Question

An online bank has contracted with a consultant to perform a security assessment of the bank's web portal. The consultant notices the login page is linked from the main page with HTTPS, but when the URL is changed to HTTP, the browser is automatically redirected back to the HTTPS site.

Which of the following is a concern for the consultant, and how can it be mitigated?

A. XSS could be used to inject code into the login page during the redirect to the HTTPS site. The consultant should implement a WAF to prevent this.

B. The consultant is concerned the site is using an older version of the SSL 3.0 protocol that is vulnerable to a variety of attacks. Upgrading the site to TLS 1.0 would mitigate this issue.

C. The HTTP traffic is vulnerable to network sniffing, which could disclose usernames and passwords to an attacker. The consultant should recommend disabling HTTP on the web server.

D. A successful MITM attack Could intercept the redirect and use sslstrip to decrypt further HTTPS traffic. Implementing HSTS on the web server would prevent this.

Answer 1

The concern for the consultant is the vulnerability of the HTTP traffic to network sniffing. Disabling HTTP on the web server by enforcing the use of HTTPS only can mitigate this issue. Implementing HSTS on the web server would also prevent a possible MITM attack.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concern for the consultant is option C. The fact that the HTTP traffic is vulnerable to network sniffing makes it possible for an attacker to intercept the username and password of the login page. To mitigate this issue, the consultant should recommend disabling HTTP on the web server. This can be done by enforcing the use of HTTPS only, which ensures that all traffic between the client and the server is encrypted and secure.

Another valid concern mentioned in option D is a possible successful MITM attack where the redirect to the HTTPS site could be intercepted and further HTTPS traffic decrypted using sslstrip. To prevent this, the consultant should recommend implementing HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) on the web server. HSTS forces all traffic to use HTTPS, even if the user tries to access the site using HTTP.