OWASP‘s AppSec DC is right around the bend, which means that things are really starting to heat up. Here to tell us what’s going to be hot at this year’s AppSec DC is AppSec organizer Mark Bristow.

Mark was nice enough to do an interview with us to talk about the best AppSec tracks to attend, how you can get involved, and why developers, testers and quality assurance staff will be especially pleased by the presentations and workshops at AppSec this year. 

What is it the most important part of AppSec for you personally?

The most important aspect of AppSec is most definitely the opportunity one has to make a demonstrable impact improving the online safety and security of the public. There are 700 Million internet users in Asia, 74% of people in the united states are internet users, In the last 9 years there has been almost a 1400% increase in internet access in Africa. These users generate billions of transactions via the web, everything from sending an email to grandma to large funds transfers, all of which someone would benefit from intercepting or modifying these transactions. It’s great to know that working in the Application Security field, I am a part of helping to keep these transactions safe.

For those that aren’t already familiar with AppSec, what is it about, and who should attend?

Application security is a field that touches everyone’s lives, whether they are aware of it or not. AppSec DC is OWASP’s premier international event held in North America for 2009 that will bring together everyone from developers, managers, security personnel, Government, and C level executives from around the world to learn and discuss solutions to these challenges.

As for who should attend, Everyone. If you use the web, you can get something out of AppSec DC. Personally however, I’d really like to see more developers in attendance. Developers are critical to closing the loop on application security vulnerabilities as they are the only ones with access to the code! I think outreach to this group is critical and with some education, process and a bit of discipline, traditional IT Security and developers can work together to stamp out the root cause of application security issues. Another key group are the development managers. This year we have been trying to focus on secure development lifecycle tools and maturity models. These are critical to allowing managers to appropriately plan for security in their existing frameworks, and to show them that with proper planning, security does not have to be so expensive.

That said, there will be plenty of great material for “traditional” application security audiences as well.

On that note, you say in the press release for this year’s AppSec that the focus is on “really trying to reach out to developers, testers and quality assurance staff because they are pivotal to solving the root causes of application security problems.” Why do you feel that these people are key when it comes to heading off most application security problems?

When it comes down to it, developers, testers and QA staff are critical to solving the challenges of Web Application Security. You are only going to get as through a security review as the people who are testing/assessing your applications. This is why testers and QA personnel are critical to the success of an Application Security program. When you have people, well trained in Application Security issues performing your application testing and reviewing the application code, you’ll be well positioned to reduce your risk and your vulnerability.

That said, developers are, at the end of the day, the only people who can truly fix a web application security vulnerability. They are the only ones who can touch the codebase and actually make changes. Traditionally developers have not been part of the Application Security conversation, and that is definitely something that needs to change if we want to make headway on these important problems.

As technology continues to expand and people rely more on computers and other technological devices to process and hold personal information, what do you think the biggest challenge will be for those that develop or maintain critical technologies that depend on the web?

One of the quickest ways to monetize a web application attack is to steal Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for the purposes of identity theft, fraudulent credit card transactions, loans etcetera. For most organizations, keeping this information secure is of the highest priority. In order to adequately protect PII web developers must ensure that the traditional Web Application Security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, Cross Site Scripting and others from the OWASP TOP 10 are detected and remediated early on in the development lifecycle. When this foundation is laid for the technical vulnerabilities, privilege escalation and information leakage testing needs to be preformed on the application to ensure that a user can’t misuse their access to the application to steal this data. There is no one solution to solving this issue but having a mature Security Development Life Cycle, well trained developers, skilled application security professionals and a variety of tools at hand are a must.

Why do you think there is currently a lack of knowledge in the general security community when it comes to application security? How does AppSec address this?

If this were 2003 or even 2005 I’d absolutely agree that there was a lack of knowledge in the general security community about application security. However, due to the outreach programs of OWASP and other organizations like WASC this knowledge gap is steadily shrinking. More security professionals are at least aware of the challenges in the Web Application space and are cognizant of where to find resources to fix them. The biggest education challenge that we face in the AppSec space today is with developers. Many developers out there are simply unaware or only vaguely aware of these issues. It is via developer programming templates, habits and developer focused tools that we can best bridge the gap in knowledge. In kind, development managers are frequently less informed than their development staff. This results in inadequate time and budgets being afforded to secure development practices. It is only through developer training and management support that we will solve the challenges in the AppSec space. At AppSecDC we have several tracks (Tools, Attack/Defend, SDLC) that will help developers learn technical defenses to AppSec issues. For managers we have three tracks (Process, Metrics, and SDLC) that will demonstrate the value of an Application Security program as well as how to effectively implement such a program with as minimal an impact as possible.

