Skip to main content

Account Takeover

Description​

By exploiting one or several application vulnerabilities it is possible to take control over a user account and perform action on his behalf

Impact​

  • Affect the traceability and non-repudiation of the user's actions.
  • Deny the access of a legitimate user to its own account
  • Obtain potentially confidential information from the user account

Recommendation​

Define account recovery mechannisms, validating that the requester is the account owner.

Threat​

Authenticated attacker from the Internet

Expected Remediation Time​

⌚ 100 minutes.

Score​

Default score using CVSS 3.1. It may change depending on the context of the vulnerability.

Base​

  • Attack vector: N
  • Attack complexity: H
  • Privileges required: L
  • User interaction: N
  • Scope: U
  • Confidentiality: L
  • Integrity: L
  • Availability: L

Temporal​

  • Exploit code madurity: H
  • Remediation level: U
  • Report confidence: C

Result​

  • Vector string: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L/E:H/RL:U/RC:C
  • Score:
    • Base: 5.0
    • Temporal: 5.0
  • Severity:
    • Base: Medium
    • Temporal: Medium

Code Examples​

Compliant code​

The application includes methods to validate the account owner is requesting the password change

public void recoverAccount(userEmail, userId){
  if(isValidUser(userId, userEmail)) {
    Account account = application.sendPasswordResetEmail(userEmail);
    Account account = application.resetPassword("$TOKEN", "newPassword");
  }
}

Non compliant code​

The application does not validate the account owner is the same resetting the password

public void recoverAccount(useremail, userId){
  if(isValidUser(userId)) {
    Account account = application.sendPasswordResetEmail(userEmail);
    Account account = application.resetPassword("newPassword");
  }
}

Requirements​

free trial

Search for vulnerabilities in your apps for free with our automated security testing! Start your 21-day free trial and discover the benefits of our Continuous Hacking Machine Plan. If you prefer a full service that includes the expertise of our ethical hackers, don't hesitate to contact us for our Continuous Hacking Squad Plan.