NewsForge
NewsForge is a community blog platform for local tech news. Their search functionality has some loose ends that let users find more than just articles.
The Scenario
NewsForge started as a side project by a local developer who wanted to share tech conference updates and open-source project milestones with the community. The platform grew organically — users can register, browse articles, and use the search feature to find content.
The developer was proud of the simple, clean interface and basic functionality. But during a recent security audit, a colleague mentioned they noticed some unusual behavior in the search results. The search seems to return more than just article content. Find what the search is really doing and prove you can access sensitive information.
Lab Intel
Synopsis
NewsForge runs a simple blog platform with a vulnerable search feature that executes user input as shell commands, and an edit function with insufficient authorization controls.
Architecture
An easy-difficulty single-service lab built on two containers — an nginx gateway and a Node.js blog application with SQLite backend. The lab demonstrates command injection via search functionality and broken function level authorization on article editing endpoints.
Who It's For
Built for beginners learning about web application security fundamentals. You should have basic understanding of web requests and command line operations. No prior experience with Node.js required.
Skills You'll Practice
- Command injection through web application search functionality
- Basic Linux command execution and file system navigation
- Authorization bypass techniques for administrative functions
- Web application reconnaissance and endpoint discovery
What You'll Gain
- Understanding how unsanitized user input can lead to remote code execution
- Recognition of authorization flaws in web application design
- Practical experience with command injection attack vectors
- Knowledge of secure coding practices for user input handling