In the press release for this year’s AppSec you mention the secure development track, saying that it is specifically designed for developers, testers, and quality assurance staff. What can attendees expect from the secure development track?

The SDLC or Secure Development Life Cycle track will have something for each of these core groups. The first talk, Development Issues Within AJAX Applications: How to Divert Threats by Lars Ewe will be a boon for developers who are struggling with implementing security countermeasures in AJAX applications. Fpr QA staff Darren Challey’s talk Enterprise Application Security – GE’s approach to solving root cause is a can’t miss. He’s going to be describing GE’s lessons for establishing a “holistic application security program that seeks to detect, correct and prevent security defects throughout the application lifecycle”. Managers at AppSecDC are going to have a veritable cornucopia of presentations to attend. Dan Cornell’s Vulnerability Management in an Application Security World and the SDLC Panel will be two presentations that a manager trying to set up or run an application security program shouldn’t miss.

And lastly, is AppSec still looking for volunteers? If so, what do you need the most help with, and how should people go about getting involved?

The most important characteristic we’re looking for in our volunteers is dedication and the ability to follow-through. We have a bunch of areas that we still need help in from Security, to Registration to Speaker liaisons. We have an opportunity for anyone willing to participate. If your interested, just mail info[at]appsecdc.org and one of the organizers will get back to you!

Mark’s Bio: Mr. Bristow is a Senior Security Engineer for Securicon, LLC where he performs penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, and compliance auditing services for Securicon’s federal and private sector consulting business for a variety of critical infrastructure and commercial and government clients.  Mark is an active member of the Open Web Application Security Project as a Global Conference Committee member, Washington DC Chapter leader and an OWASP AppSecDC 2009 conference organizer.  Prior to working for Securicon Mr. Bristow worked as a Information Assurance engineer at SRA international where he provided strategic application security consulting services as well as conducting vulnerability assessments and certification and accreditation support activities for a variety of government clients.  Mark has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.

o o o o o

A special thanks to Mark, Doug Wilson, and Rex Booth for agreeing to interview with us. Also be sure to check out the interviews we did with Doug and Rex.

With less than two months to go until AppSec DC is here, AppSec organizer and OWASP chapter lead and international committee member Rex Booth was nice enough to do an interview with us about all things AppSec.

In this interview, Rex tells us who should attend AppSec this year, why he got involved with AppSec in the first place, and why application security is one of the most important areas of the security field.

Why did you originally get involved in AppSec, and how have you seen AppSec grow since you first got involved?

Following undergrad, I immediately started working as a web application developer.  In college, I had a professor who had the foresight to emphasize the importance of security within applications, and I took it to heart – first as a developer and later as a consultant.  In the years since I started professionally, AppSec has matured and grown significantly to the point where the field is almost becoming crowded – which is a great thing – but we still haven’t fully penetrated the most important market: developers.

In your own words, what is the theme of AppSec this year, and which part of AppSec are you looking forward to the most?

From an OWASP perspective, I think the theme could easily be maturity; meaning that as an organization, we’re growing numerically, we’re growing in terms of recognition, and our products – our tools, documentation, and methodologies – have truly come into their own.  Personally, I’m looking forward to November 14th, the day after the conference, when I can look back and admire the completion of a successful event that brought together so many talented people under one roof.

For those that aren’t already familiar with AppSec, who should attend, and which tracks would you recommend for those that don’t have a technical background?

In an ideal world, everybody would attend, since application security is the responsibility of everybody from the end user, to the developer, to executive leadership. I think the ultimately unsatisfying answer is that it depends on your background and your role in your organization.  As a manager, I’d personally probably gravitate to the SDLC and Compliance tracks, but we’ve received so many quality presentations, I think each individual will have to make some tough decisions on what to attend.

On that note, this year’s AppSec will hold hands-on training before the conference; what kind of training will be offered, and how does it tie into the conference as a whole?

