How to Discover High-Paying IDOR Bugs in Real Apps?

Summary

In this video, the creator shares insights on identifying and exploiting Insecure Direct Object References (IDORs) vulnerabilities during web application testing. After a face reveal, they walk through practical steps like selecting a target with complex user roles and permissions, analyzing endpoints, and testing for vulnerabilities using tools like Burp Suite. The video also highlights a critical vulnerability they discovered in a delivery service application, where modifying IDs led to unauthorized actions, earning them a $1,500 bounty. The tutorial is informative for penetration testers and bug hunters looking to understand IDOR exploitation.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker reveals their face after reaching 10K subscribers, expressing gratitude to the audience for their support.
• 🛠️ The video discusses finding IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) vulnerabilities in web applications during bug hunting or penetration testing.
• 🎯 A good target for IDOR vulnerabilities is an application with various user roles, permissions, and functionalities such as adding or deleting users.
• 🔍 Before testing, it's crucial to understand how the application functions, including testing from the perspective of users with different permission levels.
• 🔑 IDOR vulnerabilities can often be found in endpoints with unique identifiers like numeric IDs, alphanumeric IDs, or UUIDs.
• 🚨 Numeric IDs are more severe in terms of vulnerability compared to alphanumeric or UUID-based identifiers.
• 💥 Exploiting IDOR vulnerabilities can involve accessing data or performing actions on behalf of other users, such as an admin accessing another admin's data.
• 🔄 Two main IDOR exploitation strategies: cross-tenant (across different organizations) and in-tenant (within the same organization but with different roles).
• ⚠️ In a practical example, an attacker could manipulate organization IDs in a JSON endpoint to view private report details of other users, posing a critical security risk.
• 💻 Another real-life example demonstrates how an IDOR vulnerability allows attackers to change a victim's email address by manipulating an ID in the URL, resulting in account takeover.
• 💰 The speaker reports a critical IDOR bug in a delivery service application, where attackers could manipulate application IDs to view sensitive user data or even perform unauthorized actions like adding the victim's application to their own account, earning a $1,500 reward.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is about Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) vulnerabilities, explaining how to identify and exploit them in web applications during penetration testing or bug hunting.

What is the first step in finding IDOR vulnerabilities?

The first step is to find a good target, such as an application with many functionalities like user management (adding or deleting users) or admin roles, as these types of apps are more likely to be vulnerable to IDORs.

Why are numeric IDs considered more severe than alphanumeric or UUIDs in IDOR vulnerabilities?

Numeric IDs are considered more severe because they are usually sequential and predictable, making them easier to manipulate and exploit. Alphanumeric and UUIDs are harder to predict, so the risk of exploitation is lower.

What is the significance of testing with different user permissions?

Testing with different user permissions helps identify potential IDOR vulnerabilities, especially when an attacker can access resources they shouldn’t, such as modifying or viewing data from another user or role by manipulating identifiers.

Can you explain the concept of 'cross-tenant' and 'in-tenant' IDOR testing?

In 'cross-tenant' testing, you try to exploit vulnerabilities between different organizations, while in 'in-tenant' testing, you focus on exploiting users within the same organization but with different roles or permissions.

What was the IDOR vulnerability in the first HackerOne report example?

In the first HackerOne report, the vulnerability allowed an attacker to view private report details from different users by manipulating the organization ID in the request to a '/bugs.json' endpoint.

What kind of information was exposed in the first HackerOne vulnerability?

The vulnerability exposed sensitive information such as the title, URL, ID, state, substate, creation date, and poster name of private reports belonging to other users.

How did the second IDOR vulnerability affect the Activist application?

In the second example, the IDOR vulnerability in the Activist application allowed an attacker to change another user's email address by modifying the user ID in the request, leading to an account takeover without user interaction.

What was the nature of the IDOR vulnerability found in the delivery service application?

The IDOR vulnerability in the delivery service application allowed an attacker to manipulate the application ID in the URL and perform actions like adding a victim's application to their own account, exposing sensitive information in the process.

How did the vulnerability in the delivery service application lead to a payout on HackerOne?

The vulnerability was considered critical because it not only allowed the attacker to view sensitive data but also to perform unauthorized actions. After reporting the issue, the researcher received a reward of $1,500 from the responsible disclosure program.