Re: Surf Jack - HTTPS will not save you

[coderman <coderman () gmail com>]

On Mon, Aug 11, 2008 at 4:03 AM, Sandro Gauci <sandro () enablesecurity com> wrote:
> Say hello to a new security tool called "Surf Jack" which demonstrates
> a security flaw found in various public sites. The proof of concept
> tool allows testers to steal session cookies on HTTP and HTTPS sites
> that do not set the Cookie secure flag.

note: Gmail now supports an account option to enforce the secure only
bit on session cookies and keeps your entire gmail session on SSL.
this makes attacks like this and Mike Perry's active side jacking
impossible, as the session cookie is no longer sent in the clear when
http:// non-SSL links are injected into browser content.

to enable this feature:
- at top of page select "Settings"
- scroll to bottom of section for "Browser connection:" preference
- select "Always use https"

this will pass the Secure / secureonly option when settings the GX=...
session cookie used to identify your authenticated session.  this
cookie will then never be sent over plain-text connections, protecting
you from passive / active side jacking attacks.

be sure to use a somewhat modern browser that supports secure only
cookies.  you can also verify correct operation with the "Live HTTP
Headers" plugin for Firefox.

hopefully ongoing attention and improved tools demonstrating the need
for continuous SSL / secureonly session management will be adopted by
all web developers and sites.  (i'm not holding my breath...)

best regards,

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