• 👉 Overview
• 👀 What ?
• 🧐 Why ?
• ⛏️ How ?
• ⏳ When ?
• ⚙️ Technical Explanations
• 🖇️ References

👉 Overview

👀 What ?

OAuth is an open standard for access delegation widely used as a way for internet users to grant websites or applications access to their information on other websites but without giving them the passwords. An OAuth Account takeover is a type of attack where attackers exploit OAuth tokens to take control of user accounts.

🧐 Why ?

Understanding OAuth Account takeover is crucial because it is a common attack vector in the cyber security landscape. As more and more applications start to use OAuth for access delegation, the potential for such attacks also increases. This presents a significant security risk, and understanding how these attacks occur can help in implementing effective security measures.

⛏️ How ?

OAuth Account takeover can be mitigated by implementing several strategies. A key strategy is to always validate and sanitize inputs, as this can prevent attacks that rely on injecting malicious code. Additionally, always use secure cookies and ensure that your application maintains a strong policy for password security. Regularly audit your OAuth tokens and revoke any that are unnecessary or suspicious.

⏳ When ?

OAuth, first introduced in 2006, has become increasingly popular with the rise of social media and online services. Account takeovers exploiting OAuth have been seen in the wild since at least 2010, but have become more common as OAuth has become more widely used.

⚙️ Technical Explanations

An OAuth Account takeover usually occurs when an attacker can obtain an OAuth token for a user's account. This can happen in several ways, such as through phishing attacks, where the attacker tricks the user into clicking a malicious link that then grants the attacker access to the user's OAuth token. Once the attacker has the OAuth token, they can then use it to access the user's account, often without the user's knowledge. The attacker can then perform various actions on behalf of the user, such as reading their emails, posting on their social media accounts, etc. This type of attack can be particularly dangerous as it can often bypass traditional security measures such as password protection.

🖇️ References