Secure generation and transmission of sensitive cookies
package main
import (
"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
)
func main() {
r := gin.Default()
r.GET("/cookie", func(c *gin.Context) {
c.SetCookie("sensitiveCookie", "sensitiveData", 3600, "/", "localhost", false, true)
})
r.Run()
}
The vulnerable code above is a simple Go web server using the Gin framework. The server has a single route,
/cookie
, that sets a cookie named
sensitiveCookie
with the value
sensitiveData
.
The
SetCookie
method has several parameters:
1.
name
: the name of the cookie
2.
value
: the value of the cookie
3.
maxAge
: the duration (in seconds) the cookie should be kept
4.
path
: the path the cookie is valid for
5.
domain
: the domain the cookie is valid for
6.
secure
: whether the cookie should only be sent over HTTPS
7.
httpOnly
: whether the cookie should only be accessible by HTTP/HTTPS, not by client-side script
The vulnerability lies in the
secure
parameter of the
SetCookie
method. In the provided code, it's set to
false
, which means that the cookie can be transmitted over an unencrypted HTTP connection. If the cookie contains sensitive information, it can be intercepted and read by others. This is a violation of the Secure attribute in the Cookie specification. The Secure attribute should be set to
true
for sensitive cookies to ensure they are only sent over HTTPS.
package main
import (
"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
)
func main() {
r := gin.Default()
r.GET("/cookie", func(c *gin.Context) {
c.SetCookie("sensitiveCookie", "sensitiveData", 3600, "/", "localhost", true, true)
})
r.Run()
}
The original code was setting a cookie without the Secure attribute, which could potentially allow the cookie to be sent over an insecure channel. This is a security vulnerability as it exposes sensitive data to potential interception and misuse.
The fixed code sets the Secure attribute for the sensitive cookie. This ensures that the cookie will only be sent over a secure channel (HTTPS). The line of code that was changed is:
c.SetCookie("sensitiveCookie", "sensitiveData", 3600, "/", "localhost", true, true)
true
, which sets the Secure attribute for the cookie. This means that the cookie will only be sent over a secure channel (HTTPS), preventing it from being sent over an insecure channel.true
, which sets the HttpOnly attribute for the cookie. This means that the cookie cannot be accessed through client-side scripts, providing additional protection against cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.