In the Same Site We Trust: Navigating the Landscape of Client-side Request Hijacking on the Web | An OWASP AppSec Global Lisbon 2024 Conversation with Soheil Khodayari | On Location Coverage with Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli

Jun 19, 2024

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Guest: Soheil Khodayari, Security Researcher, CISPA - Helmholtz Center for Information Security [@CISPA]

On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/soheilkhodayari/

On Twitter | https://x.com/Soheil__K

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Hosts:

Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast [@RedefiningCyber]

On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/sean-martin

Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society Podcast

On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli

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Episode Notes

In this episode of On Location with Sean and Marco, co-host Sean Martin embarks on a solo journey to cover the OWASP AppSec Global event in Lisbon. Sean welcomes Soheil Khodayari, a security researcher at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Saarland, Germany, to discuss the intricacies of web security, particularly focusing on request forgery attacks.

They dive into Soheil’s background, noting his extensive research in web security and privacy, with interests spanning vulnerability detection, internet measurements, browser security, and new testing techniques. Soheil aims to share valuable insights on request forgery attacks, a prevalent issue in web security that continues to challenge developers and security professionals alike.

The conversation transitions to an in-depth exploration of client-side request forgery and how these attacks differ from traditional cross-site request forgery (CSRF). Soheil elaborates on the evolution of web applications and how shifting functionalities to client-side code has introduced new, complex vulnerabilities. He identifies the critical role of input validation and the resurgence of issues related to improper handling of user inputs, which attackers can exploit to cause unintended actions on authenticated sessions.

As they prepare for the upcoming OWASP Global AppSec event, Soheil highlights his session, titled "In the Same Site We Trust: Navigating the Landscape of Client-Side Request Hijacking on the Web," scheduled for Thursday, June 27th. He emphasizes the relevance of the session for developers and security professionals who are eager to learn about modern request hijacking techniques, defense mechanisms, and how to detect these vulnerabilities using automated tools.

The discussion touches on the landscape of modern browsers, the effectiveness of same-site cookies as a defense-in-depth strategy, and the limitations of these measures in preventing client-side CSRF attacks. Soheil mentions the development of a vulnerability detection tool designed to mitigate these sophisticated threats and invites attendees to integrate such tools into their CI/CD pipelines for enhanced security.

Sean and Soheil ultimately reflect on the importance of understanding the nuances of web application security. They encourage listeners to attend the session, engage with the community, and explore advanced security practices to safeguard their applications against evolving threats. This engaging episode sets the stage for a deep dive into the technical aspects of web security at the OWASP Global AppSec event.