Authentication Bypass – Direct Dashboard Access | Pivot HR
Lab Link
Lab: Pivot HR
Overview
Pivot HR is a small-business HR management platform that provides payroll and employee management functionality.
The application appears to enforce a multi-factor authentication (MFA) workflow after login. However, the challenge demonstrates a critical flaw in access control enforcement.
While the MFA screen exists and functions correctly, the application fails to verify authentication status before serving the dashboard endpoint. As a result, an attacker can directly access protected content without completing either login or MFA verification.
This is a classic example of broken access control where security controls exist but are not actually enforced on sensitive resources.
Objective
Gain access to the HR dashboard without completing authentication and retrieve the exposed flag.
Vulnerability Identification
This challenge is primarily an Authentication Bypass vulnerability.
Classification Hierarchy
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control └── Authorization Failure └── Missing Access Control Enforcement └── Authentication Bypass
Reconnaissance
The application presents a login page:
1
https://6c05d40f-4065-side-door-bc67f.challenges.webverselabs-pro.com/login
The challenge description suggests that MFA was implemented rapidly and may not be correctly integrated into the application’s authorization model.
This often indicates that protected resources should be tested directly.
Exploitation
Step 1 - Visit the Login Page
Access:
1
https://6c05d40f-4065-side-door-bc67f.challenges.webverselabs-pro.com/login
The application requests credentials and appears to enforce an MFA workflow.
At this stage, no valid credentials are required.
Dummy values may be entered if desired.
Example:
1
2
Email: test@test.com
Password: password
However, authentication is not actually necessary for exploitation.
Step 2 - Test Direct Resource Access
Instead of proceeding through the authentication flow, manually browse to:
1
https://6c05d40f-4065-side-door-bc67f.challenges.webverselabs-pro.com/dashboard
Normally, an unauthenticated user should receive one of the following:
1
2
HTTP/1.1 302 Redirect
Location: /login
or
1
HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden
However, the application immediately serves the dashboard.
Step 3 - Confirm Authentication Bypass
The dashboard loads successfully despite:
- No valid login
- No authenticated session
- No MFA completion
- No authorization checks
This confirms that access control enforcement is missing from the protected endpoint.
Step 4 - Retrieve the Flag
Scroll to the bottom of the dashboard.
The flag is displayed within the authenticated area.
1
WEBVERSE{.....}
Proof of Exploitation
Public Login Page
1
/login
Direct Access to Protected Resource
1
/dashboard
Result
1
Dashboard accessible without authentication
Flag
1
WEBVERSE{.....}
Impact
An attacker can:
- Bypass authentication controls.
- Ignore MFA requirements.
- Access sensitive employee information.
- View payroll records.
- Access administrative functionality.
- Retrieve confidential HR data.
In a real HR platform, such a flaw could expose:
- Employee records
- Salary information
- Tax documents
- Personal identifiable information (PII)
- Internal company data
Mitigation
Enforce Authentication Server-Side
Every protected endpoint should verify:
1
2
3
4
5
Valid Session
AND
Authenticated User
AND
Completed MFA
before returning sensitive content.
Implement Authorization Middleware
Apply centralized authorization checks to all protected routes.
Example:
1
app.use("/dashboard", requireAuthentication);
Verify MFA State
Authentication should not be considered complete until MFA verification succeeds.
Deny Direct Resource Access
Protected resources should redirect unauthenticated users:
1
2
HTTP/1.1 302 Found
Location: /login
Perform Access Control Testing
Applications should be tested by directly requesting:
1
2
3
4
5
/admin
/dashboard
/profile
/settings
/api/*
to ensure authorization controls are consistently enforced.
Real-World Insight
Broken access control remains the most prevalent web application security issue and continues to occupy the top position in OWASP Top 10:2025.
A common implementation mistake occurs when developers focus on creating authentication workflows while forgetting to enforce those checks on backend resources.
As a result:
- Login pages work.
- MFA works.
- Session creation works.
But sensitive endpoints remain publicly accessible.
Numerous real-world breaches have occurred because administrators assumed that a login page alone protected internal functionality.
The Pivot HR challenge highlights an important security principle:
Security controls are only effective when every sensitive resource actively enforces them.