Bypassing WAF Geolocation Restrictions

One of the most common firewall restrictions is based on IP geolocation. WAFs check the user’s IP address, match it to a geographic location (i.e., country), and then decide whether or not to block the request. This is easy to set up but can be bypassed using VPNs and proxies, especially if we know the whitelisted or blacklisted countries.

To determine if an app is only accessible from a specific country, one approach is to “bruteforce”-check access from each country using a list of HTTP proxies. Here’s a simple Python script that takes a target domain and a list of proxies as input and outputs the results.

You Should Know:

Here’s a Python script to check access from different countries using proxies:

import requests

def check_access(target_url, proxy_list):
for proxy in proxy_list:
try:
response = requests.get(target_url, proxies={"http": proxy, "https": proxy}, timeout=5)
if response.status_code == 200:
print(f"Access granted via proxy: {proxy}")
else:
print(f"Access denied via proxy: {proxy} - Status Code: {response.status_code}")
except requests.RequestException as e:
print(f"Proxy {proxy} failed: {e}")

<h1>Example usage</h1>

target_url = "http://example.com"
proxy_list = ["http://proxy1:port", "http://proxy2:port", "http://proxy3:port"]
check_access(target_url, proxy_list)

Linux Commands for Proxy Testing:

1. Using `curl` with a proxy:

curl -x http://proxy:port http://example.com

2. Using `wget` with a proxy:

wget -e use_proxy=yes -e http_proxy=http://proxy:port http://example.com

3. Checking IP geolocation using `curl` and `jq`:

curl -s http://ipinfo.io/$(curl -s http://checkip.amazonaws.com) | jq

Windows Commands for Proxy Testing:

1. Using `netsh` to set a proxy:

netsh winhttp set proxy proxy-server="http://proxy:port"

2. Using `curl` on Windows (if installed):

curl -x http://proxy:port http://example.com

What Undercode Say:

Bypassing WAF geolocation restrictions is a common technique in penetration testing and cybersecurity. Understanding how to use proxies and VPNs to simulate access from different countries can help in identifying potential vulnerabilities in web applications. Always ensure you have permission before testing any system, and use these techniques responsibly.

For more advanced techniques and lessons, consider exploring courses like “Weekly Pentest Tips & Tricks” which offers over 100 lessons on penetration testing and cybersecurity.