As U.S. citizens headed to the polls, cyber threat activity against election-related websites was unusually high. One of the most prominent attack types observed this Election Day was business logic attacks—a complex threat that manipulates the intended workflow of applications, often without triggering security alarms. Business logic attacks are designed to exploit the legitimate processes within a website, such as manipulating user registration flows, circumventing rate limits, or overwhelming resources allocated for specific functions. These attacks exploit features within the system to achieve unintended effects. Common Types of Business Logic Attacks on Election Day The types of business logic attacks targeting these election-related sites vary widely, but generally fall into a few categories: Election and Voter Information Gathering: Attackers target URLs that display critical voter information such as polling locations, registration details, district information, and absentee ballot tracking. By probing these endpoints, attackers can gather information on voter demographics, polling logistics, or potentially sensitive details like election history or application statuses. Although this data may seem non-sensitive at first, aggregating it can lead to privacy concerns or enable further, targeted attacks on the election process. Automated scraping of these URLs can also strain server resources, causing delays or limiting access for legitimate users. Credential Stuffing…Read More
