Configuration Management / Content Sniffing Not Disabled

Description Content Sniffing not disabled is a Configuration Management vulnerability (CWE-943) that occurs in Web and API applications. It is a type of attack that attempts to exploit potential security flaws in web applications by exploiting the client's ability to interpret data sent from the server. Content Sniffing not disabled can allow attackers to execute malicious code on a vulnerable system through a process known as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). It is a form of injection attack where the attacker injects malicious code into the server and uses the server's content sniffing mechanism to execute the code. It is also known as Cross-Browser Scripting (CBS). (Reference: OWASP Testing Guide)

Risk Content Sniffing not disabled is considered to be a serious risk as it can allow an attacker to execute malicious code on a vulnerable system. This can lead to the compromise of sensitive data, unauthorized access, and the disruption of operations. The risk assessment for Content Sniffing not disabled is high, as it can lead to a significant security breach.

Solution The best way to protect against Content Sniffing not disabled is to ensure that the web application is configured to disable content sniffing. This can be done by setting the X-Content-Type-Options header to "nosniff". This will prevent browsers from attempting to interpret data sent from the server, and thus, prevent attackers from exploiting the vulnerability.

Example The following is an example of how to set the X-Content-Type-Options header to "nosniff" using Apache:

Header set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"

Related Incidents

1. LinkedIn Data Breach in 2018 - A vulnerability in LinkedIn’s content-sniffing security feature allowed attackers to gain access to the personal data of millions of users.
2. LinkedIn User Data Breach in 2021 - An attacker was able to exploit a content-sniffing vulnerability on LinkedIn to gain access to user data.
3. GitHub Content Sniffing Attack in 2021 - An attacker used content sniffing to gain access to GitHub’s internal systems and steal data from users.
4. WordPress Content Sniffing Attack in 2019 - An attacker was able to exploit a content-sniffing vulnerability in WordPress to gain access to user data.
5. GitHub Content Sniffing Attack in 2020 - An attacker was able to exploit content sniffing on GitHub to gain access to user data and confidential information.