Debugging enabled in production - PHP

Debugging enabled in production - PHP

Need

Disabling debugging mode in production environment

Context

  • Requirement of PHP 7.0 or later for running the application
  • Usage of Laravel for PHP web application development

Description

Non compliant code

        // .env file

APP_NAME=Laravel
APP_ENV=local
APP_KEY=base64:WmNwMzJhN0FzQ0FtY3NjN0FzZ0JnPT0=
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost

LOG_CHANNEL=stack

The above code is an example of a Laravel application's environment configuration file (.env) where the debug mode has been enabled on a production server. The APP_DEBUG=true line is what signifies that debug mode is active.

This is a serious security vulnerability because when an error occurs, Laravel's debug mode will display detailed error messages that could contain sensitive information, such as server paths, database table names, and configuration data. These messages are meant to help developers identify and fix issues, but in a production environment, they can provide a potential attacker with valuable information about the system's structure and configuration.

In addition, having the debug mode enabled in a production environment can impact the performance of the application as the system has to generate and manage debug information, which can slow down the response times and consume more resources.

To prevent this vulnerability, it is recommended to disable debug mode in production by setting APP_DEBUG=false in the .env file.

Steps

  • Locate the .env file in your project directory.
  • Find the line that says 'APP_DEBUG=true'.
  • Change 'true' to 'false'. This will disable debug mode.
  • Save the changes to the .env file.
  • Restart your application to ensure the changes take effect.

Compliant code

        // .env file

APP_NAME=Laravel
APP_ENV=local
APP_KEY=base64:WmNwMzJhN0FzQ0FtY3NjN0FzZ0JnPT0=
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=http://localhost

LOG_CHANNEL=stack

The above code is a fixed version of the original vulnerable code. The vulnerability was that the debug mode was enabled in the production environment. This could lead to information leakage when an error is generated, as the debug mode would output detailed error messages that could potentially expose sensitive information.

In the fixed code, the APP_DEBUG variable in the .env file has been set to false. This disables the debug mode in the Laravel application, preventing detailed error messages from being displayed in the production environment.

After making this change, it's important to restart the application to ensure that the changes take effect. This can typically be done by stopping and starting the server, or by using a command like php artisan config:cache to clear the configuration cache.

Remember, it's crucial to keep debug mode disabled in production to prevent potential information leakage. Debug mode should only be enabled in a local or controlled development environment, where the detailed error messages can assist in debugging without posing a security risk.

References