We’re fortunate to offer a wide variety of training from very qualified firms and individuals.  Our training selection will cover topics ranging from hands-on testing to threat modeling to secure development.  These trainings also include various technologies, so if you focus on Java or .Net or PHP, we have classes that focus on those technologies.  We made a concerted effort to provide training that reflects the diverse audience we expect at the conference; security professionals, developers, managers and everyone in-between – there’s truly something for everyone.

The goal of OWASP is to make application security more visible; why do you feel that application security is one of the most important areas of the security field?

Other facets of security have become something of a science over time.  Application security very much remains an art.  Accordingly, we as a community and as individual users aren’t able to apply a patch or deploy a device and call it a day.  We have to remain vigilant and continue to actively seek and develop advances in our field.  It’s not that application security is inherently more important than other aspects of security – it’s that application security is currently the weakest link in the chain and needs the most attention.

AppSec is still looking for volunteers; what kind of people are you looking for, and what kind of time commitment should they be able to give?

The most important characteristic we’re looking for in our volunteers is dedication and the ability to follow-through.  Even if you only have 10 hours to give, we likely have an opportunity for you to participate.

Lastly, if people walk away with only one thing from AppSec this year, what do you hope it is?

I hope that everyone who attends walks away feeling that they, as individuals, as professionals, and as members of our community, can make a difference in application security.

Rex’s Bio: Rex Booth is a Senior Manager with Grant Thornton’s Global Public Sector practice in Alexandria, VA.  He has over nine years of professional experience in application development and information security services for government agencies, private industry, and financial institutions.  During his tenure at previous employers, he designed and developed complex distributed web-based applications.  As a member of a managed security services team, he co-architected and implemented a scalable information detection and prevention information aggregation solution for use in a real-time 24/7 information security monitoring system, correlating and reporting on hundreds of devices.  Since joining Grant Thornton, Rex has managed and assisted with multiple information security and risk management engagements auditing IT system controls including FISMA, IV&V, SOX, and OMB A-123 engagements as well as identity management and system certification and accreditation efforts.  Rex has presented on the topic of information security and assessment methodologies to various institutions and is currently a chapter lead and international committee member for the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP).

o o o o o

A special thanks to Rex, Doug Wilson, and Mark Bristow for agreeing to interview with us. Doug’s interview is already available, and Mark’s interview will be published soon, so keep an eye out!

With AppSec DC right around the corner, we were lucky enough to secure an interview with OWASP co-chair Doug Wilson. In addition to co-chairing OWASP (a formidable feat in itself) Dough is also an integral part of this year’s AppSec DC.

In this interview, Doug sheds light on what AppSec DC is all about, and why you should attend if you aren’t planning to already. Also be sure to check out the official AppSec DC wiki page to find out more about how you can attend or get involved in this year’s AppSec DC.

What can people expect from this year’s AppSec compared to previous years?

AppSec, like a lot of OWASP and Web App Sec in general, is still growing into full maturity. This year’s AppSec will be the biggest conference that OWASP has done to date, and probably the biggest Web Application Security conference in the world. Bigger is not always better, but I think that the size and scope this year have allowed us to get a real wealth of speakers and talent to take part in this event. The conference itself hasn’t been influenced by events in Washington, so much as current events influenced the choice by OWASP to have the event IN Washington itself. The OWASP board charged us with creating a quality conference, which they would have done regardless of location, but they especially targeted the DC Metropolitan area because of the many things that OWASP has to offer to the federal government, combined with the rapidly emerging importance of Web AppSec to the federal space at the same time.

Cyber Security is a big concern across the boards inside the beltway, but let’s face it — network security is a more mature field. There are more solutions and people ready to provide those solutions on that front, whereas the Web App Sec field is still somewhat immature in the federal space. Thus an organization such as OWASP that is developing practical tools and guides that can be used to build solutions for little or no cost in that space is invaluable to the government . . . if the government is aware that it is there, and how it can be utilized. We really hope that a lot of federal decision makers, at high and low levels, take advantage of the opportunity of having OWASP’s national gathering right in the middle of DC, so they can become acquainted with what we have to offer.

Is AppSec still looking for volunteers? If so, what do you need the most help with, and how should people go about getting involved?

AppSec is always looking for volunteers. OWASP is a non-profit, and aside from specific vendors hired to come in and fulfill some contracts (such as catering), almost none of the people working the conference from the OWASP side will be paid. We are doing it because we are passionate about what OWASP stands for, and because we want to pull off an excellent conference. We’ll need help to do that, and are looking for equally passionate people to help out.

