Insecure direct object reference
An insecure direct object reference is an access-control vulnerability in which a requester can access or manipulate a specific resource without authorization, often by altering its identifier.
Secure APIs
Broken object-level authorization is a vulnerability in which an API fails to verify that a requester may access a specific object.
- How it is used
- Guides API designers and testers in preventing unauthorized access to another user’s resources or operations.
- How deep it goes
- Explains the failure mode, demonstrates vulnerable and corrected queries, and specifies automated cross-user tests.
- Examples
- Uses blog posts, e-commerce orders, payments, patient records, and student registrations to demonstrate unauthorized object access.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose/debug with it by testing cross-user identifiers and enforcing ownership conditions in every object query.
Read how Secure APIs explains insecure direct object reference →
ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e
An insecure direct object reference is a security vulnerability in which a user gains access to an unauthorized resource by manipulating a direct identifier in a request URL or other input.
- How it is used
- Protects entity-specific endpoints from users who manipulate identifiers to access or change unauthorized resources.
- How deep it goes
- Explains the attack pattern, demonstrates identifier substitution, and prescribes resource-based authorization while stopping short of implementation details beyond endpoint flow.
- Examples
- Uses a recipe editor where changing /Recipes/Edit/120 to /Recipes/Edit/121 tests access to another entity.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose IDOR by testing alternate resource identifiers and prevent it with authorization checks in endpoint handlers.
Read how ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e explains insecure direct object reference →
Related concepts
- authorizationaddressed by · Authorization is the determination and enforcement of rules governing which subjects may access resources or perform operations.
- broken function-level authorizationcontrasts with · Broken function-level authorization is an API vulnerability that allows callers to execute operations beyond those permitted by their authorization level.
- security breachproduces · A security breach is an incident in which protected systems, data, accounts, or capabilities are accessed, disclosed, altered, disrupted, or misused without authorization.
- API gatewaycontrasts with · An API gateway is an intermediary that provides an entry point for client requests to backend APIs or services and routes or otherwise mediates those requests.
- overpostingcontrasts with · Overposting is a security vulnerability in which client-supplied fields are automatically bound to application properties that were not intended for client modification.
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