Source URL: https://portswigger.net/research/listen-to-the-whispers-web-timing-attacks-that-actually-work
Source: Hacker News
Title: Listen to the whispers: web timing attacks that work
Feedly Summary: Comments
AI Summary and Description: Yes
**Summary:** This text introduces novel web timing attack techniques capable of breaching server security by exposing hidden vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and attack surfaces more effectively than previous methods. It emphasizes the practical application of these attacks in real-world scenarios, presenting solutions for automating exploitation and discussing the insights gained from extensive testing across thousands of websites.
**Detailed Description:**
– **Web Timing Attacks:** The text focuses on timing attacks that exploit the time taken to process requests to extract sensitive information and vulnerabilities from web applications.
– **Novel Techniques:** The author presents several advanced techniques validated in a real-world setting, which include:
– Detecting masked misconfigurations.
– Blind data structure injection.
– Discovering hidden routes to restricted areas.
– **Empirical Validation:** All techniques are backed by extensive real-world testing on a dataset of over 30,000 websites accumulated through tools such as Burp Suite and Rapid7’s Project Sonar DNS database.
– **Key Discoveries:**
– The ability to measure sub-millisecond timing differences without prior configuration.
– Identification of hidden input parameters that might point to vulnerabilities.
– Techniques for minimizing noise (external variations) to improve attack reliability.
– **Tools for Exploitation:**
– Introduction of open-source tools to facilitate automated exploitation of timing attacks.
– Development of features in tools like Param Miner for bulk parameter discovery based on timing analysis.
– **Implications for Security Professionals:**
– Emphasis on understanding the mechanics of timing attacks, which can manipulate server-side responses to uncover hidden vulnerabilities.
– The risk posed by network and server noise, which can hinder effective timing attack execution.
– Highlighting the necessity for robust defenses against timing attacks, including rate limiting and avoiding performance optimizations that could increase signal during such attacks.
– **Real-World Applications:** The research suggests these methods can be utilized in various contexts such as discovering parameter-based cache poisoning vulnerabilities, exploiting misconfigured proxies for SSRF attacks, and even detailing the chain of trust assumptions in header-forwarding mechanisms.
Overall, the text provides significant insights into the mechanics and applications of timing attacks, underlining their relevance for professionals engaged in web security, compliance, and threat assessment. It encourages continuous learning and adaptation in the face of emerging attack methods, reiterating the necessity for vigilance against such sophisticated techniques.