What we mainly need is people to staff the days of the show: Obviously, this is a trade off, because if you are working the show, you will miss out on part or all of the content that attendees get to appreciate, but you will be helping the event happen, and without that, no one would get to see the content. All of the organizers and our “Arch Minions” as we have taken to calling them (lead volunteers) are willing to make that sacrifice. However, we will have many positions that need filling that can be staffed for part of the conference, and we invite people who want to help out, or who want to see only part of the conference on the cheap to sign up and help make this event happen. You’ll get the opportunity to see some of the talks, and work the rest of the event. We’ll need folks for registration, badge checking, speaker and trainer assistance, facilities liaisons, and much more. If you are interested, you can contact myself or one of the other organizers via our OWASP emails (fairly easy to dig up), or by emailing infoATappsecdcDOTorg.

Another thing we will always need more of are sponsors. Sponsorships are important to the depth of our conference. Without sponsors, we can still provide the fundamental conference, but sponsorship dollars help OWASP and help us put on a better conference, with more perks and benefits for the attendees, which make for a more enjoyable overall experience. So every additional sponsor we sign up will add to the quality of the experience for everyone attending. If you are interested in sponsoring, or know an organization that would be a good fit, please contact us.

While AppSec places a heavy focus on people who are already in the field, you also make AppSec open to students. What do you hope college students in particular will get out of AppSec, and how do you think it will influence them when they graduate and enter the field?

The biggest thing I think that anyone wants to get out of a conference like AppSec is to learn new things, and interact with other people who are knowledgeable in their field. I think that that is also a lot of what drives students in any discipline, and AppSec will provide an excellent learning environment to properly motivated individuals. My hope is that we will attract people who are developers and are curious about security, or people who are studying a standard IS/IT/IA track and want to learn more about application security. One of the most powerful people for making effective change in application security in any organization is a security conscious developer. Right now, that’s a rare animal, but someone who has development skills and security knowledge has the best of both worlds, and is in a very good position to look for great career opportunities, even in a “down market.” My hope is that we can take people who are aware of the concept of security, but haven’t really prioritized it, and make them re-evaluate how important it is, and eventually just include it in how they go about creating applications in the future. That’s the ultimate goal of Web App Sec, really — having a world where all developers are security conscious, and security is considered from the first inkling of putting a project together.

Recently, Mark Bristow (another organizer) and I gave a talk at the DC PHP Users Group on Web Application Security 101, and how the OWASP Top Ten applied to it. We got a fairly warm reception, and I felt good about it. But a week or so later, I was at a store near the University of Maryland College Park campus, and someone stopped me coming out the door. It was a person who had seen the talk at the DC PHP group — but was also a CS student at Maryland. He was really excited about the talk, and really wanted to know more, and to attend the conference. That made me feel much better than just “good” — that one bit of outreach had possibly taken someone who was going into the field of application development, and made them aware of something that could reshape their entire career for the better. We had made them start to prioritize security in what they did, and having them be excited about it on top of it. That’s awesome! I think that’s why we want to encourage students, and that’s what they can get out of it above and beyond what they learn at the training or talks.

In the press release for this year’s AppSec, you say “AppSec DC is a unique opportunity for federal decision makers and key technologists to become familiar with OWASP and the resources it has to offer.” AppSec has a heavy mix of both private and public sector speakers this year. Why do you feel it is especially timely for the private and public sectors to learn where each other is coming from?

One of the things about Web Application Security is that it’s a really big problem to try and solve. It affects everyone who uses the internet, and potentially even those who don’t. At a time where the government is trying to tackle the gigantic issues of protecting National Critical Infrastructure and securing IT resources across the government, the main access method to both control of infrastructure and information (i.e. the “Web”) is the most important thing to focus on. Only by working together and collaborating will we be able to make inroads on this massive problem, and both sides have resources that the other do not.

If we wait for the government to figure out all the expertise that has been developed in the private sector, or if we wait for the private sector to have the reach and impact of the government, we’re doomed. However, if the government reaches out to  the public and private companies and groups (such as OWASP) who are already focused in this area, it can be a winning situation all round. The government (and the citizens!) of many countries, not just the United States, can have more confidence in the stability of their infrastructure and their government resources, while the governments provide growth opportunities for companies and organizations that provide the expertise. I think that every day we do NOT have this sort of collaboration in place is one where we get further and further away from the constantly moving target of creating more secure web applications for all walks of life.

