Presenter: In this lesson,
we will learn about authorization vulnerabilities.
Authorization vulnerabilities occur
when a system improperly manages access controls,
allowing unauthorized users or processes to perform actions
beyond their intent permissions.
Authorization vulnerabilities include a confused deputy,
weak ciphers, and vulnerable third parties.
The confused deputy vulnerability arises when a program
with higher privileges is tricked into performing actions
on behalf of an attacker.
Next, weak ciphers in encryption can lead
to ineffective protection of sensitive data,
enabling attackers to intercept or manipulate information
that should be securely transmitted.
Finally, vulnerable third parties are external services
or partner organizations that, if compromised,
can be used to gain unauthorized access
to a system's resources or data.
Let's learn more about a confused deputy, weak ciphers,
and vulnerable third parties.
First, we have a confused deputy.
The confused deputy vulnerability arises
when an attacker exploits a program
or service with higher privileges
to perform actions the attacker
could not typically carry out on their own.
This vulnerability takes advantage
of a privileged program known as the deputy,
which has legitimate access to resources
or data restricted from the attacker.
When the attacker manipulates this privileged program,
they can bypass authorization controls
to access or modify resources
by making requests that the deputy believes are legitimate.
The deputy gets confused
because it executes the request
without sufficient validation of its origin,
effectively becoming an unknown participant in the exploit.
An example of a confused deputy attack
involves a proxy server that performs privileged actions
on behalf of users.
So suppose a file server allows users
to request specific files,
but only through a separate proxy server.
If an attacker were to craft a request to the proxy server
to access a restricted file,
the proxy server may inadvertently honor this request.
And since the proxy server has high privileges,
this would effectively bypass access checks
of the attacker requesting the file.
In this case, the proxy server is the deputy,
trusting the maliciously crafted request as valid
and providing unauthorized access to the attacker.
This type of attack
can be particularly damaging in environments
where privileged services interact
with unvalidated user input
or when services are unaware of user permissions.
So to prevent confused deputy vulnerabilities,
applications should use robust access control mechanisms
at each stage of the authorization process,
ensuring that every request is checked
against the user's original permission.
Programs should also validate all permissions directly
and on their own
rather than relying on intermediaries.
One effective method of doing this is to use tokens
or certificates that verify the permissions
of the user requesting the action.
By checking permissions at each point
and limiting intermediary permissions,
the application can prevent unauthorized access
through a confused deputy.
Second, we have weak ciphers.
Weak ciphers represent a vulnerability
where outdated or insecure cryptographic algorithms fail
to protect sensitive information effectively.
This includes both weak hashing algorithms like MD5 and SHA1
and outdated encryption ciphers such as DES and RC4.
MD5 and SHA1 are weak
because they are susceptible to collision attacks
where attackers can produce identical hashes
for different inputs.
DES and RC4 are weak
because DES has a short keeling that makes it vulnerable
to brute force attacks,
while RC4 has structural flaws
that lead to predictable patterns,
making it susceptible to cryptographic attacks.
These weaknesses mean that sensitive information
protected by these hashing algorithms
and ciphers is at risk of exposure
or tampering by attackers who leverage advanced techniques
and the increased processing capabilities
of today's hardware to break them.
For example, imagine a legacy banking application
that still relies on DES encryption
to protect stored customer data,
including passwords and account numbers.
Although the data appears secure because it's encrypted,
DES's short 56-bit key makes it vulnerable
to brute force attacks.
So an attacker who gains access to this encrypted data,
perhaps through a data breach,
could use the processing power of a cloud service
and attacker tools such as Hashcat and John the Ripper
to attempt every possible key combination within hours.
Once decrypted, the attacker can access customer passwords,
allowing them to log into banking accounts, transfer funds,
or change account details.
So to avoid weak cipher vulnerabilities,
developers should regularly update encryption standards
using strong algorithms like AES256 for encryption
and SHA256 for hashing,
both of which are resistant to common attacks.
Next, implement secure transport layers
such as transport layer security
with up-to-date configurations
to protect data in transit
from interception or decryption by attackers.
Finally, conduct regular security audits
of encryption protocols
to ensure that third party dependencies adhere
to secure cipher standards.
Third and last, we have third parties.
Authorization vulnerabilities through third parties occur
when an application relies on external services,
application programming interfaces,
or partner organizations to perform critical functions
or handle sensitive data.
This is because when a third-party service
or partner organization integrates with an application,
it often requires permissions
to access specific resources or data.
So if a third party is compromised,
attackers can exploit the trust relationship
between the application and the third party,
using it as a backdoor to gain unauthorized access
to sensitive data
or critical functionality in the primary application.
For instance, if a web application relies
on a third-party payment processor to handle transactions
and that processor becomes compromised,
attackers could intercept
and manipulate the data flowing through this integration.
This could allow them to redirect payments,
steal credit card information,
or inject malicious code
that affects other parts of the application.
So to mitigate risks associated
with third-party vulnerabilities,
companies should rigorously evaluate the security practices
of all external partners and services
before integrating them into their systems and workflows.
Regular security audits,
due diligence during vendor selection.
and limiting access permissions for third-party services
can significantly reduce this risk.
Additionally, using secure APIs with restricted permissions
for each integration
and continually monitoring third-party services
for compliance with industry security standards
can strengthen security around third-party dependencies.
So remember, authorization vulnerabilities arise
when a system fails to manage access controls,
allowing unauthorized actions or access.
Key vulnerabilities in this area
include the confused deputy, weak ciphers,
and third-party risks.
A confused deputy occurs when a privileged program
mistakenly performs actions on behalf of an attacker,
bypassing regular authorization.
Next, weak ciphers are outdated
or insecure cryptographic algorithms,
which lead sensitive data susceptible to interception
or manipulation.
Finally, third-party vulnerabilities occur
when compromised external services
or partner organizations give attackers a back door
into sensitive resources within the primary application.
Addressing these risks with careful security practices
and regular audits can ensure a secure network.