HSTS and Cookie Side-Channels: Stealing Browser History

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Presented at Deepsec 2016 by

In this talk we show that HSTS headers and long-term cookies (like those used for user tracking) are so prevailing that they allow a malicious Wi-Fi operator (or any other MiTM attacker) to gain significant knowledge about the past browsing history of users. We demonstrate how to combine both into a history stealing attack by including specially crafted references into a captive portal or by injecting them into legitimate HTTP traffic. Captive portals are used on many Wi-Fi Internet hotspots to display the user a message, like a login page or an acceptable use policy before they are connected to the Internet. They are typically found in public places such as airports, train stations, or restaurants. Such systems have been known to be troublesome for many reasons.