A Comprehensive Technical Analysis of URL Redirect Attacks: A Case Study of British Airways Data Breach

British Airways (BA) became a victim of a unique form of a URL Redirect Attack after a breach was suspected to have happened over a period of 15 days. This is not uncommon, as a lot of companies take a backseat approach when it comes to cybersecurity. Consequently, the research into the lack of cybersecurity measures in place is just as alarming as the aftermath of an attack. So much so, that BA's exploitation began two months prior than what was initially assumed. The lack of access restrictions and security measures in various areas of a business is deemed unpopular as it takes too much effort to enforce. Research further suggests that this is due to a reactive mindset over a preventative one which also bleeds into technological areas of a business, hence where a primary exploit (code injection) was discovered that contributed to the URL Redirect Attack. Given this, by allowing security to be considered amongst all areas of a business, not just within technological ones, proves valuable as effective periodic training can reduce influence of social engineering and human manipulation tactics. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of this attack will be discussed in detail, in terms of the vulnerability, exploitation, counter measures and corrective actions. British airways will be taken as a case study to show the effectiveness and impact of this attack.