Attacking parameter names
Summary: PortSwigger's Dafydd Stuttard describes attacking parameter names rather than values, inserting attack strings into newly-added parameter names to reach bugs that value-only testing misses. He gives two examples: a preferences page that builds SQL queries from each query-string parameter name with no validation on the name, and ASP.NET's ValidateRequest, which blocks HTML markup in parameter values but lets a payload placed in a parameter name through to code that echoes the URL.
Why it matters: Applications commonly validate parameter values while leaving parameter names unvalidated, and generic defenses like ValidateRequest and web application firewalls inherit that same blind spot - so an attacker who adds a parameter name can reach the vulnerable code those controls were meant to cover.
Read the original at PortSwigger Research ↗
- Topics
- Vulnerabilities & Patching
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