MIME Type Attack

Definitions

1. An attack that abuses mismatches or trust in MIME types so a file or response is handled more dangerously than intended, such as executable content being treated as benign media or vice versa. These attacks often exploit weak content sniffing, upload validation, or browser handling assumptions.

   In plain English: An attack that tricks systems into handling content as the wrong file or response type.

   Example: "The upload filter blocked `.js` files by extension but still allowed a MIME type attack through mislabeled content."

Related Terms

• AppSec
• Black Box Fuzzing
• Code Audit
• Code Vulnerability
• File Type Validation
• Health Check Security
• Local File Inclusion
• Macro Security