James 'albinowax' Kettle research overview

Contact Follow

Upcoming Presentations

None right now, working on something for 2023 :)


Show/Hide past presentations Show/Hide past presentations

Past presentations

  • DEF CON 30 - Browser-Powered Desync Attacks: A New Frontier in HTTP Request Smugling
  • Black hat USA 2022 - Browser-Powered Desync Attacks: A New Frontier in HTTP Request Smugling
  • NULLCON Berlin 2022 KEYNOTE - Hunting evasive vulnerabilities: finding flaws that others miss
  • BlackHat EU 2021 - HTTP/2: The Sequel is Always Worse (in-person)
  • DEF CON 29 - HTTP/2: The Sequel is Always Worse
  • BlackHat USA 2021 - HTTP/2: The Sequel is Always Worse
  • BlackHat USA 2020 - Web Cache Entanglement: Novel Pathways to Poisoning
  • BlackHat EU 2019 - HTTP Desync Attacks: Request Smuggling Reborn
  • OWASP Global AppSec - HTTP Desync Attacks: Request Smuggling Reborn
  • DEF CON 27 - HTTP Desync Attacks: Smashing into the Cell Next Door
  • BlackHat USA 2019 - HTTP Desync Attacks: Smashing into the Cell Next Door
  • ekoparty 2018 - Practical Web Cache Poisoning: Redefining 'Unexploitable' (updated)
  • BlackHat USA 2018 - Practical Web Cache Poisoning: Redefining 'Unexploitable'
  • BlackHat USA 2017 - Cracking the Lens: Targeting HTTP's Hidden Attack-Surface
  • PHDays 7 - Backslash Powered Scanner: Automating Human Intuition
  • NorthSec 2017 - Backslash Powered Scanner: Automating Human Intuition
  • AppSec EU 2017 - Exploiting CORS Misconfigurations for Bitcoins and Bounties
  • AppSec USA 2016 - Exploiting CORS Misconfigurations for Bitcoins and Bounties
  • BlackHat EU 2016 - Backslash Powered Scanner: Hunting Unknown Vulnerabilities
  • 44Con 2015 - Hunting Asynchronous Vulnerabilities
  • BlackHat USA 2015 - Server-Side Template Injection: RCE for the Modern Web App
  • OWASP AppSec EU 2014 - ActiveScan++: Augmenting manual testing with attack proxy plugins
  • ...and BSides Manchester every year since it started in 2014

Thoughts on research

Inspiration: gareth, magic mac, lcamtuf, filedescriptor, agarri, fin1te, ezequiel pereira, homakov, irsdl, .mario, insertScript, sirdarckcat, kkotowicz, ush.it, webstersprodigy, kuza55, neal poole and many others.

Misc

whoami

I'm the Director of Research at PortSwigger, where I research novel attack techniques, design and refine vulnerability detection techniques for Burp Suite's scanner, and share knowledge via the Web Security Academy.

Show/Hide full bio Show/Hide full bio

James 'albinowax' Kettle is the Director of Research at PortSwigger, the makers of Burp Suite. He's best known for his HTTP Desync Attacks research, which popularised HTTP Request Smuggling. James has extensive experience cultivating novel attack techniques, including web cache poisoning, HTTP/2 desync attacks, Server-Side Template Injection, and password reset poisoning.

James is also the author of multiple popular open-source tools including Param Miner, Turbo Intruder, and HTTP Request Smuggler. He is a frequent speaker at numerous prestigious venues including both Black Hat USA and EU, OWASP AppSec USA and EU, and DEFCON.

You can contact me via @albinowax on Twitter, xawonibla@gmail.com or elttek.semaj@portswigger.net