Implementation of robust security controls
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
public class UnsafeServlet extends HttpServlet {
protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
String adminPanel = request.getParameter("adminPanel");
if (adminPanel != null && adminPanel.equals("true")) {
// admin panel access without any security controls
RequestDispatcher dispatcher = request.getRequestDispatcher("/adminPanel.jsp");
dispatcher.forward(request, response);
} else {
// normal user access
RequestDispatcher dispatcher = request.getRequestDispatcher("/userPanel.jsp");
dispatcher.forward(request, response);
}
}
}
The above Java code uses the Java Servlet API to create an HTTP servlet. This servlet is vulnerable because it allows for the bypass of security controls.
In the
doGet
method, the servlet receives an HTTP request and sends an HTTP response. The method retrieves the
adminPanel
parameter from the HTTP request. If the
adminPanel
parameter exists and equals "true", then the servlet forwards the request and response to the
adminPanel.jsp
. This means that any user can access the admin panel by simply adding the
adminPanel=true
parameter to the URL.
This is a serious security vulnerability because it allows unauthorized users to bypass security controls and gain access to sensitive administrative functions. The correct approach would be to implement proper authentication and authorization checks before allowing access to the admin panel.
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpSession;
public class SafeServlet extends HttpServlet {
protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
HttpSession session = request.getSession();
String role = (String) session.getAttribute("role");
String adminPanel = request.getParameter("adminPanel");
if (adminPanel != null && adminPanel.equals("true")) {
if (role != null && role.equals("admin")) {
// admin panel access with security controls
RequestDispatcher dispatcher = request.getRequestDispatcher("/adminPanel.jsp");
dispatcher.forward(request, response);
} else {
// access denied
response.sendError(HttpServletResponse.SC_FORBIDDEN, "Access denied");
}
} else {
// normal user access
RequestDispatcher dispatcher = request.getRequestDispatcher("/userPanel.jsp");
dispatcher.forward(request, response);
}
}
}
The updated code now includes a session management mechanism that checks the role of the user before granting access to the admin panel.
In the
doGet
method, we first retrieve the current session using
request.getSession()
. Then, we get the role of the user from the session attributes.
If the
adminPanel
parameter is set to
true
, we check if the user's role is
admin
. If it is, we forward the request to the admin panel. If the user's role is not
admin
, we deny access by sending an HTTP 403 Forbidden status code and an "Access denied" message.
This way, we ensure that only authenticated users with the correct role can access the admin panel, effectively preventing the bypass of security controls.
Remember to validate and sanitize all inputs, regularly update and patch the system, and conduct security testing and code reviews to further enhance the security of your application.