Need

Improved traceability and logging capabilities

Context

• Usage of Go 1.16 for building high-performance and concurrent applications
• Usage of gin-gonic/gin for building web applications in Go
• Usage of net/http for handling HTTP requests and responses in a Node.js server

Description

Non compliant code

        package main

import (
	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
	"net/http"
)

func main() {
	r := gin.Default()

	r.GET("/example", func(c *gin.Context) {
		// Some complex operation
		_, err := someComplexOperation()
		if err != nil {
			// Error occurred but not logged or tracked
			c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{"message": "An error occurred"})
			return
		}
		c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{"message": "Operation successful"})
	})

	r.Run()
}

func someComplexOperation() (bool, error) {
	// Simulate an operation that could fail
	return false, nil
}
        
        

In the above code, we have a simple Gin application with a single route /example. When a GET request is made to this route, the function someComplexOperation() is called. This function can potentially return an error, simulating a complex operation that could fail.

The problem arises in how we handle this potential error. If someComplexOperation() does return an error, we send a response with a 500 status code and a JSON body containing the message "An error occurred". However, we do not log or otherwise keep track of this error. This means that if an error does occur, we have no way of knowing what the error was, when it happened, or under what conditions it occurred.

This lack of traceability makes it difficult to detect and respond to potential security events. For instance, if someComplexOperation() fails due to a malicious attack, we would have no way of knowing this without proper error logging and tracking.

This is a vulnerability because it can hinder the detection of security events and make it more difficult to ensure the integrity and reliability of the application.

Steps

• Implement proper error handling and logging mechanisms.
• Identify critical actions and exceptional events in the application.
• Ensure that errors, exceptional events, and critical actions are logged or tracked.
• Use a centralized logging system to collect and analyze logs.
• Regularly review and analyze logs to detect possible security events.
• Implement appropriate alerting mechanisms to notify administrators of security events.
• Consider implementing a security information and event management (SIEM) system for better traceability and detection of security events.

Compliant code

        package main

import (
	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
	"net/http"
)

func main() {
	r := gin.Default()

	r.GET("/example", func(c *gin.Context) {
		// Some complex operation
		_, err := someComplexOperation()
		if err != nil {
			// Error occurred but not logged or tracked
			logrus.Error("An error occurred during the operation: ", err)
			c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{"message": "An error occurred"})
			return
		}
		c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{"message": "Operation successful"})
	})

	r.Run()
}

func someComplexOperation() (bool, error) {
	// Simulate an operation that could fail
	return false, nil
}
        
        

The updated code now includes a proper error handling and logging mechanism using the logrus package. When an error occurs during the execution of someComplexOperation(), the error is now logged using logrus.Error(). This ensures that all errors are properly tracked and can be analyzed later for any security events.

This is a crucial step towards improving the traceability of the application. By logging all errors and exceptional events, it becomes much easier to detect and respond to potential security threats.

For a more robust solution, consider integrating a centralized logging system where all logs can be collected and analyzed. Regularly reviewing and analyzing these logs can help detect security events that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Additionally, implementing alert mechanisms can help notify administrators of these security events in real time. For even better traceability and detection of security events, consider implementing a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system.

References

• 200. Traceability loss