Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
66 lines (52 loc) · 6.71 KB

attack-tree.md

File metadata and controls

66 lines (52 loc) · 6.71 KB

Attack Tree Analysis for angular/angular.js

Objective: Compromise the Angular.js Application by Exploiting Angular.js Specific Vulnerabilities.

Attack Tree Visualization

└── Compromise Angular.js Application (Attacker Goal) ├── [CRITICAL NODE] Exploit Client-Side Template Injection Vulnerabilities [HIGH-RISK PATH START] │ ├── Server-Side Template Injection (AngularJS Context) │ │ ├── Vulnerable Server-Side Rendering with Angular Templates │ │ ├── [CRITICAL NODE] Inject Malicious Angular Expressions into Server-Side Data │ │ └── [CRITICAL NODE] Achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE) or Data Exfiltration │ ├── [CRITICAL NODE] Client-Side Template Injection (Direct Manipulation) [HIGH-RISK PATH START] │ │ ├── Manipulate Client-Side Data Binding to Inject Malicious Templates │ │ ├── [CRITICAL NODE] Identify Data Binding Points Vulnerable to Manipulation │ │ ├── [CRITICAL NODE] Inject Malicious Angular Expressions via Data Binding │ │ └── [CRITICAL NODE] Achieve Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) ├── [CRITICAL NODE] Exploit Angular.js Expression Sandbox Bypass Vulnerabilities (Older Versions) [HIGH-RISK PATH START] │ ├── [CRITICAL NODE] Target Applications Using Vulnerable Angular.js Versions (< 1.6) │ │ ├── Identify Angular.js Version in Use │ │ └── [CRITICAL NODE] Research Known Sandbox Bypass Techniques for Identified Version │ ├── [CRITICAL NODE] Inject Known Sandbox Bypass Payloads into Angular Expressions │ └── [CRITICAL NODE] Achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE) or Data Exfiltration (Similar to Template Injection)

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Client-Side Template Injection Vulnerabilities [HIGH-RISK PATH]

  • Attack Vector: Template Injection in AngularJS occurs when user-controlled input is directly embedded into Angular templates without proper sanitization. AngularJS templates use expressions (like {{ }}) for data binding. If an attacker can inject malicious Angular expressions into these templates, they can execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the user's browser.

  • How it works in AngularJS:

    • AngularJS templates are processed client-side in the browser.
    • Data binding mechanisms automatically evaluate expressions within templates.
    • If unsanitized user input is bound to a template, malicious Angular expressions within that input will be executed.

  • Potential Impact:

    • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): The most common outcome. Attackers can execute JavaScript to:
      • Steal user session cookies or tokens, leading to account takeover.
      • Redirect users to phishing websites.
      • Deface the application.
      • Perform actions on behalf of the user.
    • Remote Code Execution (RCE) (in specific scenarios like Server-Side Rendering with AngularJS): Less common in purely client-side AngularJS, but if the backend is also using AngularJS templates for server-side rendering, server-side template injection vulnerabilities can lead to more severe consequences, potentially including RCE on the server.
    • Data Exfiltration: JavaScript can be used to access and send sensitive data from the application (e.g., local storage, application data) to attacker-controlled servers.

  • Mitigation Strategies:

    • Input Sanitization: Crucially important. Always sanitize user-controlled input before displaying it in Angular templates.
    • Use $sce Service: AngularJS provides the $sce (Strict Contextual Escaping) service to help sanitize and control how data is rendered in templates. Use $sce.trustAsHtml, $sce.trustAsJs, etc., with extreme caution and only when absolutely necessary for trusted, sanitized content.
    • Use ng-bind for Plain Text: When displaying user input as plain text, use ng-bind instead of {{ }}. ng-bind automatically escapes HTML entities, preventing XSS.
    • Avoid ng-bind-html unless absolutely necessary: If you must render HTML, use ng-bind-html with a robust and regularly updated HTML sanitizer library (e.g., DOMPurify) to sanitize the HTML before rendering.
    • Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a strong CSP to restrict the sources from which the browser can load resources, mitigating the impact of XSS.

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Angular.js Expression Sandbox Bypass Vulnerabilities (Older Versions) [HIGH-RISK PATH]

  • Attack Vector: Older versions of AngularJS (< 1.6) had a sandbox designed to prevent the execution of arbitrary JavaScript within Angular expressions. However, this sandbox was repeatedly bypassed. Attackers could craft specific Angular expressions that bypassed the sandbox restrictions, allowing them to execute arbitrary JavaScript code.

  • How it works in AngularJS:

    • AngularJS versions before 1.6 attempted to sandbox expressions to limit access to global objects and functions.
    • Security researchers discovered various bypass techniques, often involving manipulating the prototype chain, constructor properties, or other JavaScript features to escape the sandbox.
    • Once bypassed, attackers could execute any JavaScript code, effectively gaining full control within the browser context.

  • Potential Impact:

    • Remote Code Execution (RCE) in the Browser: Sandbox bypass essentially removes the intended security barrier, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript, leading to the same impacts as XSS (account takeover, data theft, phishing, etc.). In older versions, the sandbox was meant to prevent even basic JavaScript execution, so bypasses were particularly severe.

  • Mitigation Strategies:

    • Upgrade AngularJS Version: The most critical mitigation. Upgrade to AngularJS version 1.6 or later, or ideally, migrate to a more modern framework like Angular (2+). Version 1.6 and later versions have significantly improved or removed the vulnerable sandbox.
    • Input Sanitization (Still Important): Even with newer versions, relying solely on a sandbox (if one exists) is not a secure approach. Input sanitization remains a fundamental security practice to prevent injection vulnerabilities.
    • Content Security Policy (CSP): CSP is still a valuable defense-in-depth measure to limit the impact of successful JavaScript execution, even if a sandbox is bypassed.