🧞API Security Cheat Sheet PART - 7

Advanced Authentication Techniques and Their Security Implications

1. Credentials Containing Slashes

   {"login": "admin/user",
    "password": "pass/word"}

   Description: Features slashes, emphasizing the importance of handling special characters in credentials securely.

2. Credentials Containing Multiple Data Types

   {"login": ["admin", 123, true, null, {"username": ["admin"]}],
    "password": ["password", 123, false, null, {"password": "password"}]}

   Description: Demonstrates a mix of different data types, highlighting the complexity of validating varied data structures.

3. Using Escape Sequences

   {"login": "admin\\r\\n\\t",
    "password": "password\\r\\n\\t"}

   Description: Incorporates escape sequences, underlining the need for correct processing of these characters.

4. Using Curly Braces in Strings

   {"login": "{admin}",
    "password": "{password}"}

   Description: Utilizes curly braces, stressing the importance of parsing and validating characters often used in data structures.

5. Using Square Brackets in Strings

   {"login": "[admin]",
    "password": "[password]"}

   Description: Features square brackets, indicating the need to handle these characters appropriately in string values.

6. Strings with Only Special Characters

   {"login": "!@#$$%^&*()",
    "password": "!@#$$%^&*()"}

   Description: Contains only special characters, highlighting the importance of robust input validation and character handling.

7. Strings with Control Characters

   {"login": "admin\b\f\n\r\t\v\0",
    "password": "password\b\f\n\r\t\v\0"}

   Description: Involves control characters, underscoring the need for sanitizing inputs to prevent unintended effects.

8. Null Characters in Strings

   {"login": "admin\0",
    "password": "password\0"}

   Description: Features null characters, pointing to the necessity of handling null bytes in string data.

9. Exponential Numbers as Strings

   {"login": "1e5",
    "password": "1e10"}

   Description: Uses exponential notation, emphasizing the need for handling numeric formats in string fields.

10. Hexadecimal Numbers as Strings

    {"login": "0xabc",
     "password": "0x123"}

    Description: Demonstrates the use of hexadecimal values, highlighting the challenges in interpreting different numeric formats.

---

This comprehensive list of API authentication scenarios serves as a resource for developers and security professionals to understand and prepare for a wide range of challenges in API security. Each scenario underscores the importance of comprehensive validation, parsing, and sanitization strategies, crucial for maintaining robust security in API interactions.