> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://hacking-notes.jord4n.pro/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://hacking-notes.jord4n.pro/web/access-control/insecure-direct-references-to-objects.md).

# Insecure Direct References to Objects

Insecure Direct References to Objects notes for PortSwigger Web Security Academy labs, including exploitation workflow, payload testing, Burp Suite validation, and remediation context.

### Insecure Direct Object References

**Lab target:** User chat logs are stored directly on the server file system and recovered via static URLs. The goal is to find the user's password **carlos** and then log in to his account.

<figure><img src="https://131707722-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fl4EVJpcOrsgjSGsLI7p2%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1b0aaf41f74f900b5c8287d94f5a1f988cf46cd8%2Fimage%20(279).png?alt=media" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

An email feature is observed with an option to download the chat transcription via a **GET** request.

<figure><img src="https://131707722-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fl4EVJpcOrsgjSGsLI7p2%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c97bb187a80db0ca44fdd595dfc5cedf092298f9%2Fimage%20(280).png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The URL is as follows:

```
/download-transcript/1.txt
```

By simply changing the file identifier in the URL, it is possible to access transcripts from other users without any protection. For example:

<figure><img src="https://131707722-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fl4EVJpcOrsgjSGsLI7p2%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-ec88b2036630f703927a967b48126a15606edfa2%2Fimage%20(281).png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

This file displays the content of a conversation containing **the carlos password**.


---

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