeared in other applications, we can learn from previous mistakes. OWASP The Open Web Application Security Project(OWASP) is an open community dedicated to enabling organizations to develop, purchase, and maintian applications that can be trusted. OWASP has tools, documents, forums, and local chapters all dedicated to the advancement of web application security. All the resources are free and open to anyone interested in improving application security.

OWASP Top 10:
1. Unvalidated input: Information from web requests is not validated before being used by a web application. Attackers can use these flaws to attach backend components through a web application.
2. Broken access control: Restrictions on what authenticated users are allowed to do are not properly enforced. Attackers can exploit these flaws to access others users' accounts, view sensitive files, or use unauthorized functions.
3. Broken authentication and session management: Account credentials and session tokens are not properly protected. Attackers that can compromise passwords, keys, session cookies, or other tokens can defeat authentication restrictions and assume other user's identities.
4. Cross-Site scripting: The web application can be used as a mechanism to transport an attach to an end user's browser. A successful attack can disclose the end user's session token, attach the local machine, or spoof content to fool the user.
5. Buffer overflow: Web application components in some languages that do not properly vlaidate input can be crashed and, in some cases, used to take control of process. These components can include CGI, libraries, drivers and web application server components.
6. Injection Flaws: Web applications pass parameters when they access external systems or the local operating system. If an attacker can embed malicious commands in these parameters, the external system may execute those commands on behalf of the web application.
7. Improper error handling: Error conditions that occur during normal operation are not handled properly. If an attacker can cause errors to occur that web application does not handle, he can gain detailed system information, deny service, cause secuirty mechanisms to fail, or crash the server.
8. Insecure Storage: Web applications frequently use cryptographic functions to protect information and credentials. These functions and the code to integrate them have proven difficult to code properly, frequently resulting in weak protection.
9. Application denial of Service: Attackers can consule web application resources to a point where other legitimate users can no longer access or use the application. Attackers can also lock users out of their accounts or evven cause the entire application to fail.
10. Insecure configuration management: Having a strong server configuration standard is critical to secure web application. These servers have many configuration options that affect security and are not secure out of the box.