What problem does it solve?
JWT-based authentication systems are frequently insecure due to misconfigurations and implementation flaws. This skill provides a comprehensive methodology to identify and exploit weaknesses, enabling defenders to validate and harden token handling in web and mobile apps.
Core Features & Use Cases
- Algorithm confusion checks: detect bypasses like alg:none or confusion between RS256 and HS256.
- Weak secret brute-forcing: assess resilience against guessable or weak HMAC secrets.
- Header manipulation: test injection vectors via kid, jku, jwk, and x5u fields.
- JWKS caching & trust: evaluate JWKS retrieval and cache poisoning risks.
- JWS/JWE confusion: identify improper handling of signed vs encrypted tokens.
- Token binding & mobile storage analysis: assess token storage risks on mobile platforms and session binding issues.
- Use Case: Validate an API protected by JWT in a web or mobile app by applying the above techniques to identify weaknesses and propose hardening strategies.
Quick Start
Begin by locating JWT usage in the target application and apply the listed techniques to test token validation and replay protections.