CWE-301

Reflection Attack in an Authentication Protocol

Simple authentication protocols are subject to reflection attacks if a malicious user can use the target machine to impersonate a trusted user.

Mitigation

Phase: Architecture and Design

Description:

  • Use different keys for the initiator and responder or of a different type of challenge for the initiator and responder.
Mitigation

Phase: Architecture and Design

Description:

  • Let the initiator prove its identity before proceeding.
CAPEC-90: Reflection Attack in Authentication Protocol

An adversary can abuse an authentication protocol susceptible to reflection attack in order to defeat it. Doing so allows the adversary illegitimate access to the target system, without possessing the requisite credentials. Reflection attacks are of great concern to authentication protocols that rely on a challenge-handshake or similar mechanism. An adversary can impersonate a legitimate user and can gain illegitimate access to the system by successfully mounting a reflection attack during authentication.

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