Redirects to HTTPS eventually, but initial redirection is to another HTTP URL

When a web application initially redirects to an HTTP URL and then redirects to HTTPS eventually. The attacker can easily exploit this vulnerability for a successful attack and can be redirected to a different host without any proper validation of user parameters. An attacker can execute this attack by adding an untrusted URL input to a malicious site. The attacker can easily launch a phishing scam to steal user credentials from the application. As the server name in the modified link is identical to the original site, phishing attempts will give a legit appearance on the Internet.

Impact

Using this vulnerability, an attacker can:-

• redirect the user to a malicious site to steal information/data.
• show user false data which will, in turn, affect the credibility of the website.

Mitigation / Precaution

Beagle recommends the following:-

• Remove redirect from the application.
• Disable HTTP completely from the application.

Written by

Prathap

Co-founder, Director

Prathap has around 20 years of experience and has worked on various projects in leading companies like Hitachi, Toshiba, Schneider Electric, ABB, Panasonic, and MicroFuzzy. His expertise lies in architecting, designing, and developing secure projects covering various aspects of software development, processes, and methodology.