From xforce@iss.net Wed Feb 2 02:35:17 2000 From: X-Force Resent-From: mea culpa To: alert@iss.net Resent-To: jericho@attrition.org Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:08:50 -0500 (EST) Subject: ISSalert: ISS E-Security Alert: Form Tampering Vulnerabilities in Several Web-Based Shopping Cart Applications TO UNSUBSCRIBE: email "unsubscribe alert" in the body of your message to majordomo@iss.net Contact alert-owner@iss.net for help with any problems! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ISS E-Security Alert February 1, 2000 Form Tampering Vulnerabilities in Several Web-Based Shopping Cart Applications Synopsis: There are form tampering vulnerabilities present in several web-based shopping cart applications. Over the past couple of years, form tampering vulnerabilities have been discussed on security forums. ISS X-Force has continued to research this area due to the constant increase in e-commerce. ISS X-Force has identified eleven shopping cart applications that are vulnerable to price changing using form tampering. It is possible for an attacker to take advantage of the form tampering vulnerabilities and order items at a reduced price on an e-commerce site. The web store operator should verify the price of each item ordered in the shopping cart application database or email invoice. Description: Many web-based shopping cart applications use hidden fields in HTML forms to hold parameters for items in an online store. These parameters can include the item's name, weight, quantity, product ID, and price. An application that bases price on a hidden field in an HTML form may be compromised by this vulnerability. An attacker could modify the HTML form on their local machine to change the price of the item and then load the page into a web browser. After submitting the form, the item is added to their shopping cart at the modified price. Vulnerable shopping cart applications use a hidden field containing the price of an item. When the value of that hidden field is changed, the shopping cart application stores the changed price in its database and/or e-mail invoice. This vulnerability can also affect hidden discount fields in the HTML form. An attacker can modify the discount fields to get a discount on items without actually modifying the price in the form. If a site processes credit card orders in real time, it may not be possible to verify the price of each item before the credit card is charged. Another situation that can lead to price changing occurs when the price of an item is listed in a URL. When clicking a link, the CGI program will add the item to the shopping cart with the price set in the URL. Simply changing the price in the URL will add the item to the shopping cart at the modified price. Shopping cart software should not rely on the web browser to set the price of an item. Several of these applications use a security method based on the HTTP header to verify the request is coming from an appropriate site. The applications tested do not check to see if there is a referrer in the HTTP header, so the transaction will continue if the form is submitted from a hard drive. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 does not include a referrer field in the HTTP header if the form is submitted from a page stored on a local drive (see Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q178066). The inclusion of a referrer field makes it more difficult to exploit these form tampering vulnerabilities. However, a referrer field can be modified, allowing an attacker to take advantage of these vulnerabilities. The ISS X-Force has identified eleven shopping cart applications that are vulnerable to form tampering. ISS X-Force has notified all the listed shopping cart software companies of the form tampering vulnerabilities and will continue to work with them to ensure their software is secure. The following is a list of the affected vendors and their response to these vulnerabilities in the 45 day alert process. Check It Out (http://ssl.adgrafix.com) has completed securing their software against these vulnerabilities. Seven shopping cart software companies have modified their applications to provide a higher level of security: @Retail (http://www.atretail.com) Cart32 2.6 (http://www.cart32.com) CartIt 3.0 (http://www.cartit.com) Make-a-Store OrderPage (http://www.make-a-store.com) SalesCart (http://www.salescart.com) SmartCart (http://www.smartcart.com) Shoptron 1.2 (http://www.shoptron.com) Three have not yet provided any fix information: EasyCart (http://www.easycart.com) Intellivend (http://www.intellivend.com) WebSiteTool (http://www.websitetool.com) Consulting and contracting firms may use shopping cart techniques to create e-commerce pages for customers, making it possible for many other e-commerce sites to be vulnerable to these form tampering vulnerabilities. Additional Information: For more information on other vulnerabilities that involve hidden form fields in HTML pages, see the white paper on the MSC Hidden Form Field Vulnerability at http://www.miora.com/files/index.htm. In April 1999 the BugTraq mailing list hosted a discussion about a different type of shopping cart vulnerability that would allow attackers to expose users' credit card and order information to the public. For more information on this go to: http://www.securityfocus.com/templates/archive.pike?list=1&date=1999-12-8&thread=Pine.LNX.3.96.990420132956.13470B-100000@gonzo.blarg.net Recommendations: If an e-commerce site is vulnerable to price changing, the shopping cart software should be upgraded or changed. If this is not possible, verify the price of each item in every completed order to ensure that no one is exploiting this vulnerability. A technique that fixes the form tampering vulnerability is described in the September 1998 issue of Web Techniques in an article written by Dr. Lincoln D. Stein. The article is available at: http://www.webtechniques.com/archives/1998/09/webm/. In the article, Dr. Stein describes a technique that prevents HTML forms from being modified without knowledge. By computing MD5 sums of a secret key and form data before and after form submission, there is a method to verify that no tampering has occurred. All MD5 sum discrepancies can be output to a log file that includes the IP address of the attacker's machine. ISS X-Force recommends contacting ISS' Consulting and Education Group (CEG) to perform a security assessment against your e-commerce solution to ensure and validate the security of your e-business applications. For more information, please contact CEG at or 1-800-776-2362. About ISS ISS is a leading global provider of security management solutions for e-business. By offering best-of-breed SAFEsuite(tm) security software, comprehensive ePatrol(tm) monitoring services and industry-leading expertise, ISS serves as its customers' trusted security provider protecting digital assets and ensuring the availability, confidentiality and integrity of computer systems and information critical to e-business success. ISS' security management solutions protect more than 5,000 customers including 21 of the 25 largest U.S. commercial banks, 9 of the 10 largest telecommunications companies and over 35 government agencies. Founded in 1994, ISS is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with additional offices throughout North America and international operations in Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America. For more information, visit the ISS Web site at www.iss.net or call 888-901-7477. Copyright (c) 2000 by Internet Security Systems, Inc. Permission is hereby granted for the redistribution of this Alert electronically. It is not to be edited in any way without express consent of the X-Force. If you wish to reprint the whole or any part of this Alert in any other medium excluding electronic medium, please e-mail xforce@iss.net for permission. Disclaimer The information within this paper may change without notice. Use of this information constitutes acceptance for use in an AS IS condition. There are NO warranties with regard to this information. In no event shall the author be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of or in connection with the use or spread of this information. Any use of this information is at the user's own risk. X-Force PGP Key available at: http://xforce.iss.net/sensitive.php3 as well as on MIT's PGP key server and PGP.com's key server. Please send suggestions, updates, and comments to: X-Force of Internet Security Systems, Inc. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3a Charset: noconv iQCVAwUBOJcEjjRfJiV99eG9AQGPtgP/WpEP9MNhMK8GiGTzKz+KGbrxSh7S85m9 D+QyblWJqIFpTPAEbiLcvy5S0riXtVNdR9+qjM38r4Rq666bu8UMMaHMPizm/4Tt jY8J3RpcUJqw1qAaB6MB8R+TAG/BSRMHi0dvIrgy4VC6sWqglH7jltQMwxer60SS gRxGEK27HHc= =ZRpU -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----