Check Point Advisories

WebSocket Traffic Over HTTP port

Vulnerability
Protection

Check Point Reference:	CPAI-2012-119
Date Published:	2 Apr 2012
Severity:	N/A
Last Updated:	Monday 02 April, 2012
Source:
Protection Provided by:	Security Gateway R81, R80, R77, R75
Who is Vulnerable?
Vulnerability Description	WebSocket allows bi-directional, full-duplex single socket connection between client and server. Ordinary TCP connections to ports other than 80 are frequently blocked by network administrators to prevent unwanted traffic. WebSockets can be used as a way to bypass these restrictions. There are cases in which certain traffic, although not intended for malicious use, is very unsafe, since it may transfer shellcode which is undetectable by IPS.

Protection Overview

This protection will detect and block non-HTTP traffic over an HTTP port. This protection is only applicable for IPS gateway version R75.40 and higher.

In order for the protection to be activated, update your Security Gateway product to the latest IPS update. For information on how to update IPS, go to SBP-2006-05, click on Protection tab and select the version of your choice.

Security Gateway R80 / R77 / R75

In the IPS tab, click Protections and find the WebSocket Traffic Over HTTP port protection using the Search tool and Edit the protection's settings.
Install policy on all Security Gateways.

This protection's log will contain the following information:

Attack Name: HTTP Protocol Inspection.
Attack Information: WebSocket traffic has been detected