penetration testing on windows XP

 penetration testing on windows XP

Introduction

Microsoft Corporation ceased to provide and support the security patches for Windows XP in 2014. This led to the OS being exposed to more threats than ever before. Major vulnerabilities that came with the announcement include the exploitation of undetected vulnerabilities that Microsoft would no longer be patching. As such, it is important for users to ensure they make informed decisions when seeking the right to make informed decisions, especially when it comes to the selection of a viable operating system for their PC (Lee and Lee 2017). This report seeks to run a penetration testing on windows XP to test the security exploits that hackers could manipulate to infiltrate the software. The findings shall also provide reasonable recommendations to users who are still relying on Windows XP for their operations.

Vulnerabilities research

Using Metasploit, it is possible for one to hack into someone’s machine remotely without them detecting any exploitation of the vulnerabilities in their software. A remote code execution approach would then be used to remotely execute commands on a target host. The MSF-exploit command would then be used to initiate the attack without the host necessarily noting any of the occurrences. It is then that the attacker remotely gains access to the target computer, with the attacker being able to easily maneuver through the computer and accessing all they want. This continues to take place for as long as the target computer remains online.

Process

The exploit to be used is selected immediately after opening the Metasploit. The required parameters are then set, and a command is initiated to exploit the targeted machine. Once this has been completed, an interactive session is then established between the attacker and the host. This gives the attacker the opportunity to remotely access all the files and applications of the target computer. This way, both data and information, including confidential information, can be retrieved without the knowledge of the user.

The vulnerability of windows XP allowing the remote control of the operations of a PC. This is as the security patches of the OS are no longer supported by Microsoft; hence the user can no longer receive updates from the mother company in case they are targeted, and the exploit becomes successful. It is, therefore, important for the users to upgrade their operating system to the latest versions of windows, including windows 8, windows 8.1, and Windows 10. It is only then that they can be assured of the security of their PC, including protection from such malicious attacks.

The rationale for vulnerability testing

The need to test the vulnerabilities of Windows XP was as a result of the announcement by Microsoft to cease further supporting the security patches on the operating system. As such, it was important to inform the organizations and individuals still relying on the software of the pending security threats that their personal computers would be exposed to once hackers decide to exploit the existing and newly identified loopholes on the software.

Once the vulnerabilities are identified and confirmed, it becomes easier for the users to make informed decisions on how best they can protect themselves from hackers and other exploits. Privacy and confidentiality of an individual’s data and information should be maintained at the highest standards (Banerjee, Turgut, and Zou 2019). Once the people and individuals are made aware of the pending dangers on their computers, they can then choose to put in place measures that would ensure they are protected at all times.

Findings

Source of the vulnerability

The vulnerability of the windows XP is as a result of the announcement by Microsoft to completely cease providing security patches and updates on the software. As such, users are set to be exposed to major risks of attacks, including remote access of the machine by unauthorized third parties. The vulnerability to be tested would be on the windows explorer app that allows a remote code execution of commands by the individual. As such, they are able to have the same user rights as the owner being able to access different applications and files on the computer.

Impact of the vulnerability

Once the interactive session between the original computer and the attacker has been created, the attacker is able to access the computer and hide in different locations where they cannot be easily detected. So long as the session is in progress, the attacker can control the commands on the host computer. Attackers targeting firms that use larger networks could cause unprecedented damages to the network infrastructure. This is as the attacker can gain access to more than one computer the moment they are able to manipulate the weaknesses on one of the machines. Both data and critical information could, in the process, be lost to the attackers. In other cases, organizations are forced to part with a ransom to protect their information from being manipulated by attackers.

Probability if the vulnerability being exploited

Hackers in the modern day have been sharpening their skills being able to access even highly sophisticated network infrastructures whose vulnerability is low. As such, it would be imminent that once the weakness has been identified in windows XP ends up being exploited. There is, therefore, no need to take chances with software that receives no security updates from the manufacturer. The best approach would be therefore to seek alternatives to the software and install one that cannot be easily exploited by attackers.

Overall risk assessment

The risk of being attacked by a third party without the knowledge of the host administrator is quite high on windows XP (Shah and Mehtre 2015). This is one of the reasons why most organizations and individuals have opted to seek alternative software for their PCs to avoid the risk of being targeted and hacked. The modern era of technological advancement equates hacking to other forms of crime hence there is the need for individuals and companies to seek protective measures for their networks.

The ability of the attacker to run the operations of a target computer remotely is especially worrying considering the bulk of confidential information that they could access in the process. Without proper measures in place, such risks could lead to losses in terms of millions of dollars for some organizations (Ramachandran and Buchanan 2015). It is therefore important that the management and the IT department acknowledges the threat and proposes mitigation approaches to preventing such attacks from taking place. It is only then that companies can claim to be secure in their operations since attackers would find it difficult to access the computers.

Recommendations

The threat of being attacked by a third party or any other unauthorized personnel means that the organization risks not only making losses but also losing important information. It is therefore important to ensure continuous assessment of the vulnerabilities that the operating system could exhibit and seeks measures to prevent the same from happening (Aslan and Samet 2017). One of the reasons why mitigating measures should be put in place is to avert the economic impacts that the attack could have both on an individual and on the organization. Once data or information has been stolen, it would be difficult to retrieve the same.

Windows XP has been in existence for a long time which gives attackers the chance to analyze and point out some of the vulnerabilities that are in the OS. It is therefore recommended that users seek an alternative to the software whose security patches are no longer being updated by the manufacturer. Recently, windows also announced that they would not be supporting the security patches of windows 7, which had the largest market share over other products (Johns 2015). People should therefore seek to install windows 8 and 10 which are the most recent and contains more updated security features that protect the computer from such malicious attacks. Since windows XP has proven and shown great vulnerabilities, it is only wise to change to an advanced OS for security purposes.

Also, there is the need to continuously assess the vulnerabilities of the operating system to ensure that the organization or individuals are ready for any eventualities (Kaur and Kaur 2017). The rampant cases of hacking in recent times calls for readiness at all times. A backup plan could be used as a mitigating approach in case an attack occurs.