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SEC673: Advanced Information Security Automation with Python

  • In Person (6 days)
  • Online
36 CPEs
SEC673 is designed as the logical progression point for students who have completed SEC573: Automating Information Security with Python, or for those who already familiar with basic Python programming concepts. We jump immediately into advanced concepts. SEC673 looks at coding techniques used by popular open-source information security packages and how to apply them to your own Python cybersecurity projects. We'll learn from the best of them as we spend the week making information security for our project, named SPF100, as easy to develop and maintain as that of the most popular cybersecurity projects. Discover how to organize your code and use advanced programming concepts to make your code faster, more efficient, and easier to develop and maintain.
Course Authors:

What You Will Learn

Scalable, Reliable, Optimized: Advanced Python Security Automation

When the security team has a problem it can't solve, it turns to you. You know how to code and you can develop tools to fill the gaps left by the existing technology. But although you can write a decent script to get the job done, maintaining that code is sometimes a burden. Every new feature seems like a complete rewrite. You need your code to run faster and spread the workload over multiple threads or even multiple processors. When a user experiences an error, you are left guessing what might have gone wrong because your application doesn't provide sufficient logging. You wish your applications had the features, maintainability, and ease of use of the most popular open-source cybersecurity projects. You are worried that you are developing a program with security vulnerabilities. Or, if you are not worried about that, maybe you should be. One thing is clear: you are ready to take your coding skills to the next level. SEC673 is the course for you!

SEC673 is designed as the logical progression point for students who have completed SEC573 Automating Information Security with Python, or for those who are already familiar with basic Python programming concepts. The course jumps immediately into advanced concepts. It looks at coding techniques used by popular open-source information security packages and how to apply them to our own Python cybersecurity projects. We'll learn from the best of them, spending the week making information security for our project, named SPF100, as easy to develop and maintain as that of the most popular cybersecurity projects. You'll discover how to organize your code and use advanced programming concepts to make your code faster, more efficient, and easier to maintain.

The course will show you the proper way to develop custom classes for use in information security applications. You'll learn about such topics as:

  • Making your packages installable for Package Installer for Python (PIP) for easy distribution and updates
  • Building a custom data structure that fits your application for faster development
  • Using advanced features like decorators, generators, and context managers to simplify code
  • Making programs run faster with multi-threading and multi-processing
  • Eliminating cascading errors by implementing unit tests so small changes don't become big errors
  • Undertaking proper log generation and handling in Python applications in order to identify those "works for me" errors
  • Implementing application automation and interaction so that you can move on to more important tasks

Following the precedent set by SEC573, this course makes heavy use of hands-on labs. The pyWars server is back with brand new functionality that can evaluate code and tell you where you've made mistakes. This unique and practical environment can guide you through developing complex programs. In addition to evaluating the answers you come up with, the pyWars server will assess how you solved the problems and demand that you solve them the right way. In other words, by forcing you to use the advanced features taught in this course, the server will help you learn the habits you need to produce more maintainable code. At the same time, the new environment will feed you complex problems in small consumable chunks so that you are not overwhelmed by the difficulty of the challenges presented and can focus on the important skills being taught.

If you understand the essential skills of Python and how to develop a simple information security tool, but are ready to be more productive and write better tools, SEC673 is the course for you.

What You Will Learn About

  • New pyWars features, virtual environments, and VSCode
  • How to use unit testing to evaluate code in development
  • Python object-oriented coding
  • Decorators
  • Iterators
  • Context managers
  • Data descriptors
  • Object attribute security and attacks
  • Multi-threading
  • Multi-processing
  • How to understand and mitigate object serialization attacks
  • The right way to do application logging
  • Command line tool automation with PEXPECT
  • Interpreter and object model attacks

What You Will Receive

  • A USB containing a virtual machine filled with sample code and working examples
  • MP3 audio files of the complete course lecture

Syllabus (36 CPEs)

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  • Overview

    The first course section jumps straight into pyWars. SEC573 alumni will quickly learn the new features and how they will be used in SEC673, while veteran coders who come straight to this course will be introduced to this amazing learning platform. You'll learn how developers use unit tests to evaluate their programs during the development process and prevent small changes in core function from having cascading affects in your applications. We'll deep dive into the Python package structure, and you'll learn how setup.py can be used to build a deployable package and how to handle common structural errors such as circular references.

