SSRF, Server Side Request Forgery
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) is a type of web application vulnerability that allows an attacker to send a malicious request from a vulnerable server to another server on behalf of the vulnerable server. This can allow the attacker to access resources that are not normally accessible to them, such as internal network resources or servers that are protected by a firewall.
Here is an example of how SSRF might be exploited:
An attacker discovers a web application that allows users to specify a URL to be fetched and displayed on the page. The application does not properly validate the URL, so the attacker is able to specify a URL on an internal network resource.
The attacker sends a request to the web application with a URL that points to an internal network resource, such as an internal server or a database.
The web application fetches the specified URL and returns the response to the attacker, revealing sensitive information that was not intended to be accessible to the attacker.
There are several ways that an attacker can exploit an SSRF vulnerability, including accessing internal network resources, bypassing firewalls and access controls, and launching denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. It is important for web developers to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied input to prevent SSRF vulnerabilities in their applications.