WebApp Sec mailing list archives
RE: Article - A solution to phishing
From: Michael Silk <michaelsilk () gmail com>
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:07:23 +1100
Hi Mark, Re "authenticating the site". I considered this option, and came up with a few ideas - basically the site would post questions _AND_ answers to the user before allowing him/her to enter their password. Example: "Hi Jones, your surname is 'InTheFastLane'.". "Your favourite movie is Rambo". "Etc". This way, a phishing site couldn't possibly know the answers so they would be incorrect. However, and obviously, it's can be MITM'd easily. I couldn't think of any other possibilities to ensure the site is the correct site before the user enters there password other then that which I proposed. -- Michael -----Original Message----- From: Mark Burnett [mailto:mb () xato net] Sent: Tuesday, 30 November 2004 3:15 AM To: webappsec () securityfocus com Subject: Re: Article - A solution to phishing I have been watching this thread with great interest and although the basic concept that Michael describes is interesting and might help reduce phishing, as others have pointed out it is still vulnerable to a number of other threats and heavily depends on a number of assumptions that might not be realistic. Nevertheless, the fundamental issue with phishing is not that an attacker can obtain your credentials, but that an attacker can trick a user into entering credentials in a fake web form. This is because it is easy to create a fake web site that looks exactly like the original and it is easy to direct the user to that site using deceptive links in e-mails, browser vulnerabilities, DNS spoofing or poisoning, ARP spoofing, stealth proxies, cross-site scripting, HOSTS file modification, bookmark modification, trojans, social engineering, etc. Protecting authentication credentials is also a problem, but the solution to phishing is more one of authenticating the site rather than authenticating the user. First solving the issue of authenticating the site makes it easier to solve the problem of authenticating the user. Mark Burnett ------------------------------------------------------------------ Hacking the Code: ASP.NET Web Application Security http://www.hackingthecode.com
Current thread:
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing, (continued)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing Christopher Canova (Dec 14)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing focus (Nov 27)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing Mark Curphey (Nov 29)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing focus (Nov 29)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Tran Viet Phuong (Nov 29)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Saqib . N . Ali (Nov 29)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Mark Burnett (Nov 29)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing WebAppSecurity [Technicalinfo.net] (Nov 29)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing Mark Curphey (Nov 29)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Michael Silk (Nov 29)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing WebAppSecurity [Technicalinfo.net] (Nov 29)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing Michael Silk (Nov 29)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing Dave Jevans (Nov 29)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing Dave Jevans (Nov 30)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing WebAppSecurity [Technicalinfo.net] (Nov 30)
- RE: Article - A solution to phishing Michael Silk (Nov 30)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Jeremiah Grossman (Dec 01)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Adam Shostack (Dec 02)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing [Passmark] Jeremiah Grossman (Dec 02)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Robert Hajime Lanning (Dec 02)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Jeremiah Grossman (Dec 01)
- Re: Article - A solution to phishing Jimi Thompson (Dec 01)