To compute the threat rating for the "authentication cookie theft via cross-scripting (XSS) attack" using the DREAD model, we will assign values to each category of DREAD: Damage, Reproducibility, Exploitability, Affected users, and Discoverability.
1. Damage - This refers to the potential harm caused by the attack.
In this case, the unauthorized access to the authentication cookie can lead to various damages, such as identity theft, unauthorized account access, or privilege escalation. This could potentially lead to significant financial, reputational, or legal consequences.
Threat Rating: 8/10
2. Reproducibility - This refers to how easily the attack can be reproduced.
XSS attacks usually involve crafting specific malicious scripts and injecting them into a vulnerable web application. While reproducing the attack can be relatively simple once the vulnerability is identified, it may require some knowledge and skills to exploit it successfully.
Threat Rating: 6/10
3. Exploitability - This category examines the ease with which an attacker can exploit the vulnerability.
XSS attacks are relatively common and well-known among attackers. There are numerous resources and tools available that can assist in carrying out such attacks. However, exploiting an XSS vulnerability often depends on the specific security measures implemented by the target system, such as input sanitization and output encoding.
Threat Rating: 7/10
4. Affected users - This category refers to the number of users who can potentially be affected by the attack.
If a large number of users utilize the vulnerable web application and have their authentication cookies stolen, the impact can be significant. The number of affected users depends on the popularity and usage of the application.
Threat Rating: 7/10
5. Discoverability - This category assesses how easy it is to discover the vulnerability.
XSS vulnerabilities can be relatively easy to discover through security testing techniques, such as penetration testing or source code analysis. Additionally, public knowledge of known vulnerabilities or information shared in online forums can also contribute to the discoverability of this type of attack.
Threat Rating: 6/10
Now, we can calculate the overall threat rating by taking the average of the above values:
(8 + 6 + 7 + 7 + 6) / 5 = 34 / 5 = 6.8
The threat rating for the "authentication cookie theft via cross-scripting (XSS) attack" using the DREAD model would be approximately 6.8 out of 10.
4. [Threat rating: DREAD model] Compute the threat rating for the “authentication cookie theft via cross-scripting (XSS) attack” – see the DREAD example in Lecture 1-2.
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