Is it possible to exploit ASP NET_SessionId?
I am pen-testing an ASP.NET application that is exhibiting Session Fixation behaviour. The application is using cookie based sessions. Basically:
When you land on the page no Session cookie is created
After login ASP.NET_SessionId cookie is created
On logout and repeated login the cookie value remains the same (there is no cookie value regeneration)
I have been able to perform Session Fixation attack manually:
I have landed on the page
I manually created a ASP.NET_SessionId cookie with some value (for the attacker)
I opened a new browser session and set the exact same cookie (for the victim)
I logged in as victim in this new browser session
In the attacker’s browser session I was now able to browse the web site as the victim
I am now having problems exploiting this Session Fixation vulnerability in real conditions. I need to create or modify the ASP.NET_SessionId cookie in some manner. From what I am able to tell, there is no XSS vulnerability on the web site which I could use.
I have been playing with two most notable attack variations but with no luck (a case where a victim would click on a link which would set a cookie on the web page):
JavaScript
https://www.example.com/[removed][removed]='ASP.NET_SessionId=THISISAFIXATEDCOOKIE; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2015 12:00:00 UTC; path=/; domain=example.com; path=/'[removed]
HTML Injection
https://www.example.com/<meta http-equiv="Set-Cookie" content="ASP.NET_SessionId=THISISAFIXATEDCOOKIE; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2015 12:00:00 UTC; path=/; domain=example.com; path=/">
Whatever I tried I’ve either hit a default error page or the landing page with no created/modified cookie. Am I missing something with these two attack vectors?
Is there any other method I could try in creating or modifying the victim’s ASP.NET _SessionId cookie besides using man-in-the-middle or man-in-the-browser (malware based) attacks?
Regarding the ASP NET SessionId, these are intended to be examples specific to a system that has another vulnerability besides Session Fixation (XSS, HTML Injection, etc) - these are not attacks that are likely to work in any real world situation. If you wanted to execute this attack there would be two steps: Find a vulnerability that would allow you to set the authentication cookie for another user. Your best bet would probably be XSS or HTML injection. To find this type of vulnerability you would probably want to do a security assessment of the site where you catalogue all HTTP requests that can be made. You would then fuzz all inputs at the HTTP level in an automated fashion and look for indications that a vulnerability exists. For possible vulnerabilities you would go in and manually test to see if anything is really there. If you find any vulnerabilities in the previous stage you could then attempt a Session Fixation attack.
Answer (1)
Yes, it is possible to exploit ASP.NET_SessionId under certain conditions. This session identifier is used to manage user sessions in ASP.NET applications. However, the exploitation typically arises from poor session management practices or vulnerabilities within the application. Here are some ways in which ASP.NET_SessionId can be exploited and how to mitigate these risks:
Potential Exploitation Scenarios
Session Fixation:
Description: An attacker sets a user's session ID to a known value and then tricks the user into logging in with that session ID. Once the user is authenticated, the attacker can use the known session ID to hijack the session.
- Mitigation:
- Regenerate the session ID upon user authentication.
- Ensure that session IDs are not accepted from untrusted sources.
Session Hijacking:
- Description: An attacker steals a valid session ID (e.g., through sniffing, cross-site scripting (XSS), or insecure transmission) and uses it to impersonate the user.
- Mitigation:
- Use HTTPS to encrypt the transmission of session IDs.
- Implement HttpOnly and Secure flags for session cookies.
- Perform IP and User-Agent validation.
- Implement proper XSS prevention mechanisms.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS):
- Description: If an application is vulnerable to XSS, an attacker can inject scripts that steal session cookies from the client’s browser.
- Mitigation:
- Sanitize and validate all user inputs.
- Use content security policies (CSP).
- Set HttpOnly and Secure flags on cookies.
Predictable Session IDs:
- Description: If session IDs are generated using weak algorithms, an attacker could predict valid session IDs.
- Mitigation:
- Use strong, cryptographically secure random number generators for session ID creation.
Session Timeout and Management:
- Description: Poorly configured session timeouts can lead to sessions remaining active for longer than necessary, increasing the window of opportunity for exploitation.
- Mitigation:
- Implement reasonable session timeout values.
- Provide mechanisms for users to log out, which invalidates the session.
- Best Practices for Securing ASP.NET Sessions