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    XXE Injection Attack

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    pavankumar99915

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    XXE Injection Attack

    Uploaded by

    pavankumar99915
    14 views6 pages

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    14 views6 pages

    XXE Injection Attack

    Uploaded by

    pavankumar99915

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 6

    XML external entity (XXE)

    injection Attack

    Karthik B
    What is XXE Vulnerability?

    XML External Entity Injection (XXE) is a security vulnerability that empowers a


    malicious actor to inject unsafe XML entities into a web application designed to
    process XML data. Successfully exploiting XXE vulnerabilities enables threat actors
    to interact with systems accessible to the application, view server files, and, in certain
    instances, execute remote code.

    XXE vulnerabilities often arise from outdated or improperly configured XML parsers.
    Theoretically, prevention is straightforward by configuring XML parser settings to
    disallow custom document type definitions (DTD). However, in practice, web
    applications comprise numerous components, each potentially employing its own
    XML parser. Determining which parts of the application process XML can be
    challenging, and, in some cases, application owners lack access to configure the XML
    parser used by specific components. This complexity contributes to the persistence of
    XXE vulnerabilities in real-world scenarios.

    How do XXE Injection occur?

    Certain applications utilize the XML format for data transmission between the
    browser and the server. In nearly all cases, applications adopting this approach rely on
    a standard library or platform API to handle XML data processing on the server. The
    emergence of XXE vulnerabilities stems from the fact that the XML specification
    incorporates potentially risky features, and standard parsers support these features
    even if they are not typically utilized by the application.

    XML external entities represent a category of custom XML entities whose defined
    values are sourced from outside the DTD in which they are declared. From a security
    standpoint, external entities are of particular concern because they enable the
    definition of an entity based on the contents of a file path or URL.

    What are the different types of attacks you can perform


    through XXE?

    There are various types of XML external entity attacks:

    1. XXE Exploit to Retrieve Files: An attacker can use an XXE attack to fetch an
    arbitrary file from the target server's filesystem by manipulating the submitted XML.
    This involves introducing a DOCTYPE element that defines an external entity
    containing the file path. The attacker then alters the XML data value in the response
    to achieve file retrieval.
    2. XXE Exploit to Perform SSRF: XXE attacks can be utilized for server-side
    request forgery (SSRF), prompting the application to make requests to malicious
    URLs. This attack includes defining an external entity with the target URL and
    incorporating the entity in the response's data value. It allows the attacker to observe
    responses from the specified URL in an application's response, facilitating interaction
    with the back end. In some cases, the attacker may perform a blind SSRF attack
    without directly viewing the response.
    3. Blind XXE Exploit to Exfiltrate Data: XXE vulnerabilities are often blind,
    indicating that the application doesn't reveal external entity values. Attackers,
    however, can still exploit blind XXE vulnerabilities using advanced techniques such
    as out-of-band data exfiltration or triggering an XML parsing error to disclose
    sensitive information.
    4. Blind XXE Exploit to Generate Error Messages: Another method to exploit
    blind XXE vulnerabilities is by triggering parsing errors to generate error messages
    containing sensitive data. This is effective for applications that include error messages
    in their responses. Attackers can perform a blind XXE exploit by using malicious
    external Document Type Definitions (DTDs) to trigger an error message that
    discloses contents, such as the password file.

    A malicious DTD can define a "file" XML parameter entity with the password file
    contents. It also defines an evaluation entity, allowing an evaluation using a decoy file.
    Triggering the evaluation entity attempts to load a nonexistent file, resulting in an
    error message that reveals the nonexistent decoy file's name.

    How to test for XXE Injection Vulnerability?

    The majority of XXE vulnerabilities can be promptly and reliably identified through
    the web vulnerability scanner in Burp Suite.

    Manual testing for XXE vulnerabilities typically involves:

    • Verifying file retrieval by creating an external entity based on a well-known


    operating system file and utilizing this entity in data returned within the
    application's response.
    • Examining blind XXE vulnerabilities through the creation of an external entity
    based on a URL leading to a controlled system, while monitoring interactions
    with that system. The use of Burp Collaborator is particularly suitable for this
    purpose.
    • Assessing the potential inclusion of user-supplied non-XML data within a
    server-side XML document vulnerability by employing an XInclude attack to
    attempt retrieval of a well-known operating system file.

    What are the impacts of XXE Injection Attack?

    Here are typical outcomes of XXE attacks:

    1. Disclosing Local Files: Threat actors can unveil files containing sensitive
    information, such as passwords, leveraging file: schemes or relative paths in the
    system identifier.
    2. Expanding the Attack: XXE attacks capitalize on the application processing the
    XML document. Malicious actors can utilize this trusted application as a gateway to
    infiltrate different internal systems.
    3. Remote Code Execution: In cases where the XML processor library is susceptible
    to client-side memory corruption, threat actors can dereference a malicious URI,
    enabling arbitrary code execution under the application account.
    4. Impact on Application Availability: Certain XML attacks may grant actors
    access to local resources that continuously provide data. If numerous processes or
    threads are not released, this can adversely affect the availability of the application.

    How to mitigate XXE Injection Vulnerability?

    Almost universally, XXE vulnerabilities stem from the XML parsing library of the
    application supporting XML features that are potentially hazardous and unnecessary
    for the application's intended use. The most straightforward and impactful approach to
    thwarting XXE attacks is to deactivate these features.

    Typically, disabling the resolution of external entities and turning off support for
    XInclude proves adequate for prevention. This can often be accomplished through
    configuration options or by programmatically overriding default behaviors.
    References:

    ❖ https://portswigger.net/web-security/xxe#how-do-xxe-vulnerabilities-arise
    ❖ https://www.hackerone.com/knowledge-center/xxe-complete-guide-impact-
    examples-and-prevention
    ❖ https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/xxe-xml-external-entity/

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