The Chief Executive Officer of an online retailer notices a sudden drop in sales. A security analyst at the retailer detects a redirection of unsecure web traffic to a competitor’s site. Which of the following would best prevent this type of attack?
The Chief Executive Officer of an online retailer notices a sudden drop in sales. A security analyst at the retailer detects a redirection of unsecure web traffic to a competitor’s site. Which of the following would best prevent this type of attack?
Enabling HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) would best prevent this type of attack. HSTS ensures that web browsers communicate with websites only over HTTPS connections, preventing attackers from intercepting or redirecting unsecure HTTP traffic. Once HSTS is enabled, web browsers are instructed to automatically convert any HTTP requests to HTTPS, making it difficult for attackers to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks or redirect traffic to a competitor’s site.
For the CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) exam, the most suitable answer to prevent the described attack would be **A. Enabling HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security)**. Enabling HSTS ensures that web browsers communicate with websites only over HTTPS connections, thereby preventing attackers from redirecting unsecure traffic to a competitor's site. HSTS instructs browsers to automatically convert HTTP requests to HTTPS, making it difficult for attackers to intercept or redirect traffic. While options like configuring certificate pinning (B) and deploying certificate stapling (D) enhance security, they are not directly related to preventing the described attack scenario. Enforcing DNSSEC (C) helps prevent DNS spoofing attacks but wouldn't necessarily address the specific redirection of unsecure web traffic described in the scenario.
Prevents Downgrade Attacks: HSTS ensures that browsers only communicate with the server using HTTPS, preventing any attempt to downgrade the connection to HTTP. Eliminates Unsecure Connections: By enabling HSTS, the website will instruct browsers to automatically convert all HTTP requests to HTTPS, thereby preventing the possibility of insecure HTTP traffic being redirected or intercepted. Mitigates Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks: HSTS helps protect against MitM attacks, where an attacker might attempt to intercept traffic between the client and the server. By enforcing HTTPS, it ensures that the communication is always encrypted and secure.
A - HSTS will force the browser to use a secure connection