Unveiling an Open Redirect Vulnerability on Grindr’s Old Platform

As cybersecurity enthusiasts, we often hear about the importance of responsible disclosure and how it can make the digital world safer for everyone. Recently, I had the opportunity to put this into practice when I discovered an Open Redirect vulnerability on Grindr’s old platform. Open Redirect vulnerabilities can be exploited by attackers to deceive users and redirect them to malicious websites, making them a significant security risk. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the steps I took to identify and responsibly disclose this vulnerability, as well as the impact it could have had if left unaddressed.

Discovering the Vulnerability:

While exploring the web, I stumbled upon the old Grindr platform. Intrigued by its legacy presence, I decided to take a closer look at its security posture. After some testing, I discovered a vulnerability that could have serious consequences if exploited by malicious actors.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. I visited the following URL: https://redicted.com///evil.com//
2. I observed that the URL did not properly handle the excessive slashes and the destination domain was not validated.
3. As a result, I was redirected to a URL containing the malicious domain, “evil.com.”

This simple test revealed an Open Redirect vulnerability in the platform. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to create convincing-looking links that actually redirected users to malicious sites, potentially leading to phishing attacks, malware downloads, or other harmful activities.

Responsible Disclosure:

With the security of Grindr’s users in mind, I knew it was crucial to report this vulnerability promptly and responsibly. I submitted a detailed report to HackerOne, a platform that connects security researchers with organizations to address security issues. Grindr’s security team promptly acknowledged the report and began working on a fix.

The Resolution:

I’m pleased to share that Grindr’s security team took swift action to address the vulnerability. They implemented measures to sanitize and validate input parameters involving URL redirections, ensuring that the system only allowed redirects to specified, trusted domains. By doing so, they closed the door on potential malicious exploits of the Open Redirect vulnerability.

Conclusion:

This experience reaffirmed the importance of responsible disclosure in the world of cybersecurity. By identifying and reporting vulnerabilities, we contribute to a safer digital landscape for all users. I’m grateful to Grindr’s security team for their prompt response and remediation of the issue. As security enthusiasts, we should always strive to make the internet a safer place, one responsible disclosure at a time.

Remember, if you come across a security vulnerability, report it to the appropriate channels, and let’s work together to strengthen the digital world’s defenses.

By taking action, we can all play a part in ensuring a safer online environment for everyone.

Acknowledgment:

I’d like to extend my gratitude to HackerOne and Grindr’s security team for their prompt attention to this matter and for providing a safe platform for responsible disclosure.