Exploits are a sequence of programs or commands that attacks a computer hardware or software, through a bug in it. Exploits causes flaws to a software, if it is syntactically easy for a hacker or a cracker to modify it. This obviously causes to gain the control of a computer system and leads to security attacks and threats to the information stored in the system. Exploits can also be done by unauthorized access to a service, code execution and also by denial of service. The Exploits contacts the software that is vulnerable by many ways.
1. A Remote Exploit, by not using any prior access to the vulnerable system, it can exploit the security vulnerability over a network
2. A Local Exploit can do the process of exploiting by accessing the prior system and by increasing privileges of the user running the exploit. This can be done when the System Administrator permits the exploit.
3. In client applications, the servers that are modified can send exploits when accessed by client applications. It also requires communications with the users of the system.
There are many types of Exploits, and these are classified on the basis of vulnerabilities.
Some of these are,
- Race condition.
- Buffer overflow.
- Code injection.
- Heap overflow.
Exploits are designed in order to obtain super-user level access of a computer system. This can be easily done once the person gains the lower level of access to the system. Later, breaking the vulnerabilities of privacy can widen this. Basically when an exploit is fixed or published, it is put on to use for newer versions of the software too. That is why some of the hackers never publish the exploits. When an exploit weakens the operating system, it is necessary to fix it as early as possible. Otherwise it will make intruders to gain access to the system very easily and later it might become a security problem.
