Remote code execution

- There is one attack that's worse than all the others. … Remote code execution. … Remote code execution or RCE … is when an attacker can remotely execute … internal operating system commands on a server. … To put it another way, an attacker can type commands … as if they were sitting at the keyboard. … They can perform any task that a logged in user can perform. … They can read, add, modify or delete files. … They can change access privileges or passwords. … They can turn on and off configurations and services … and they can communicate to other servers. … When you read a news article or you see a warning … about a bug which allows remote code execution, … you should pay attention. … It's a significant one. … Fortunately, remote code execution … is also one of the hardest hacks to pull off. … Operating systems keep a wall between the operating system … and the software running the web server, … which is difficult to get through unless you make it easy. … Most programming languages have functions which allow them …