cors-check

name	cors-check
description	Detect CORS misconfiguration by testing various Origin headers and analyzing Access-Control responses
license	MIT
metadata	{"category":"web-security","locale":"en","phase":"v1"}

What this skill does

Sends HTTP requests with various Origin header values to a target URL to detect vulnerabilities in CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) policy. Identifies misconfigurations such as Access-Control-Allow-Origin reflecting the request Origin verbatim, allowing null, or simultaneously setting * with Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true.

When to use

• When auditing the CORS policy of an API endpoint
• When checking for Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) or credential theft possibilities
• When validating CORS-based account takeover vulnerabilities in bug bounty programs

Prerequisites

• curl must be installed
• HTTP/HTTPS access to the target URL

Inputs

Variable	Description	Example
TARGET_URL	Endpoint URL to test	https://api.example.com/user
LEGITIMATE_ORIGIN	Known legitimate origin (if available)	https://example.com

Workflow

Step 1: Check baseline CORS response

TARGET_URL="https://api.example.com/user"
LEGITIMATE_ORIGIN="https://example.com"

echo "=== Baseline CORS headers (no Origin) ==="
curl -s -I -X GET "$TARGET_URL" \
  --max-time 10 2>&1 \
  | grep -i "access-control"

Step 2: Test reflection with various Origin values

echo ""
echo "=== Origin reflection test ==="

test_cors() {
  local label="$1"
  local origin="$2"
  local response
  response=$(curl -s -I -X GET "$TARGET_URL" \
    -H "Origin: $origin" \
    --max-time 10 2>&1)

  local acao
  acao=$(echo "$response" | grep -i "access-control-allow-origin:" | tr -d '\r')
  local acac
  acac=$(echo "$response" | grep -i "access-control-allow-credentials:" | tr -d '\r')

  echo "--- [$label] Origin: $origin ---"
  echo "  ACAO: ${acao:-<none>}"
  echo "  ACAC: ${acac:-<none>}"

  # Risk assessment
  if echo "$acao" | grep -qi "$origin"; then
    if echo "$acac" | grep -qi "true"; then
      echo "  [CRITICAL] Origin reflected + Credentials=true -> credential theft possible"
    else
      echo "  [WARNING]  Origin reflected (no Credentials)"
    fi
  fi
  if echo "$acao" | grep -q '^\s*[Aa]ccess-[Cc]ontrol-[Aa]llow-[Oo]rigin:\s*\*'; then
    if echo "$acac" | grep -qi "true"; then
      echo "  [CRITICAL] ACAO=* + Credentials=true -> blocked by browser but still a misconfiguration"
    else
      echo "  [INFO]     ACAO=* (wildcard; acceptable for unauthenticated public APIs)"
    fi
  fi
  echo ""
}

test_cors "Legitimate origin"        "$LEGITIMATE_ORIGIN"
test_cors "null Origin"              "null"
test_cors "Attacker domain"          "https://attacker.com"
test_cors "Subdomain"                "https://sub.example.com"
test_cors "Prefix-similar domain"    "https://example.com.evil.com"
test_cors "Trailing slash variant"   "${LEGITIMATE_ORIGIN}/"
test_cors "HTTP downgrade"           "http://example.com"

Step 3: Test Preflight (OPTIONS) request

echo "=== Preflight OPTIONS request test ==="
curl -s -I -X OPTIONS "$TARGET_URL" \
  -H "Origin: https://attacker.com" \
  -H "Access-Control-Request-Method: GET" \
  -H "Access-Control-Request-Headers: Authorization, Content-Type" \
  --max-time 10 2>&1 \
  | grep -i "access-control"

Step 4: Summarize results and assess risk

Reference: See REFERENCE.md for risk assessment criteria (4 severity levels plus remediation guidance).

Done when

• ACAO/ACAC responses are printed for 8 or more Origin variants
• Dangerous configurations (reflection + Credentials, null Origin allowed, etc.) are automatically detected and flagged

Failure modes

Symptom	Cause and resolution
No ACAO header on all tests	CORS policy not configured or same-origin only. curl responses may differ from browser behavior
302 redirect preventing expected response	Add -L flag or specify the final URL directly
Server blocks OPTIONS method	405 response means Preflight not supported. Fall back to simple request (GET/POST) testing

Notes

• Browsers block the ACAO: * + ACAC: true combination, but the server configuration is still wrong and should be reported.
• If a subdomain has XSS, allowing that subdomain as an Origin can also be a vulnerability.
• Automation tool: consider using corsy (https://github.com/s0md3v/Corsy).