Broken Authentication

OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project)

Created: 2022-07-09
Tags: #fleeting


Severity 2

Abstract:

  • What is Authentication
  • What Broken Authentication Can Do
  • How to prevent Broken Authentication Attack
  • Example: Re-registration of Existing User

What is Authentication

Authentication

  • Allows users to gain access to web apps by verifying their identities

Username and Password are most common form of Authentication
For instance

  • A user enter these credentials
  • Server verifies it
  • If correct, server provides user's browser with session cookie
    Attaching session cookies means server knows who is sending what data
    Server can then keep track of user's actions. Why are cookies used in HTTP

What Broken Authentication can do

If attacker finds a flaw in authentication, they can gain access to other user's accounts
These can be done through

  • Brute Force Attacks
  • Use of weak credentials
  • Weak Session Cookies -> If session cookies contains predictable values, an attacker can set their own session cookies and access user's accoutns

How to prevent Broken Authentication Attack

  • Avoid Brute Force Attack -> enforces automatic lockout after certain attempts
  • Avoid password-guessing -> ensure a strong password policy
  • Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

Re-registration of an existing user.

This is the developers fault

For instance
darren is already registered
we could do this instead
darren <- we put space on it, and use that to register
Now when system succesfully created the account, we basically have two accounts that shares one info.
Meaning the original account darren, whatever is on there is shared on the
re-registered account darren.

References