Need

Secure and controlled user data updates

Context

• Usage of Go 1.16 for building high-performance and efficient 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"
)

type User struct {
	ID   string `json:"id"`
	Name string `json:"name"`
}

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

	r.PUT("/user/:id", func(c *gin.Context) {
		var user User
		if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&user); err != nil {
			c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
			return
		}

		// Here we should have some code to update the user in the database
		// But for simplicity, we are just returning the same user

		c.JSON(http.StatusOK, user)
	})

	r.Run()
}
        
        

The above code represents a simple REST API in Go using the Gin framework. It has a single endpoint PUT /user/:id which is used to update the user data.

The vulnerability lies in the fact that this endpoint accepts unsolicited user data updates. When a PUT request is made to this endpoint with a user's id in the URL and a User object in the request body, the server blindly accepts the data and would update the user in the database.

There is no authentication or authorization check to verify whether the user making the request is allowed to update the data for the specified user id. This means that any user can make a request to update the data of any other user, which is a serious security vulnerability.

Additionally, there is no input validation to check whether the data in the request body is valid and safe. This opens up the possibility for various attacks such as SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), etc.

Finally, by allowing unsolicited updates, the application also exposes sensitive user information. For example, an attacker can change the name of a user to anything they want, which can lead to identity theft, privacy violations, and other harmful consequences.

To fix this vulnerability, the application should implement robust authentication and authorization checks, validate all incoming data, and limit the fields that can be updated in a user object.

Steps

• Implement authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can update user data.
• Validate the user input to ensure that it meets the required format and constraints.
• Implement input sanitization to prevent any malicious input from being processed.
• Implement server-side validation to verify the integrity and authenticity of the user data.
• Use prepared statements or parameterized queries when interacting with the database to prevent SQL injection attacks.
• Implement proper error handling and return appropriate error messages to the user.
• Encrypt sensitive user data before storing it in the database.
• Regularly update and patch the application and its dependencies to address any known security vulnerabilities.

Compliant code

        package main

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

type User struct {
	ID   string `json:"id"`
	Name string `json:"name"`
}

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

	r.Use(AuthMiddleware()) // Add authentication middleware

	r.PUT("/user/:id", func(c *gin.Context) {
		var user User
		if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&user); err != nil {
			c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
			return
		}

		// Validate user input
		if !validateUserInput(user) {
			c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{"error": "Invalid user input"})
			return
		}

		// Check if the authenticated user has the right to update the user data
		if !authorizeUser(c, user.ID) {
			c.JSON(http.StatusUnauthorized, gin.H{"error": "Unauthorized"})
			return
		}

		// Here we should have some code to update the user in the database
		// But for simplicity, we are just returning the same user

		c.JSON(http.StatusOK, user)
	})

	r.Run()
}

// AuthMiddleware is a middleware function that checks for a valid authentication token in the request
func AuthMiddleware() gin.HandlerFunc {
	// Implement your authentication logic here
}

// validateUserInput validates the user input
func validateUserInput(user User) bool {
	// Implement your validation logic here
}

// authorizeUser checks if the authenticated user has the right to update the user data
func authorizeUser(c *gin.Context, userID string) bool {
	// Implement your authorization logic here
}
        
        

The updated code includes several security measures to prevent unauthorized user data updates:

1. Authentication Middleware: The AuthMiddleware function is used as a middleware to authenticate all incoming requests. This function should contain the logic to check for a valid authentication token in the request.

2. User Input Validation: The validateUserInput function is used to validate the user input. This function should contain the logic to check if the user input meets the required format and constraints.

3. User Authorization: The authorizeUser function is used to check if the authenticated user has the right to update the user data. This function should contain the logic to check if the authenticated user is authorized to update the user data.

By implementing these security measures, the application can prevent unauthorized user data updates, thereby fixing the insecure functionality vulnerability.

References

• 273. Insecure functionality - Fingerprint