Question

A developer emails the following output to a security administrator for review:

curl -X TRACE host1
User-Agent: curl/7.25.0
Host: host1
Accept: 8/*
Cookie: user=badguy: path=/; HttpOnly

Which of the following tools might the security administrator use to perform further security assessment of this issue?

A. Port scanner
B. Vulnerability scanner
C. Fuzzer
D. HTTP interceptor

Answer 1

The security administrator should use an HTTP interceptor to further assess the security issue indicated by the HTTP TRACE method being enabled in the developer's output.

Step-by-step explanation:

The output provided by the developer indicates the usage of an HTTP TRACE method, which is typically used for debugging but could also be a security concern if it's enabled on a web server. In this context, the security administrator wants to assess the security of the 'host1' mentioned in the output. To continue with a security assessment focused on HTTP requests and the web application, the security administrator should use a tool capable of examining and manipulating HTTP traffic.

In this case, an HTTP interceptor is the most appropriate tool to use for further assessment. An HTTP interceptor allows the security administrator to review, intercept, and modify HTTP/HTTPS traffic between the server and the client in real-time, which would be vital in exploring the implications of the TRACE method being enabled, as well as possibly inspecting headers for vulnerabilities or sensitive information leaks.