What are the most effective methods for testing broken access control issues in cloud and web applications?

To find out this, you first need to know the business requirements. Without business knowledge, nothing can be done. Next, the important and easy step is to cross-match the access control of high-end access users, such as admin, and low-end access users, such as customers. Now, try to access admin with the customer's access control and vice versa. This way you'll find broken access in a quicker way.

Broken Access Control Vulnerabilities arise when users can act/perform outside of their intended permissions, this typically lead to sensitive data disclosure, unauthorized access and modification or destruction of data , Mainly related to authentication and authorization. and there are different types of access control 1. Horizontal access control: 2, Vertical Access control 3, Context Access control in

Broken access control is a serious security vulnerability that allows attackers to access sensitive data or perform unauthorized actions. Here are some of the methods for testing broken access control issues in cloud and web applications: 1. Identify access control mechanisms. Includes things like role-based access control (RBAC), access control lists (ACLs), and security groups. 2. Test each access control mechanism to ensure that it is working as expected. This can be done by manually attempting to access resources that you should not have access to. 3. Common broken access control vulnerabilities like insecure direct object references, broken authentication, session management, cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, path traversal.

If I remember correctly, RBAC documentation can be really helpful as well. This model is designed to simplify access control management by granting users access only to the resources and functions necessary for their job function, while preventing access to resources and functions that are not required. Exploratory testing is great, but for some sensitive areas Role-Based Access Controle simplify our testing process and maintenance. Users must be assigned roles that define their permissions and access to resources, and these roles are then assigned to groups or individuals. Also do a negative test special attention for the error messages, I’ve seen severla 500 errors instead of unathorized ones.

Testing broken access control can be verified in 3 major ways. 1. Manual Testing: This method involves testing the application to verify if unauthorized access to resources is possible. 2. Automated Testing: Using scripting and tools to scan your applications for broken access control vulnerabilities. 3. Penetration Testing: Simulating the real-world attack on the application to determine if any broken access control vulnerabilities exist.

User Permissions: Ensure users have appropriate access levels. Role-Based Access: Align access with roles and responsibilities. Audit Trails: Monitor and review access logs. Policy Compliance: Verify adherence to security policies. Authentication Methods: Assess the strength of authentication mechanisms. Emergency Access: Evaluate procedures for emergency access. Third-Party Access: Review and manage external access. System Updates: Stay current with security patches. Training: Ensure users are educated on access control policies. Incident Response: Test the response to potential breaches or unauthorized access.

Maybe the project has some horizontal and vertica access control. Some horizontal issues occur when an authenticated user can access resources or perform actions that should be limited to other users or roles. In other hand, some vertical access control issues occur when an authenticated user can access resources or perform actions that require higher privileges or roles.

Verify Policy Compliance User Authentication Role-Based Access Control (RBAC Access Control Lists (ACLs) Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) Resource Authorization Effective Permission Management Session Management Audit and Logging Access Reviews and Recertification Least Privilege Principle Emergency Access Procedures De-provisioning Process Access Control for APIs Review Security Headers Testing for Access Control Vulnerabilities Third-Party Access Control Incident Response and Access Control. Training and Awareness Documentation and Compliance Continuous Monitoring Periodic Security Assessments Legal and Ethical Considerations Bug Bounty Programs Documentation and Reporting Continuous Improvement

User Permissions: Confirm users have appropriate access. Role-Based Access: Verify alignment with assigned roles. Denied Access: Ensure denied access for unauthorized users. Password Policies: Test adherence to password policies. Audit Trails: Confirm accurate logging of access attempts. Emergency Access: Validate emergency access procedures. Third-Party Access: Review and test external access controls. Authentication: Verify the strength of authentication mechanisms. Policy Enforcement: Ensure strict enforcement of security policies. Error Handling: Test system response to incorrect access attempts.

