Facebook Mobile Open Redirect

`Title:  
======  
Facebook Mobile Bug Bounty #7 - Open Redirect Web Vulnerability  
  
  
Date:  
=====  
2013-06-15  
  
  
References:  
===========  
http://www.vulnerability-lab.com/get_content.php?id=975  
  
Facebook Security ID: 159243257  
  
  
VL-ID:  
=====  
975  
  
  
Common Vulnerability Scoring System:  
====================================  
1.5  
  
  
Introduction:  
=============  
Facebook is an online social networking service, whose name stems from the colloquial name for the book given to students   
at the start of the academic year by some university administrations in the United States to help students get to know   
each other. It was founded in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University   
students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. The website`s membership was initially limited   
by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University.   
It gradually added support for students at various other universities before opening to high school students, and eventually to anyone   
aged 13 and over. Facebook now allows any users who declare themselves to be at least 13 years old to become registered users of the site.  
  
Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages,   
including automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common-interest user groups, organized by workplace,   
school or college, or other characteristics, and categorize their friends into lists such as `People From Work` or `Close Friends`. As of   
September 2012, Facebook has over one billion active users, of which 8.7% are fake. According to a May 2011 Consumer Reports survey, there are   
7.5 million children under 13 with accounts and 5 million under 10, violating the site`s terms of service.  
  
In May 2005, Accel partners invested $12.7 million in Facebook, and Jim Breyer added $1 million of his own money to the pot. A January 2009   
Compete.com study ranked Facebook as the most used social networking service by worldwide monthly active users. Entertainment Weekly included the   
site on its end-of-the-decade `best-of` list, saying, `How on earth did we stalk our exes, remember our co-workers` birthdays, bug our friends,   
and play a rousing game of Scrabulous before Facebook?` Facebook eventually filed for an initial public offering on February 1, 2012, and was   
headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Facebook Inc. began selling stock to the public and trading on the NASDAQ on May 18, 2012. Based on its   
2012 income of USD 5.1 Billion, Facebook joined the Fortune 500 list for the first time, being placed at position of 462 on the list published in 2013.  
  
(Copy of the Homepage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook )  
  
  
Abstract:  
=========  
An independent Vulnerability Laboratory Researcher (Ismail Kaleem) discovered a open redirect web vulnerability in the Facebook Mobile web application.  
  
  
Report-Timeline:  
================  
2013-05-18: Researcher Notification & Coordination (Ismail Kaleem)  
2013-05-19: Vendor Notification (Facebook Security Team - Bug Bounty Program)  
2013-05-24: Vendor Response/Feedback (Facebook Security Team)  
2013-06-15: Vendor Fix/Patch (Facebook Developer Team)  
2013-06-16: Public Disclosure (Vulnerability Laboratory)  
  
  
Status:  
========  
Published  
  
  
Affected Products:  
==================  
Facebook  
Product: Mobile Web Application (API) 2013 Q2  
  
  
Exploitation-Technique:  
=======================  
Remote  
  
  
Severity:  
=========  
Low  
  
  
Details:  
========  
A unauthorized client side redirect web vulnerability is detected in the official Facebook Mobile web application service.  
The vulnerability allows remote attackers to redirect client side browser request over the portal to other unauthorized external target sites.  
  
The vulnerability is located in the mobile application module when processing to request the appreg.php file with a   
manipulated `next` parameter via GET method.  
Remote attackers can redirect customers by forming client site external requests with malicious links to an external source (urls).  
  
Exploitation of the open redirect web vulnerability requires no facebook application user account but low or medium user interaction.  
Successful exploitation results in open or unauthorized client side application redirects to malicious external targets (websites).  
  
Vulnerable Module(s):  
[+] Facebook Mobile Application  
  
Vulnerable File(s):  
[+] appreg.php  
  
  
Vulnerable Parameter(s):  
[+] next  
  
  
Proof of Concept:  
=================  
The vulnerability can be exploited by remote attackers without privilege application user account and with low or medium user interaction.  
For demonstration or reproduce ...  
  
PoC:  
https://m.facebook.com/appreg.php?contactpoint=cashjun6%2540gmail.com&nonce=u62KkEhb&next=https://[CS GET REDIRECT WEB VULNERABILITY]  
  
Note: There is no secure session hash and the cross domain is also not checked and protected.  
  
  
Solution:  
=========  
The vulnerability can be patched by a secure restriction of the vulnerable parameter when processing to request unauthorized urls.  
  
  
Risk:  
=====  
The security risk of the client side open redirect web vulnerability is estimated as low(+).  
  
  
Credits:  
========  
Ismail Kaleem - Senior Security Developer | IT Security Department  
National Centre for Information Technology | Republic of Maldives  
  
  
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===========  
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`