Authorization Bearer
In cybersecurity, an "Authorization Bearer" is a specific security token commonly used to grant access to protected resources, such as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Authentication and Authorization: In secure systems, there's a distinction between authentication (verifying who you are) and authorization (verifying what you're allowed to do). "Authorization Bearer" deals with the authorization aspect.
Bearer Token: A bearer token means that whoever possesses the token is authorized to perform specific actions. The "bearer" (the one holding the token) doesn't need to prove they are the intended recipient; simply presenting the token is enough.
How it Works:
A client (like a web application, a mobile app, or a script) first authenticates with an authorization server (often using a username/password or other credentials).
If authentication is successful, the authorization server issues an access token, a string of characters.
The client then includes this access token in the "Authorization" header of its HTTP requests to the protected resource server. The header looks like this: Authorization: Bearer <token>
The resource server validates the token and, if it's valid, grants the client access to the requested resource.
Common Use Case: OAuth 2.0: The "Authorization Bearer" scheme is commonly used in the OAuth 2.0 framework, a popular protocol for granting secure delegated access to resources.
Security Considerations:
Bearer tokens must be kept secure during transmission and storage. An attacker can use a token to gain unauthorized access if a token is intercepted or stolen.
It's crucial to use HTTPS to encrypt traffic and prevent token interception.
Tokens should have a limited lifespan (expiration time) to reduce the window of opportunity for attackers if a token is compromised.
Let's analyze how ThreatNG can help uncover "Authorization Bearer" tokens present in mobile apps:
ThreatNG starts with external discovery, which it can perform without needing connectors. This means ThreatNG can discover mobile apps associated with an organization by searching app marketplaces. This is the initial step in identifying apps that might contain sensitive information like Authorization Bearer tokens.
ThreatNG's external assessment capabilities are crucial for finding these tokens:
Mobile App Exposure: ThreatNG explicitly evaluates an organization's mobile app exposure. As part of this assessment, it analyzes the contents of discovered mobile apps.
Authentication/Authorization Tokens & Keys: During the assessment, ThreatNG actively searches for various authentication and authorization tokens and keys within the mobile apps, including "Authorization Bearer".
Comprehensive Credential Detection: ThreatNG doesn't limit its search to Authorization Bearer tokens. It also looks for a wide array of other credentials, such as AWS credentials, other API keys, authentication credentials, OAuth credentials, service account/key files, and private keys.
ThreatNG's external assessment is designed to analyze mobile apps deeply and identify embedded credentials, focusing on uncovering Authorization Bearer tokens.
3. Reporting
ThreatNG provides reporting features. The reports will include this information if ThreatNG discovers Authorization Bearer tokens within mobile apps. This allows security teams to understand the exposure and take action to remediate it.
ThreatNG provides continuous monitoring of the external attack surface. This is important because mobile apps are frequently updated, and new versions could inadvertently introduce exposed Authorization Bearer tokens. Continuous monitoring helps ensure that any new exposures are detected quickly.
ThreatNG includes investigation modules that offer detailed intelligence to help security teams understand the context of exposed Authorization Bearer tokens.
Mobile Application Discovery: This module provides details about the mobile apps that have been discovered.
Domain Intelligence: This module provides information about the organization's domains and subdomains, which can help assess the potential impact of a compromised Authorization Bearer token.
Example of Investigation:
ThreatNG discovers a " SecureApp " mobile app in the Google Play Store and finds an Authorization Bearer token embedded within it. The investigation modules can then be used to:
Confirm that the app is indeed associated with the organization.
Use domain intelligence to understand the potential impact if the Authorization Bearer token were to be misused.
ThreatNG's intelligence repositories contain valuable information that complements the mobile app assessments. These repositories include data from various sources, which can provide context to the findings.
For example, suppose ThreatNG finds an Authorization Bearer token. In that case, it can cross-reference that information with data in its repositories to see if there are any related compromised credentials or other relevant information.
7. Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG is designed to work with other security solutions, and here's how it can generally be beneficial:
Mobile Application Security Testing (MAST) Tools: ThreatNG can be used to discover mobile apps, and then MAST tools can perform more in-depth analysis to validate the findings and identify other potential vulnerabilities.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: ThreatNG can integrate with SIEM systems to provide alerts about exposed Authorization Bearer tokens, which can be correlated with other security events.
By combining ThreatNG's external attack surface management with detailed mobile app analysis and integrating it with other security tools, organizations can improve their ability to detect and address the risks associated with exposed Authorization Bearer tokens in their mobile applications.
