Using stolen cookie in cURL to bypass CSRF
cookies, csrf, curl, php, yii
Solution
CSRF tokens are in place to make this precise action difficult. You need a better way to spoof being a browser with PHP. To do that, store all cookies in what is generally called a "cookie jar." PHP's implementation of curl has that capability. All curl requests routed to this site should use this cookie jar from now on.
Next you need to parse the login page to grab all fields that are submitted. This includes the username, password, CSRF, and other hidden fields. Make sure you have values for each one. If it's not supposed to be entered by you (e.g. hidden inputs), scrape the login page's HTML and put those fields into variables you can pass along in the login POST. Also be sure to send the url of the login page you scraped as the referrer in the login POST.
Parsing html can be tedious, but libraries like SimpleHTMLDOM should make it simple if you're familiar with CSS selectors.
Problem
I have to process a web page. This web page is based on `YII framework`, and the login page is protected by `CSRF tokens`. When I pass the login credentials by `POST method`. I get the `error 400` and `The CSRF token could not be verified` message. I don't know how to by pass this protection. I don't understand the mechanism. When I login by the Chrome browser, I see what the POST message look like. It has 4 parameters: CSRF key, login, password, an one empty variable. How the browser gets the proper CSRF key to be sanded back? I have a login and password for this web page, and I can login as normal user. Only the login page is protected against CSRF. Can I use the cookie (how to do that) created by browser on normal login, give this `cookie to cURL` and start processing `URLs` behind login page?