Top 10 2014-I6 Insecure Cloud Interface

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Consider anyone who has access to the device itself, the network the device is connected to, the mobile application and the cloud connection including external and internal users.

Attacker uses multiple vectors such as insufficient authentication, lack of transport encryption or insecure network services to view personal data which is being properly protected or is being collected unnecessarily. Depending on setup, attack could come from external or internal users.

Privacy concerns generated by the collection of personal data in addition to the lack proper protection of that data is prevalent. Privacy concerns are easy to discover by simply reviewing the data that is being collected as on sets up and activates these devices. Automated tools can also look for specific patterns of data that may indicate collection of personal data.

Collection of personal data along with a lack of protection of that data can lead to compromise of a user's personal data.

Consider the business impact of personal data that is collected unnecessarily or isn't protected properly. Data could be stolen or modified. Could your users be harmed by having their personal data exposed?

The simplest way to find out if you have insufficient authorization/authentication is to review the password policy for the various interfaces and to review whether the interfaces allow for separation of roles. For example, all features will be accessible to administrators, but users will have a more limited set of features available.

Attempting to set usernames to simple passwords such as "1234" is a fast and easy way to determine if authentication/authorization is sufficient. Manual testing can help a security analyst find instances where weak passwords are allowed, access control is not limited by roles or credentials are poorly protected. Penetration testers can validate these issues by conducting brute-force attacks against usernames, reviewing access controls and testing for privilege escalation.

Automated dynamic scanning which exercises the application will provide insight into whether these issues exist as well.

Ensuring sufficient authentication/authorization requires:
 * 1) Ensuring password recovery mechanisms are robust.
 * 2) Ensuring complex password construction.
 * 3) Ensuring role/discretionary based access control is in place where necessary.
 * 4) Ensuring credentials are properly protected.

Scenario #1: The interface only requires simple passwords.

Username = Bob; Password = 1234

Scenario #2: Username and password are poorly protected when transmitted over the network. Authorization: Basic YWRtaW46MTIzNA==

In the cases above, the attacker is able to either easily guess the password or is able to capture the credentials as they cross the network and decode it since the credentials are only protected using Base64 Encoding.