Cross-Site WebSocket Hijacking
What is Cross-Site WebSocket Hijacking?
Cross-Site WebSocket Hijacking (CSWSH) is a type of security vulnerability that occurs when a WebSocket connection is established between a user's browser and a remote server. In this type of attack, an attacker can hijack a WebSocket connection and send arbitrary data to the server, potentially leading to unauthorized actions or data theft.
The attack works by tricking the user's browser into establishing a WebSocket connection with a malicious website, which then sends data to the server on behalf of the user. This can be used to bypass authentication mechanisms and perform actions on the user's behalf, such as updating their profile or making unauthorized purchases.
What is the impact of Cross-Site WebSocket Hijacking?
Some potential impacts of CSRF attacks are:
- Unauthorized actions: An attacker can use a CSRF attack to force a user to perform unauthorized actions on the vulnerable web application, such as changing their password, making unauthorized purchases, or deleting or modifying data.
- Data breaches: An attacker can use a CSRF attack to override sensitive information from the vulnerable web application, such as login credentials.
- Financial loss: An attacker can use a CSRF attack to force a user to make unauthorized financial transactions, resulting in financial loss for the victim.
- Reputation damage: A successful attack exploiting a CSRF vulnerability can lead to loss of customer trust and reputational damage for the organization.
- Regulatory violations: A successful attack exploiting a CSRF vulnerability can lead to violations of regulatory requirements, such as data protection laws.
How to prevent Cross-Site WebSocket Hijacking?
CSWSH attacks can be difficult to detect and prevent, as the WebSocket connection is established using JavaScript code on the client-side, and the data is transmitted over a secure, encrypted channel.
However, there are best practices that can help to prevent CSWSH attacks:
- Validate the origin of WebSocket connections: Verify that the WebSocket connection is being established from a trusted origin. This can be done by checking the Origin header in the WebSocket handshake request.
- Use cookies with the SameSite attribute: Use cookies with the SameSite attribute set to strict or lax. This can help prevent cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks, which can be used to initiate a CSWSH attack.
- Use authentication and authorization: Implement strong authentication and authorization mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data or actions.
- Use secure WebSocket connections: Use secure WebSocket connections (wss://) to encrypt the data transmitted between the client and server, and prevent eavesdropping or tampering.