attack-tree.md

Attack Tree Analysis for apache/httpcomponents-client

Objective: Compromise Application Using httpcomponents-client

Attack Tree Visualization

• [Root Goal: Compromise Application Using httpcomponents-client]
  • [1.0] Exploit Request Manipulation
    • [1.1] Malicious URL Injection
      • [1.1.1] Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
        • [1.1.1.1] Application constructs URL using unsanitized user input
    • [1.2] Malicious Header Injection
      • [1.2.1] HTTP Header Injection
        • [1.2.1.1] Application constructs headers using unsanitized user input
    • [1.3] Malicious Request Body Injection
      • [1.3.1] Injecting malicious data into request body
        • [1.3.1.1] Application forwards unsanitized user input to request body
  • [2.2] Mishandling of Redirects
    • [2.2.1] Open Redirect Vulnerability
      • [2.2.1.1] Application blindly follows redirects from untrusted sources
  • [3.0] Exploit Configuration and Misuse of httpcomponents-client
    • [3.1] Insecure TLS/SSL Configuration
      • [3.1.1] Disabling Certificate Validation
        • [3.1.1.1] Application code disables certificate validation for testing or due to misunderstanding
    • [3.3] Connection Pooling Misconfiguration
      • [3.3.1] Connection Pool Exhaustion DoS
        • [3.3.1.1] Attacker sends many requests to exhaust the connection pool, causing denial of service
    • [3.4] Dependency Vulnerabilities
      • [3.4.1] Exploiting known vulnerabilities in library dependencies
        • [3.4.1.1] Using outdated versions of httpcomponents-client or its dependencies with known vulnerabilities

Attack Tree Path: [1.1.1.1] Application constructs URL using unsanitized user input (SSRF)

Attack Vector: An attacker injects malicious URLs into user input fields that are used by the application to construct URLs for httpcomponents-client requests. * Mechanism: If the application doesn't properly sanitize or validate user input before incorporating it into URLs, an attacker can control the destination server and path of the HTTP request. * Exploitation: The attacker can make the application send requests to internal servers, cloud metadata endpoints, or other sensitive resources that are normally inaccessible from the outside. * Impact: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) can lead to: * Access to internal resources and services. * Data breaches by accessing sensitive internal data. * Remote Code Execution (RCE) if internal services are vulnerable. * Circumvention of firewalls and network segmentation.

Attack Tree Path: [1.2.1.1] Application constructs headers using unsanitized user input (HTTP Header Injection)

Attack Vector: An attacker injects malicious content into user input fields that are used by the application to construct HTTP headers for httpcomponents-client requests. * Mechanism: If the application doesn't sanitize user input before including it in headers, attackers can inject arbitrary headers. * Exploitation: Attackers can inject headers like: * Cache-Control or Expires to manipulate caching behavior (Cache Poisoning). * Set-Cookie to attempt session hijacking or cookie manipulation. * Headers that might be interpreted by backend servers in a vulnerable way. * Impact: HTTP Header Injection can lead to: * Cache Poisoning: Serving malicious content to other users. * Session Hijacking: Stealing or manipulating user sessions. * Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via response headers (less common but possible). * Exploiting backend vulnerabilities through header manipulation.

Attack Tree Path: [1.3.1.1] Application forwards unsanitized user input to request body (Malicious Request Body Injection)

Attack Vector: An attacker injects malicious data into user input fields that are directly placed into the request body of HTTP requests made by httpcomponents-client. * Mechanism: If the application forwards user input to the request body without proper validation or sanitization, attackers can inject arbitrary data. * Exploitation: This is particularly relevant for APIs and applications that process data sent in request bodies (e.g., POST requests with JSON or XML payloads). Attackers can inject: * Malicious payloads to exploit vulnerabilities in backend API endpoints. * Data to manipulate backend application logic. * Payloads for injection attacks (e.g., SQL injection if the backend processes the request body in database queries). * Impact: Malicious Request Body Injection can lead to: * Data manipulation or corruption on the backend. * Exploiting vulnerabilities in backend APIs or data processing logic. * Potential for injection attacks (SQL, NoSQL, etc.) if backend processes the body insecurely.

Attack Tree Path: [2.2.1.1] Application blindly follows redirects from untrusted sources (Open Redirect Vulnerability)

Attack Vector: An attacker provides a malicious URL that the application uses as a redirect target in an HTTP response handled by httpcomponents-client. * Mechanism: If the application automatically follows redirects without validating the redirect URL against a whitelist or safe domains, it can be tricked into redirecting users to attacker-controlled sites. * Exploitation: An attacker can craft a response (or control a server that the application interacts with) to include a redirect to a phishing site, malware download site, or other malicious destination. * Impact: Open Redirect Vulnerability can lead to: * Phishing attacks: Redirecting users to fake login pages to steal credentials. * Malware distribution: Redirecting users to sites hosting malware. * SEO manipulation: Damaging the application's search engine ranking. * Reputation damage and loss of user trust.

Attack Tree Path: [3.1.1.1] Application code disables certificate validation for testing or due to misunderstanding (Insecure TLS Configuration - Disabled Certificate Validation)

Attack Vector: Developers mistakenly disable SSL/TLS certificate validation in httpcomponents-client configuration, often for testing purposes or due to a lack of understanding of the security implications. * Mechanism: Disabling certificate validation means the application will accept any certificate from the server, regardless of whether it's valid, trusted, or belongs to the intended domain. * Exploitation: This makes the application highly vulnerable to Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks. An attacker positioned in the network can intercept traffic, present their own certificate (which will be accepted), and decrypt or modify communications. * Impact: Disabled Certificate Validation leads to: * Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks becoming trivial. * Data interception and eavesdropping on sensitive communications. * Credential theft if authentication data is transmitted. * Data manipulation and integrity compromise.

Attack Tree Path: [3.3.1.1] Attacker sends many requests to exhaust the connection pool, causing denial of service (Connection Pool Exhaustion DoS)

Attack Vector: An attacker sends a large number of HTTP requests to the application, specifically targeting the connection pool managed by httpcomponents-client. * Mechanism: If the connection pool is not properly configured with appropriate limits, an attacker can exhaust all available connections in the pool. * Exploitation: Once the connection pool is exhausted, the application will be unable to establish new connections to backend servers, leading to a denial of service for legitimate users. * Impact: Connection Pool Exhaustion DoS results in: * Denial of Service (DoS): Application becomes unavailable or unresponsive. * Service disruption and impact on business operations.

Attack Tree Path: [3.4.1.1] Using outdated versions of httpcomponents-client or its dependencies with known vulnerabilities (Dependency Vulnerabilities)

Attack Vector: The application uses outdated versions of the httpcomponents-client library or its dependencies that contain publicly known security vulnerabilities. * Mechanism: Software libraries often have vulnerabilities discovered over time. If an application uses outdated versions, it remains vulnerable to these known issues. * Exploitation: Attackers can exploit these known vulnerabilities, for which exploit code is often publicly available. Vulnerabilities can range from Denial of Service to Remote Code Execution. * Impact: Dependency Vulnerabilities can lead to: * Remote Code Execution (RCE): Allowing attackers to run arbitrary code on the server. * Data breaches: Accessing or modifying sensitive data. * Denial of Service (DoS): Crashing the application or making it unavailable. * Full system compromise, depending on the vulnerability.