Golang Open Redirect Guide: Examples and Prevention

Golang open redirects pose a significant threat to web application security by allowing hackers to redirect users to malicious sites, thereby risking the theft of personal information through fraudulent forms. These attacks occur when links within Golang applications accept arguments that redirect users outside of the root domain, often exploiting unsanitized URLs generated by the application. The article provides code examples illustrating how these vulnerabilities can be exploited, such as through search bars that allow user input to become part of the URL, offering hackers opportunities to plant malicious redirects. To mitigate these risks, developers are advised to impose strict parameters and input limits, utilize whitelisting for acceptable URLs, and continuously scan code for vulnerabilities using tools like StackHawk. The piece emphasizes the importance of awareness and strategic coding practices in preventing these vulnerabilities, underscoring the need for a knowledgeable development team to maintain application security.