Evaluate the effectiveness of role-based access control mechanisms User enumeration testing Authorization boundary testing Privilege Escalation Direct objects references Access token testing Boundary value testing Positive and negative testing Static code Analysis Review and analysis of access control polices

Key steps and techniques Access Control Policies User Authentication Testing Role-Based Access Control Testing Permission Verification Testing Least Privilege Boundary Testing Session Management Testing Vertical and Horizontal Privilege Escalation Testing Testing API Access Controls Session Fixation Testing Testing for Insecure Direct Object References Concurrency Testing Testing Error Handling Testing Default Automated Scanning User Impersonation Testing Testing for Bypasses Penetration Testing Access Logging Testing Review Configuration Files Testing Third-Party Integrations Regression Testing Feedback from Users Documentation and Reporting Continuous Monitoring User Training and Awareness Legal and Ethical Considerations Bug Bounty

Some attention on the application or cloud service cause they may have insecure default configurations that grant excessive permissions to users or do not enforce proper access controls by default. A lot of attackers can exploit these misconfigurations to gain unauthorized access and also have access to sensitive data

Unauthorized Access: Attempt to access resources without proper permissions. Privilege Escalation: Test if a user can elevate their privileges. Role Manipulation: Assess vulnerabilities related to role assignment. Insecure Direct Object References: Check for access to unauthorized data. Brute Force Attacks: Test resistance to password guessing. Session Management: Assess session handling for vulnerabilities. Credential Theft: Evaluate susceptibility to credential theft techniques. Security Misconfigurations: Probe for misconfigured access controls. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Test for XSS vulnerabilities impacting access.

These environments enable programmers to make many tests to reduce errors and improve the application quality. There are also different types of test environments that help analyze the different items for a software program such as user experience, performance, security and others.

Dev Environment: Verify proper role assignment and restrictions. Testing Environment: Assess access controls under simulated load and stress. Staging Environment: Confirm alignment with production policies. Production Environment: Rigorously test access controls to prevent unauthorized access. Cloud Environments: Assess configurations for cloud-specific access controls. Mobile Environments: Test access via mobile devices, considering unique challenges. Remote Access: Validate controls for users accessing systems remotely. IoT Devices: Test access controls for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Containerized Environments: Ensure access controls in containerized setups.

Automated Access Control Testing (AACT): Utilize automated tools designed for access control testing. These tools simulate different user roles and permissions to identify misconfigurations and unauthorized access paths. AACT tools can efficiently scan a wide range of access control scenarios, making them valuable for uncovering hidden issues.

OWASP ZAP: Identify vulnerabilities through automated scans. Nmap: Probe network access and discover potential weaknesses. Burp Suite: Examine web application security, including access controls. Metasploit: Test for exploits and unauthorized access. Wireshark: Analyze network traffic for security gaps. SonarQube: Assess code security, including access-related issues. OpenSCAP: Verify compliance and security configurations. Aircrack-ng: Assess wireless network security and access controls. BeEF: Test web browser security, including session handling. Nessus: Conduct comprehensive vulnerability scans for access-related issues. Utilizing a range of tools enhances the thoroughness and effectiveness of access control testing.

The consequences of Broken Access Control can be severe and stressful. The application must 'suffer' unauthorized data exposure, data tampering, unauthorized transactions, and the entire application or system can be compromised. To mitigate these issues, it is better to implement robust access control mechanisms, enforce principle of least privilege, thoroughly test access controls, and regularly review and update access policies to prevent unauthorized access and maintain data confidentiality and integrity

We need to prepare a matrix (similar to a decision table) where each column denotes each role type. This comparison chart will bring in a visual element to what each roles can do or cannot. Decision table can help testers easily identify role based access differences and hence anyone would be able to test efficiently.

To find out the broken access control issues first one should know the oAuth requirements of application. To define who can access data.For different kind of users like admin, manager,clients there are different kind of permission. So this need to be test first if there is any unauthorize permission of data.Test with checklist, oAuth testing,Api testing methods can reduce this vulnerability