    Topics
    • Virtual Environment
    • Using an IDE
    • Unit Testing
    • Building Packages
    • PIP Installable Package
    • Understanding Package Imports
    • Absolute vs. Relative Imports
    • Circular References
  • Overview

    This course section will teach you to develop custom Python objects and data structures to support the needs of modern cybersecurity projects. We will build a model cybersecurity project called the Security Professionals Friend 100 (SPF100) that incorporates features found in popular cybersecurity packages such as Scapy and Volatility. You'll see how the right data structure can make your applications much easier to use and speed the development process. The section starts with a discussion on argument packing, unpacking, and how to pass arguments on to other functions. That discussion will set you up for success when we move into the principles of object-oriented coding and object inheritance, followed by a comprehensive discussion on object classes, scope, and inheritance that focuses on the real-world application of objects in modern Python projects. You'll learn to take advantage of existing data structure and extend build in object types like lists, integers, and dictionaries. Imagine having a data structure perfectly suited for your application, and then building it! Your code will be much cleaner and easier to support. You will learn how the magic dunder methods work and when to modify them in your programs. Finally, you'll learn how to use slicing in your own data types so you can pull the data you want from them.

    Topics
    • Argument Packing
    • Objects
    • Inheritance Super
    • Inheriting and Extending Built-in Objects
    • The Magic Dunders
    • Slicing
  • Overview

    In this section we continue adding new features to SPF100 that make Python objects more versatile. You'll learn how to customize the behavior of objects when accessing their attributes, and how to resolve attribute naming conflicts by using name mangling. We will discuss attribute privacy, the security pitfalls associated with any developer trying to protect object attributes, and how to exploit them. This section will provide you with a firm understanding of how to perform error handling in your projects. We'll complete the session by adding custom iterators to our project that can process network packets in interesting ways.

    Topics
    • Attribute Access
    • Executable Attributes
    • Name Mangling
    • Attribute Privacy
    • Object Comparison Operations
    • Advanced Exception Handling
    • Object Iteration
    • Object Instantiation
  • Overview

    Knowing how to code is only part of the battle. When it comes to solving real-world cybersecurity problems, a bit more is required. Show us an information security professional who doesn't hate working with timestamps and time zones and we'll show you an information security professional who has never had to deal with timestamps and time zones. In this course section you will learn how to properly process and handle timestamps and solve problems that require knowledge of multiple time zones. You will learn how and when to use multi-processing and multi-threading to spread out the load and handle large amounts of data. We will continue to build on SPF100 and leverage Python features such as context managers in order to make the package as user-friendly as it is in other popular cybersecurity projects.

    Topics
    • Dataclasses and NamedTuples
    • Timestamps and Time Zones
    • Concurrency
      • Multi-threading
      • Multi-processing
    • Serialization Attack and Mitigation
    • Context Managers
  • Overview

    This course section will examine some of the most common struggles developers face when designing cyber tools. We will discuss how to automate command line tools that require interaction. This goes far beyond just running the program and capturing the output. We will talk about the ability to fully automate and interact with any command line. Next, we will add the ability to generate logs. You'll learn how to control the logs for other modules and configure applications so that you are alerted when critical events take place. We'll show you how you can use decorators to quickly add functionality to existing code with minimal changes to those programs. You will learn how to develop your own powerful decorators to improve any code base. We'll wrap up our discussion with a look at more security vulnerabilities that affect the Python interpreter and commonly used functions.

    Topics
    • CLI Tool Automation
    • Logging
    • Decorators
    • Python Attacks
  • Overview

    In this capstone event, you will apply the skills you have mastered and the code you have developed throughout the course in a series of programming challenges. You will exploit vulnerable systems, built custom objects, decorators, and most of the other skills you have learned over the week.

Prerequisites

This course teaches advanced Python coding skills. You are not required to have taken SEC573, but there will be an assumption that you understand all of the skills taught in SEC573. Those skills include using built-in data types, for loops, while loops, Bytes, UTF-8, File IO, regular expressions, Scapy, and basic exception handling as well as writing functions and developing a single file module.

Laptop Requirements

Important! Bring your own system configured according to these instructions.

A properly configured system is required to fully participate in this course. If you do not carefully read and follow these instructions, you will not be able to fully participate in hands-on exercises in your course. Therefore, please arrive with a system meeting all of the specified requirements.

Back up your system before class. Better yet, use a system without any sensitive/critical data. SANS is not responsible for your system or data.

