Authorization / Task Hijacking

Description

Task hijacking is a type of authorization vulnerability in which an attacker is able to take control of a user's session or task by intercepting the data, such as a session ID, intended for a legitimate user. It is defined in the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) directory as CWE-813. This type of vulnerability is particularly common in iOS and mobile app sessions, where session IDs are often shared between users who use the same device. As defined by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Testing Guide, task hijacking “occurs when an attacker intercepts a user’s session ID and masquerades as the legitimate user”.

Risk

Task hijacking can lead to serious security risks, including data theft, identity theft, and account takeover. According to the OWASP Testing Guide, attackers can use task hijacking to gain unauthorized access to user accounts, steal private information, or possibly even manipulate data. As such, task hijacking can lead to a variety of risks, including financial losses, data breaches, and reputational damage.

Solution

The most effective way to protect against task hijacking is to ensure that authentication credentials, such as session IDs, are securely transmitted and not disclosed to third parties. It is also important to implement a strong authentication system that requires a unique identifier for each user. Additionally, the use of strong encryption protocols, such as TLS and SSL, can help protect against task hijacking.

Example

The following code example illustrates a potential task hijacking vulnerability in an iOS application. As shown, the application is vulnerable to task hijacking because it does not verify the user's identity before granting access to the application.

func application(_ application: UIApplication, open url: URL, options: [UIApplicationOpenURLOptionsKey : Any] = [:]) -> Bool {
    // open the application
    return true
}