Vulnerabilities in AutoComplete Not Disabled is a Medium risk vulnerability that is one of the most frequently found on networks around the world. This issue has been around since at least 1990 but has proven either difficult to detect, difficult to resolve or prone to being overlooked entirely.
| Vulnerability Name: | AutoComplete Not Disabled |
|---|---|
| Test ID: | 612 |
| Risk: | Medium |
| Category: | Server Side Scripts |
| Type: | Attack |
| Summary: | By not providing AutoComplete=off to the fields in the form, values that can be sensitive in their nature, for example credit card numbers, password, etc may be cached and saved by the browser accessing the site. This could lead to its compromise or re-usage without the user’s consent or approval. |
| Solution: | Turn off the AUTOCOMPLETE attribute in any HTML INPUT element that is used for passwords or contains sensitive information. This can be accomplished for a single field (such as a password field) by modifying the HTML source and adding the following line: <input name=”q” type=”text” autocomplete=”off”> |
Scanning For and Finding Vulnerabilities in AutoComplete Not Disabled
Use of Vulnerability Management tools are standard practice for the discovery of this vulnerability. The primary failure of VA in finding this vulnerability is related to setting the proper scope and frequency of network scans. It is vital that the broadest range of hosts (active IPs) possible are scanned and that scanning is done frequently. We recommend weekly. Your existing scanning solution or set of test tools should make this not just possible, but easy and affordable.
Penetration Testing (pentest) for this Vulnerability
The Vulnerabilities in AutoComplete Not Disabled is prone to false positive reports by most vulnerability assessment solutions. AVDS is alone in using behavior based testing that eliminates this issue. For all other VA tools security consultants will recommend confirmation by direct observation. In any case Penetration testing procedures for discovery of Vulnerabilities in AutoComplete Not Disabled produces the highest discovery accuracy rate, but the infrequency of this expensive form of testing degrades its value. The ideal would be to have pentesting accuracy and the frequency and scope possibilities of VA solutions, and this is accomplished only by AVDS.
Security Updates on Vulnerabilities in AutoComplete Not Disabled
Given that this is one of the most frequently found vulnerabilities, there is ample information regarding mitigation online and very good reason to get it fixed. Hackers are also aware that this is a frequently found vulnerability and so its discovery and repair is that much more important. It is so well known and common that any network that has it present and unmitigated indicates “low hanging fruit” to attackers.
Disclosures related to this vulnerability
Confirming the Presence of Vulnerabilities in AutoComplete Not Disabled
AVDS is currently testing for and finding this vulnerability with zero false positives. If your current set of tools is indicating that it is present but you think it is probably a false positive, please contact us for a demonstration of AVDS.
Patching/Repairing this Vulnerability
Vulnerabilities in AutoComplete Not Disabled is a Medium risk vulnerability that is also high frequency and high visibility. This is the most severe combination of security factors that exists and it is extremely important to find it on your network and fix it as soon as possible.