Which technique involves manually typing different user IDs into logging tools, suggesting tampering?

Which technique involves manually typing different user IDs into logging tools, suggesting tampering?

• A. Parameter tampering
• B. Cross site scripting
• C. SQL injection
• D. Cookie Poisoning

Answer: (A)

Manipulating the identifiers that the application uses to control access. When a web app relies on a parameter like a user ID in requests to fetch data, an attacker can manually change that value to try to access someone else’s information. This direct alteration of input parameters to influence server behavior is known as parameter tampering. It’s distinct from injecting scripts (XSS), injecting SQL commands (SQL injection), or corrupting cookies (cookie poisoning), because those techniques involve code execution, database commands, or manipulating stored session data, not simply changing a request’s parameter values to spoof identity. The core idea is that trust is placed in data sent by the client, so server-side validation and proper authorization checks are essential to defend against this.

Manipulating the identifiers that the application uses to control access. When a web app relies on a parameter like a user ID in requests to fetch data, an attacker can manually change that value to try to access someone else’s information. This direct alteration of input parameters to influence server behavior is known as parameter tampering. It’s distinct from injecting scripts (XSS), injecting SQL commands (SQL injection), or corrupting cookies (cookie poisoning), because those techniques involve code execution, database commands, or manipulating stored session data, not simply changing a request’s parameter values to spoof identity. The core idea is that trust is placed in data sent by the client, so server-side validation and proper authorization checks are essential to defend against this.