Contributors

Jeremiah Grossman
(WhiteHat Security)

Ofer Shezaf
(Breach Security) [Project Leader]

The Web Hacking Incidents Database
Last update:17 February 2008

List of Incidents for a Year

Select Year: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008


List of incidents for the year 2004
18 incidents listed
WHID 2004-18: Security flaw exposed in Cahoot bank accounts
Reported: 25 October 2007
Occurred: 01 November 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Insufficient Authentication
  • Attack Method: Predictable Resource Location
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

Following a software upgrade, Cahoot, a UK based Internet only bank allowed accessing user accounts by guessing their user names. At least on one page allowed accessing an account by only specifying the user name in the URL. The bug was open for 12 days before being discovered.

The site was taken off line for 10 hours to fix the issue. It is a significant incident, as it is one of those rare occasions where vulnerability was serious enough to force the organization to just take the site off line until it is fixed.

We somehow missed this story so it finds its way to WHID only now in late 2007.

References:

WHID 2004-17: The CardSystems breach was an SQL Injection hack
Reported: 20 April 2006
Occurred: 01 September 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: SQL Injection

This entry is a very important one. Most are already familiar with the infamous CardSystems incident where hackers stole 263,000 credit card numbers, exposed 40 million more and several million dollars fraudulent credit and debit card purchases had been made with these counterfeit cards. As a result of the breach CardSystems nearly went out of business and was eventually purchased by PayByTouch. CardSystems is considered by many the most severe publicized information security breach ever and it caused company share holders, financial institutes and card holders damage of millions of dollars.

But since the publication of the incident a year ago the way in which the breach occurred remained a mystery.

Recently new articles about the case (listed below) revealed that SQL injection was used by the attackers to install malicious script on the CardSystems web application database which where scheduled to run every four days, extract records, zip them and export them to an FTP site.

This is one of the most stunning examples where a web application security hole was used to launch a targeted attack in order to steal money.

References:

WHID 2004-13: SunTrust site XSS vulnerability exploited by for phishing
Reported: 08 November 2005
Occurred: 06 December 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
  • Attack Method: Content Spoofing

Phishing based on XSS (Same vulnerability but a different attack that the similar September 2004 attack)

References:

WHID 2004-1: Biggest Web Problem Isn't About Privacy, It's Sloppy Security - OpenTable
Reported: 04 August 2005
Occurred: 26 January 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Credential/Session Prediction
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

References:

WHID 2004-6: More Scary Tales Involving Big Holes In Web-Site Security - Tiffany
Reported: 04 August 2005
Occurred: 02 February 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Credential/Session Prediction
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

References:

WHID 2004-5: More Scary Tales Involving Big Holes In Web-Site Security - Gateway
Reported: 04 August 2005
Occurred: 02 February 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: SQL Injection
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

References:

WHID 2004-3: More Scary Tales Involving Big Holes In Web-Site Security - Iomega
Reported: 04 August 2005
Occurred: 02 February 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Insufficient Authorization
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

References:

WHID 2004-7: More Scary Tales Involving Big Holes In Web-Site Security - University Sub Service
Reported: 04 August 2005
Occurred: 02 February 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Insufficient Authorization
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

References:

WHID 2004-2: Biggest Web Problem Isn't About Privacy, It's Sloppy Security - Saks
Reported: 04 August 2005
Occurred: 26 January 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Insufficient Authorization
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

References:

WHID 2004-4: More Scary Tales Involving Big Holes In Web-Site Security - Kohl's
Reported: 04 August 2005
Occurred: 02 February 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Insufficient Authorization
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

References:

WHID 2004-16: Lycos Free Email XSS
Reported: 11 July 2005
Occurred: 27 December 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

An XSS was found in Lycos Web Mail

References:

WHID 2004-12: XSS in Gmail
Reported: 11 July 2005
Occurred: 27 October 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

An XSS was found in G-Mail

References:

WHID 2004-15: New Variant of Santy Worm Spreads
Reported:
Occurred: 25 December 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: OS Commanding

phpBB worm

References:

WHID 2004-14: Santy worm defaces websites using PHP bug
Reported:
Occurred: 21 December 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: OS Commanding

Worm used Google to locate sites vulnerable to OS

References:

WHID 2004-11: Phishers Manipulate SunTrust Site to Steal Data
Reported:
Occurred: 28 September 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
  • Country: USA
  • Outcome: Phishing
  • Vertical: Finance

Phishing based on XSS

References:

WHID 2004-8: Broadcast TV announcements changed by hacking the stations web site
Reported:
Occurred: 04 March 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Insufficient Authorization

Previously moderated weather announcements could be changed by the user

References:

WHID 2004-9: Billing and personal information leakage due to lack of authentication on a phone company web site
Reported:
Occurred: 14 June 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Insufficient Authentication
  • Attack Method: Insufficient Authorization
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

A billing information system required only phone number and zip code to pull up account details

References:

WHID 2004-10: SQL Injection and XSS on presidential campaign web sites
Reported:
Occurred: 30 June 2004

Classifications:

  • Attack Method: Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
  • Attack Method: SQL Injection
  • Outcome: Disclosure Only

References:



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