Open redirect chaining is the use of one or more legitimate redirect mechanisms to route a victim or sensitive auth artifact to an unintended destination. It matters because attackers love legitimate-looking trusted domains that can bounce users or tokens onward without obvious warning signs.
What is Open Redirect Chaining?
In identity flows, open redirects can help bypass weak callback rules, hide phishing destinations, or capture authorization artifacts. They are also useful in email and link abuse because they borrow trust from the initial domain.
What Open Redirect Chaining Commonly Supports
Common uses include phishing risk review, OAuth hardening, redirect validation, and web application security testing.
Open Redirect Chaining vs. Non-Chainable Redirect Design
Open redirect chaining turns a trusted domain into a stepping stone. Non-chainable design prevents redirect logic from being reused that way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are open redirects dangerous?
Because they can make malicious paths look trustworthy and can sometimes assist token or code theft too.
Are open redirects always critical?
Not always, but they become much more serious when combined with auth flows or high-trust user actions.
Related Cybersecurity Terms
- Redirect URI Manipulation
- Authorization Code Interception
- Device Code Phishing
- Cross-Tenant Token Confusion
