HawkScan Test Info for Parameter Tampering

Parameter Tampering

Reference

Plugin Id: 40008 | CWE: 472

Remediation

To remediate the vulnerability of Parameter Tampering, the following steps can be taken:

Input validation: Validate and sanitize all user-supplied input before using it in any application logic or database queries. This can be done by implementing server-side validation and using appropriate input validation libraries or frameworks. For example, in a Java application, you can use the OWASP Java Encoder library to encode user input and prevent any malicious code injection.
```
String sanitizedInput = ESAPI.encoder().encodeForHTML(userInput);
```
Exception handling: Implement proper exception handling throughout the application to prevent error pages or stack traces from being displayed to users. Instead, handle exceptions gracefully and provide meaningful error messages without revealing sensitive information. For example, in a web application, you can configure a custom error page to be displayed when an exception occurs.
```
<error-page>
  <exception-type>java.lang.Exception</exception-type>
  <location>/error.jsp</location>
</error-page>
```
Secure configuration: Ensure that the application server, web server, and any other components used in the application are properly configured with secure settings. This includes disabling debug mode, removing unnecessary default error pages, and enabling appropriate security features such as HTTPS.

About

Parameter Tampering is a vulnerability that occurs when an attacker manipulates the parameters sent to a web application in order to exploit weaknesses in the application’s logic or security controls. This can lead to various security risks, including unauthorized access, data manipulation, and privilege escalation.

Risks

The risks associated with Parameter Tampering vulnerability include:

Unauthorized access: An attacker may manipulate parameters to bypass authentication mechanisms or gain access to unauthorized resources or functionality within the application.
Data manipulation: By tampering with parameters, an attacker can modify data sent to the application, leading to data integrity issues or unauthorized changes to sensitive information.
Privilege escalation: Parameter tampering can be used to elevate privileges within the application, allowing an attacker to perform actions that are restricted to privileged users.
Information disclosure: If the application displays error pages or stack traces containing sensitive information, parameter tampering can be used to trigger these error conditions and obtain valuable information about the application’s internal workings or underlying technologies.