Episode 328 - Wordpress RCE, Vuln Prioritization, AI memory exfiltration
from Absolute AppSec
In episode 328 of Absolute AppSec, sponsored by GuardSquare (guardsquare.com), Seth and Ken start by highlighting a newly disclosed, pre-authentication WordPress core Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability ("WP2Shell"). The core discussion centers on Alex Gaynor's article regarding the influx of AI-assisted vulnerability disclosures. Gaynor and the hosts argue that attempting to fix bugs case-by-case is a "fool's errand"; instead, engineering teams must eradicate entire vulnerability classes through systemic, framework-level safe functions (such as parameterized queries) and automated CI/CD guardrails. They dive into the complexities of bug prioritization—debating reachability analysis, runtime verification, and business asset criticality—while noting that metrics and measurement remain among the lowest-scoring activities in OWASP SAMM assessments. Later, Ken and Seth examine a "Memory Heist" attack on Claude AI where indirect prompt injection tricked the assistant into exfiltrating user memory and corporate details letter-by-letter through web navigation. They conclude that because transformer models were originally designed for next-token prediction rather than secure system boundaries, defending LLM architectures behaves more like stopping social engineering than traditional software fuzzing.
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