You also go on to say that, “OWASP’s mission and community align closely with the goals set forth by the US Chief Information Officer: transparency, engagement of staff, reduction of cost, and innovation in technology. OWASP can enable the government to attain these goals in the pursuit of securing critical technologies that depend on the web.” Which tracks at this year’s AppSec would you recommend for government employees who want to reach the goals you outlined?

It really depends on the employees role within the government. I like to feel that we have something for everyone. For those who are new to OWASP, and/or those who focus on high level decision making, we have several tracks that talk about some of our core ideas, as well as steps to apply security at a process or management level. Tracks such as the OWASP and the SDLC track on the first day, and the Process, Metrics, and Compliance track on the second day all have a wide variety of talks that will provide value to decision makers, managers, and development team leaders, or anyone who wants to get an overview of how you can apply good web application security practices to your organization’s current efforts. Conversely, we’re not letting our technical specialists down. The Tools track, the Web 2.0 track, the OWASP track, The Attack and Defend track, and pieces of all the other tracks will appeal to engineers who are developing or attacking applications and want to know what’s new and on the cutting edge. A large number of our speakers are experienced presenters, with previous talks at AppSec, Black Hat, Defcon, Shmoocon, and others under their belts.

Do you feel that some of the training courses offered on the 10th and 11th would be good for government employees who want to learn about application security more deeply, but might not have a technical background?

Again, it will depend on their role. We have good courses for technical and non-technical people who are interested in Web App Sec. For leaders and managers, we have the Threat Modeling Express course from Security Compass, and Leading the Development of Secure Applications from Aspect Security. Both of those courses are designed for non-technical decision makers, and both are being taught by experts from top companies in the field. If an attendee is interested in learning a bit more about the technical process, we have a variety of courses deal with “how to learn to test” in various arenas, such as the Samurai Web Testing Framework class from Inguardians, and the Applying the OWASP Testing Guide with the OWASP Live CD course taught by Matt Tesauro (creator and project lead on the Live CD). These courses will probably require a little more technical knowledge, but will teach some of the fundamentals of how to test a web application and walk users through some of the steps involved in the process.

And lastly, what would you say to those who are still sitting on the fence about attending AppSec?

I’d say that this is a great opportunity for everyone interested or affected by Web Application Security, but especially those located near Washington DC. DC has a huge population of people who are interested in security, and an even bigger population who should be and are affected daily by decisions that are made (or not made) regarding security. AppSecDC offers a very inexpensive, extremely valuable learning and networking opportunity which is unlike anything else ever offered in the District. If you are not from DC, it’s a chance to come and see the infosec climate in the Nation’s Capital, and interact with government employees and those who work with them, at the same time listening to and learning from some of the top minds in Web Application Security from around the world. This is the biggest OWASP event, and likely the biggest Web Application Security Event ever held. Considering the price tag (especially with OWASP membership discount and early bird registration discounts), it should be a very simple decision when you see the value that you will get for your investment.

As an additional incentive to out of towners, our location is right in the middle of downtown at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and our host hotel, the Grand Hyatt Washington has been nice enough to extend our convention rate through the weekend, so if you are coming in from out of town, you can stay the weekend and see the sites of the nation’s capital as well.

Doug’s Bio: Doug Wilson is a Senior Application Engineer with SAIC, where he supports government and private sector customers. He specializes in Information Security and Highly Available Web Architectures. Doug has been working in a variety of IT positions for the past ten years, and has always been “the security guy” regardless of what he’s been doing. Prior to joining SAIC, Doug worked as a contractor at the National Institutes of Health for almost six years. While at NIH, his main duties were developing progressive security and application hosting programs for a group that supports infrastructure at NIH for over 40,000 users. Prior to NIH, Doug had worked for several local web hosting companies.

When Doug is not working feverishly trying to get everything in order for AppSecDC, he is also a co-chair of the Washington DC Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) chapter, and founder/organizer of the monthly CapSec DC happy hour. He also participates in the DC web design and development community, having presented on Web Application Security at Refresh DC, Barcamp DC, the DC PHP Users Group, George Washington University, and other events in the DC metro area.

o o o o o

A special thanks to Doug, Rex Booth, and Mark Bristow for agreeing to interview with us. Mark and Rex’s interviews will be published in the upcoming weeks, so keep an eye out for them!