CWE-293: Using Referer Field for Authentication
Description
The referer field in HTTP requests can be easily modified and, as such, is not a valid means of message integrity checking.
- Abstraction
- VariantA weakness tied to a specific language, technology or resource.
- Likelihood of exploit
- High
- Status
- Draft
Common consequences
- Access Control
Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
Actions, which may not be authorized otherwise, can be carried out as if they were validated by the server referred to.
Potential mitigations
- Architecture and Design
In order to usefully check if a given action is authorized, some means of strong authentication and method protection must be used. Use other means of authorization that cannot be simply spoofed. Possibilities include a username/password or certificate.
Related weaknesses
Parent weaknesses
CAPEC attack patterns that exploit it
CWE 4.20 links no CAPEC attack pattern to this weakness.