Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms

Alexander Schaub; Emmanuel Schneider; Alexandros Hollender; Vinicius Calasans; Laurent Jolie; Robin Touillon; Annelie Heuser; Sylvain Guilley; Olivier Rioul

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-17127-2_8

Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms

Alexander Schaub
, Emmanuel Schneider
, Alexandros Hollender
, Vinicius Calasans
, Laurent Jolie
, Robin Touillon
, Annelie Heuser
, Sylvain Guilley
, Olivier Rioul

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

Web applications are subject to several types of attacks. In particular, side-channel attacks consist in performing a statistical analysis of the web traffic to gain sensitive information about a client. In this paper, we investigate how side-channel leaks can be used on search engines such as Google or Bing to retrieve the client’s search query. In contrast to previous works, due to payload randomization and compression, it is not always possible to uniquely map a search query to a web traffic signature and hence stochastic algorithms must be used. They yield, for the French language, an exact recovery of search word in more than 30% of the cases. Finally, we present some methods to mitigate such side-channel leaks.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Risks and Security of Internet and Systems - 9th International Conference, CRiSIS 2014, Revised Selected Papers
Editors	Indrajit Ray, Bruno Crispo, Javier Lopez
Publisher	Springer Verlag
Pages	116-130
Number of pages	15
ISBN (Print)	9783319171265
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17127-2_8
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2015
Event	9th International Conference on Risks and Security of Internet and Systems, CRiSIS 2014 - Trento, Italy Duration: 27 Aug 2014 → 29 Aug 2014

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume	8924
ISSN (Print)	0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)	1611-3349

Conference

Conference	9th International Conference on Risks and Security of Internet and Systems, CRiSIS 2014
Country/Territory	Italy
City	Trento
Period	27/08/14 → 29/08/14

Keywords

HTTPS
Side-channel leak
Stochastic algorithms
Suggest box
Web application

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-319-17127-2_8

Cite this

Schaub, A., Schneider, E., Hollender, A., Calasans, V., Jolie, L., Touillon, R., Heuser, A., Guilley, S., & Rioul, O. (2015). Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms. In I. Ray, B. Crispo, & J. Lopez (Eds.), Risks and Security of Internet and Systems - 9th International Conference, CRiSIS 2014, Revised Selected Papers (pp. 116-130). (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 8924). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17127-2_8

Schaub, Alexander ; Schneider, Emmanuel ; Hollender, Alexandros et al. / Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms. Risks and Security of Internet and Systems - 9th International Conference, CRiSIS 2014, Revised Selected Papers. editor / Indrajit Ray ; Bruno Crispo ; Javier Lopez. Springer Verlag, 2015. pp. 116-130 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)).

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title = "Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms",

abstract = "Web applications are subject to several types of attacks. In particular, side-channel attacks consist in performing a statistical analysis of the web traffic to gain sensitive information about a client. In this paper, we investigate how side-channel leaks can be used on search engines such as Google or Bing to retrieve the client{\textquoteright}s search query. In contrast to previous works, due to payload randomization and compression, it is not always possible to uniquely map a search query to a web traffic signature and hence stochastic algorithms must be used. They yield, for the French language, an exact recovery of search word in more than 30\% of the cases. Finally, we present some methods to mitigate such side-channel leaks.",

keywords = "HTTPS, Side-channel leak, Stochastic algorithms, Suggest box, Web application",

author = "Alexander Schaub and Emmanuel Schneider and Alexandros Hollender and Vinicius Calasans and Laurent Jolie and Robin Touillon and Annelie Heuser and Sylvain Guilley and Olivier Rioul",

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Schaub, A, Schneider, E, Hollender, A, Calasans, V, Jolie, L, Touillon, R, Heuser, A, Guilley, S & Rioul, O 2015, Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms. in I Ray, B Crispo & J Lopez (eds), Risks and Security of Internet and Systems - 9th International Conference, CRiSIS 2014, Revised Selected Papers. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), vol. 8924, Springer Verlag, pp. 116-130, 9th International Conference on Risks and Security of Internet and Systems, CRiSIS 2014, Trento, Italy, 27/08/14. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17127-2_8

Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms. / Schaub, Alexander; Schneider, Emmanuel; Hollender, Alexandros et al.
Risks and Security of Internet and Systems - 9th International Conference, CRiSIS 2014, Revised Selected Papers. ed. / Indrajit Ray; Bruno Crispo; Javier Lopez. Springer Verlag, 2015. p. 116-130 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 8924).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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T1 - Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms

AU - Schaub, Alexander

AU - Schneider, Emmanuel

AU - Hollender, Alexandros

AU - Calasans, Vinicius

AU - Jolie, Laurent

AU - Touillon, Robin

AU - Heuser, Annelie

AU - Guilley, Sylvain

AU - Rioul, Olivier

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.

PY - 2015/1/1

Y1 - 2015/1/1

N2 - Web applications are subject to several types of attacks. In particular, side-channel attacks consist in performing a statistical analysis of the web traffic to gain sensitive information about a client. In this paper, we investigate how side-channel leaks can be used on search engines such as Google or Bing to retrieve the client’s search query. In contrast to previous works, due to payload randomization and compression, it is not always possible to uniquely map a search query to a web traffic signature and hence stochastic algorithms must be used. They yield, for the French language, an exact recovery of search word in more than 30% of the cases. Finally, we present some methods to mitigate such side-channel leaks.

AB - Web applications are subject to several types of attacks. In particular, side-channel attacks consist in performing a statistical analysis of the web traffic to gain sensitive information about a client. In this paper, we investigate how side-channel leaks can be used on search engines such as Google or Bing to retrieve the client’s search query. In contrast to previous works, due to payload randomization and compression, it is not always possible to uniquely map a search query to a web traffic signature and hence stochastic algorithms must be used. They yield, for the French language, an exact recovery of search word in more than 30% of the cases. Finally, we present some methods to mitigate such side-channel leaks.

KW - HTTPS

KW - Side-channel leak

KW - Stochastic algorithms

KW - Suggest box

KW - Web application

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DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-17127-2_8

M3 - Conference contribution

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T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)

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BT - Risks and Security of Internet and Systems - 9th International Conference, CRiSIS 2014, Revised Selected Papers

A2 - Ray, Indrajit

A2 - Crispo, Bruno

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PB - Springer Verlag

T2 - 9th International Conference on Risks and Security of Internet and Systems, CRiSIS 2014

Y2 - 27 August 2014 through 29 August 2014

ER -

Schaub A, Schneider E, Hollender A, Calasans V, Jolie L, Touillon R et al. Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms. In Ray I, Crispo B, Lopez J, editors, Risks and Security of Internet and Systems - 9th International Conference, CRiSIS 2014, Revised Selected Papers. Springer Verlag. 2015. p. 116-130. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)). doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-17127-2_8

Attacking suggest boxes in web applications over HTTPS using side-channel stochastic algorithms

Abstract

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Keywords

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Cite this