Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is a malicious exploit where an attacker tricks a victim's browser into executing an unwanted action on a web application where the victim is currently authenticated. It works by leveraging a web application's trust in a user's browser session.
Here's a simplified breakdown:
The victim logs into a trusted web application (e.g., their bank's website).
The attacker embeds a hidden link or form on a separate malicious website or through a crafted email that targets the trusted web application.
The unsuspecting victim clicks the link or submits the form. Their browser, still authenticated with the trusted website, automatically sends a request to that website, performing the action defined by the attacker (e.g., transferring funds, changing account settings).
Importance of Assessing Your Entire External Digital Presence
CSRF attacks can be hazardous because they often target actions that have significant consequences. Any web application within your organization's external digital presence that relies on session cookies for authentication and performs state-changing actions could be susceptible.
This includes:
Main websites and subdomains
Web applications running on cloud services
Third-party integrations that interact with your systems
Assessing all parts of your external digital presence for CSRF vulnerabilities is vital to preventing unauthorized actions on behalf of your users.
How ThreatNG Helps Address Cross-Site Request Forgery
ThreatNG's comprehensive capabilities help organizations proactively identify and address CSRF risks across their digital footprint.
Comprehensive Discovery & Inventory: ThreatNG's powerful external investigation features, such as domain intelligence, cloud, and SaaS exposure discovery, allow it to map out all external-facing web applications and services. This ensures that no potential CSRF targets are overlooked.
Prioritization & Risk Management: Identified vulnerabilities are prioritized based on severity and potential impact, guiding security teams to focus on the most critical CSRF risks.
Collaboration with Complementary Security Solutions:
ThreatNG integrates seamlessly with other security tools to enhance protection against CSRF attacks:
Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): ThreatNG can identify exposed web applications and their associated WAFs.It can then provide detailed information about identified CSRF vulnerabilities, allowing the WAF to implement specific rules to block or mitigate such attacks.
DAST Tools: Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools can actively test web applications for CSRF vulnerabilities. ThreatNG can feed discovered web applications into DAST tools for further assessment and validation.
Security Awareness Training: ThreatNG's findings can be used to inform and educate users about the risks of CSRF attacks and how to protect themselves (e.g., being cautious of unsolicited links and keeping software updated).
Example Workflow
Suppose ThreatNG discovers a web application vulnerable to CSRF due to the lack of anti-CSRF tokens. Here's how it might interact with other security solutions:
Discovery & Alert: ThreatNG identifies the vulnerable application and raises an alert with details about the missing CSRF protection.
WAF Integration: The alert is sent to the WAF, providing information about the vulnerable application and the CSRF risk.
WAF Rule Implementation: The WAF automatically configures rules to look for suspicious request patterns (e.g., requests originating from different domains than the authenticated user) and potentially block them.
Developer Notification: The vulnerability is also reported to the development team, prompting them to implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms, such as anti-CSRF tokens, in the application code.
Cross-Site Request Forgery remains a prevalent threat to web applications. By providing comprehensive visibility into the external digital presence and collaborating with other security tools, ThreatNG helps organizations protect against CSRF attacks, safeguard user data, and maintain trust.
