When multifactor authentication is set up on accounts, attempts to access those accounts using stolen credentials will be prevented, as in addition to a correct username and password, another factor must be provided to authenticate users. Phishing attacks may allow credentials to be stolen, but that does not guarantee accounts can be accessed. More companies are implementing multifactor authentication which means phishing attacks need to be more sophisticated to bypass the protection provided by multifactor authentication.

One of the ways that multifactor authentication can be bypassed is by using a reverse proxy. In a phishing attack, an email is sent to a target and a link is provided to a malicious website hosting a phishing form that spoofs the service of the credentials being targeted – Microsoft 365 for example. Instead of just collecting the login credentials and using them to try to remotely access the user’s account, a reverse proxy is used.

The reverse proxy sits between the phishing site and the genuine service that the attacker is attempting to access and displays the login form on that service. When the credentials are entered, they are relayed in real-time to the legitimate service, and requests are returned from that service, such as MFA requests. When the login process is successfully completed, a session cookie is returned which allows the threat actor to access the genuine service as the victim. The session cookie can also contain the authentication token. In these attacks, once the session cookie has been obtained, the victim is usually presented with a notification telling them the login attempt has failed or they are directed to another site and will likely be unaware that their credentials have been stolen and their account is being accessed.

These attacks allow the victim’s account to be accessed for as long as the session cookie remains valid. If it expires or is revoked, the attacker will lose access to the account. To get around this and gain persistent access, account details may be changed or other authentication methods will be set up.

These types of phishing attacks are much more sophisticated than standard phishing attacks, but the extra effort is worth the investment of time, money, and resources. Many advanced persistent threat actors use reverse proxies in their phishing campaigns and have developed their own custom reverse proxies and tools.  There are, however, publicly available kits that can be used in phishing campaigns such as Modlishka, Necrobrowser, and Evilginx2. These kits can be used at a cost and allow MFA to be bypassed, although they can be complicated to set up and use.

Now a new phishing-as-a-Service (PaaS) platform has been identified – EvilProxy – that is being pushed on hacking forums. EvilProxy allows authentication tokens to be stolen from a range of vendors including Microsoft, Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Google, and more, according to Resecurity which recently reported on the phishing kit.

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EvilProxy lowers the bar considerably and makes conducting reverse proxy phishing attacks far simpler. The service includes instructional videos, provides a user-friendly graphical interface, and even supplies templates of cloned phishing pages for stealing credentials and auth tokens. Through the graphical interface, threat actors can set up and manage their phishing campaigns with ease. EvilProxy comes at a cost, starting at $150 for 10 days up to $400 for a month. While the service is not cheap, the potential rewards can be considerable. EvilProxy allows low-skill threat actors to gain access to valuable accounts, which could be used or sold on to other threat actors such as ransomware gangs.

Multifactor authentication is strongly recommended as it will block the majority of attacks on accounts; however, it can be bypassed by using reverse proxies. Protecting against reverse proxy phishing attacks requires a defense-in-depth approach. An email security solution – SpamTitan for example – should be implemented to block the initial phishing email. A web filter – WebTitan – should be used to block attempts to visit the malicious websites used in these man-in-the-middle attacks. Security awareness training is important for training employees on how to recognize and avoid phishing threats, and employers should conduct phishing simulation tests as part of the training process. TitanHQ’s SafeTitan platform allows businesses to conduct regular training and phishing simulations with ease.