> Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) is a security vulnerability that occurs when an application allows users to directly access or modify objects (such as files, database records, or URLs) based on user-supplied input, without sufficient access controls. This means that if a user changes a parameter value (like an ID) in a URL or API request, they might be able to access or manipulate data that they aren’t authorized to see or modify.
IDOR stands for Insecure Direct Object Reference. It's a type of security vulnerability that arises when an application provides direct access to objects based on user-supplied input. As a result, attackers can bypass authorization and access resources in the system directly, potentially leading to unauthorized information disclosure, modification, or deletion.
Here, `user_id=123` is a direct reference to a specific user's profile. If the application doesn't properly check that the logged-in user has the right to view the profile associated with `user_id=123`, an attacker could simply change the `user_id` parameter to view other users' profiles:
- [From Christmas present in the blockchain to massive bug bounty - Jesse Lakerveld - March 21, 2018](http://web.archive.org/web/20180401130129/https://www.vicompany.nl/magazine/from-christmas-present-in-the-blockchain-to-massive-bug-bounty)
- [How-To: Find IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) Vulnerabilities for large bounty rewards - Sam Houton - November 9, 2017](https://www.bugcrowd.com/blog/how-to-find-idor-insecure-direct-object-reference-vulnerabilities-for-large-bounty-rewards/)
- [Hunting Insecure Direct Object Reference Vulnerabilities for Fun and Profit (PART-1) - Mohammed Abdul Raheem - February 2, 2018](https://codeburst.io/hunting-insecure-direct-object-reference-vulnerabilities-for-fun-and-profit-part-1-f338c6a52782)
- [IDOR - how to predict an identifier? Bug bounty case study - Bug Bounty Reports Explained - September 21, 2023](https://youtu.be/wx5TwS0Dres)
- [Insecure Direct Object Reference Prevention Cheat Sheet - OWASP - July 31, 2023](https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Insecure_Direct_Object_Reference_Prevention_Cheat_Sheet)
- [Insecure direct object references (IDOR) - PortSwigger - December 25, 2019](https://portswigger.net/web-security/access-control/idor)
- [Testing for IDORs - PortSwigger - October 29, 2024](https://portswigger.net/burp/documentation/desktop/testing-workflow/access-controls/testing-for-idors)
- [Testing for Insecure Direct Object References (OTG-AUTHZ-004) - OWASP - August 8, 2014](https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_Insecure_Direct_Object_References_(OTG-AUTHZ-004))
- [The Rise of IDOR - HackerOne - April 2, 2021](https://www.hackerone.com/company-news/rise-idor)
- [Web to App Phone Notification IDOR to view Everyone's Airbnb Messages - Brett Buerhaus - March 31, 2017](http://buer.haus/2017/03/31/airbnb-web-to-app-phone-notification-idor-to-view-everyones-airbnb-messages/)