Parameter Tampering WAHS Practice Questions (Page 2)

Questions 6–10

1. 6application · medium

   A security analyst is reviewing a web application that uses a cookie named 'role' with the value 'user' to control access to an admin panel. The analyst suspects that the application trusts this cookie without additional verification. Which of the following actions would best confirm the vulnerability?

   • ADelete the cookie and see if the application still allows access to the admin panel.
   • BUse a vulnerability scanner to look for SQL injection in the login form.
   • CIntercept the login request and change the username parameter to 'admin'.
   • DChange the cookie value to 'admin' using a browser developer tool and attempt to access the admin panel.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 7expert · hard

   A web application uses a signed cookie to store the user's role. The cookie is signed with a secret key using HMAC. An attacker attempts to change the role from 'user' to 'admin' but the server rejects the request. Which of the following is the most likely reason the attack failed?

   • AThe server verifies the HMAC signature and detects that the cookie was tampered with
   • BThe server uses HTTPS and the attacker cannot intercept the cookie
   • CThe server stores the role in a server-side session as well
   • DThe server uses a WAF that blocks requests with modified cookies
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 8application · medium

   A penetration tester is testing a web application that uses a cookie named 'access_level' with value 'user'. The tester changes the cookie value to 'admin' and gains access to an admin panel. Which of the following best describes the vulnerability and a proper mitigation?

   • AThe cookie is a session identifier and the server should regenerate it frequently
   • BThe cookie is tamperable and the server should store access levels in a server-side session
   • CThe cookie is a tracking cookie and the server should use HttpOnly flag
   • DThe cookie is encrypted and the server should use a stronger encryption algorithm
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 9application · medium

   A development team is fixing a parameter tampering vulnerability where users can change a 'role' parameter from 'user' to 'admin' to gain elevated privileges. They want a solution that prevents tampering without breaking the user experience. Which mitigation is most effective?

   • AStore the role in a server-side session and never accept it from the client
   • BValidate the role parameter against a list of allowed values
   • CUse a hidden form field to store the role
   • DEncrypt the role parameter with a secret key
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 10expert · hard

   A security team is conducting a penetration test on a web application. They have identified a parameter 'userID' in a POST request that appears to be tamperable. The team wants to confirm the vulnerability without causing data corruption. Which of the following is the most appropriate testing technique?

   • AChange the userID to a random value and see if the application crashes.
   • BUse a non-destructive test by changing the userID to a value that belongs to a test account and observe if the response contains data from that account.
   • CChange the userID to the tester's own ID and see if the response changes.
   • DUse an automated scanner to fuzz the userID parameter with a large number of values.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first