MANDATORY SEC673 SYSTEM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
  • CPU: 64-bit Intel i5/i7 (8th generation or newer), or AMD equivalent. A x64 bit, 2.0+ GHz or newer processor is mandatory for this class.
  • CRITICAL: Apple Silicon devices cannot perform the necessary virtualization and therefore cannot in any way be used for this course.
  • BIOS settings must be set to enable virtualization technology, such as "Intel-VTx" or "AMD-V" extensions. Be absolutely certain you can access your BIOS if it is password protected, in case changes are necessary.
  • 8GB of RAM or more is required.
  • 15GB of free storage space or more is required.
  • At least one available USB 3.0 Type-A port. A Type-C to Type-A adapter may be necessary for newer laptops. Some endpoint protection software prevents the use of USB devices, so test your system with a USB drive before class.
  • Wireless networking (802.11 standard) is required. There is no wired Internet access in the classroom.
MANDATORY SEC673 HOST CONFIGURATION AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
  • Your host operating system must be the latest version of Windows 10, Windows 11, or macOS 10.15.x or newer.
  • Fully update your host operating system prior to the class to ensure you have the right drivers and patches installed.
  • Linux hosts are not supported in the classroom due to their numerous variations. If you choose to use Linux as your host, you are solely responsible for configuring it to work with the course materials and/or VMs.
  • Local Administrator Access is required. (Yes, this is absolutely required. Don't let your IT team tell you otherwise.) If your company will not permit this access for the duration of the course, then you should make arrangements to bring a different laptop.
  • You should ensure that antivirus or endpoint protection software is disabled, fully removed, or that you have the administrative privileges to do so. Many of our courses require full administrative access to the operating system and these products can prevent you from accomplishing the labs.
  • Any filtering of egress traffic may prevent accomplishing the labs in your course. Firewalls should be disabled or you must have the administrative privileges to disable it.
  • Download and install VMware Workstation Pro 16.2.X+ or VMware Player 16.2.X+ (for Windows 10 hosts), VMware Workstation Pro 17.0.0+ or VMware Player 17.0.0+ (for Windows 11 hosts), or VMWare Fusion Pro 12.2+ or VMware Fusion Player 11.5+ (for macOS hosts) prior to class beginning. If you do not own a licensed copy of VMware Workstation Pro or VMware Fusion Pro, you can download a free 30-day trial copy from VMware. VMware will send you a time-limited serial number if you register for the trial at their website. Also note that VMware Workstation Player offers fewer features than VMware Workstation Pro. For those with Windows host systems, Workstation Pro is recommended for a more seamless student experience.
  • On Windows hosts, VMware products might not coexist with the Hyper-V hypervisor. For the best experience, ensure VMware can boot a virtual machine. This may require disabling Hyper-V. Instructions for disabling Hyper-V, Device Guard, and Credential Guard are contained in the setup documentation that accompanies your course materials.
  • Download and install 7-Zip (for Windows Hosts) or Keka (for macOS hosts). These tools are also included in your downloaded course materials.

Your course media is delivered via download. The media files for class can be large. Many are in the 40-50GB range, with some over 100GB. You need to allow plenty of time for the download to complete. Internet connections and speed vary greatly and are dependent on many different factors. Therefore, it is not possible to give an estimate of the length of time it will take to download your materials. Please start your course media downloads as soon as you get the link. You will need your course media immediately on the first day of class. Do not wait until the night before class to start downloading these files.

Your course materials include a "Setup Instructions" document that details important steps you must take before you travel to a live class event or start an online class. It may take 30 minutes or more to complete these instructions.

Your class uses an electronic workbook for its lab instructions. In this new environment, a second monitor and/or a tablet device can be useful for keeping class materials visible while you are working on your course's labs.

If you have additional questions about the laptop specifications, please contact support.

Author Statement

"I've been overwhelmed by the popularity of the SEC573 course and the excitement about it. The most common feedback I get is 'We want MORE pyWars!' SEC673 is the answer to that call. And here's a bonus: What if while you are having all of that fun playing pyWars I could teach you to make applications run faster with multi-processing and multi-threading? What if you learned object-oriented coding, unit testing, how to have properly configured logging in your applications, and more? Well, that would be an awesome course.

The pyWars server has all-new capabilities that go beyond measuring whether or not you got the correct answer. Now it can assess the quality of the programs you are writing. I can feed you partially completed applications and have you complete the code to satisfy the learning objectives. You will go from writing simple modules and single file scripts to writing more complex and better organized Python packages. If you are ready to take your coding skills to the next level, come check out SEC673." - Mark Baggett

Reviews

I will keep this course on my team's training roadmap, in addition to SEC573, for team members less acquainted with Python.
Constantino Tsarouhas
BEL Def
The content [in SEC673] is really good! I like the emphasis on optimization and efficiency in the way we are learning Python. It takes the course to another level.
Samuel Cosentino
CISCO
[SEC673 is] exactly what I was looking for to increase my Python skills.
John Antonishek
NIST

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