Disable default configurations to prevent unauthorized access and information leakage.
# config/environments/production.rb
Rails.application.configure do
# ...
config.serve_static_files = true
config.public_file_server.enabled = true
# ...
end
In the above code, the
config.public_file_server.enabled is set to
true in the production environment. This means that Rails will serve static files from the
public directory. This directory is accessible by default in Rails and is typically used to serve static assets. However, if an attacker knows the exact path to a file in this directory, they can access it directly via the browser.
Furthermore,
config.serve_static_files is also set to
true. This configuration is an older version of
config.public_file_server.enabled and has the same implications.
By enabling these configurations, you are potentially exposing sensitive information to attackers. For example, if there is a file in the
public directory that contains sensitive information, an attacker could potentially access this file and extract the information.
Additionally, the server's default page might contain information about the server itself such as the server's software version. This information could be used by an attacker to exploit known vulnerabilities in that software version.
In a production environment, it is recommended to disable these configurations or to at least ensure that no sensitive information is stored in the
public directory.
# config/environments/production.rb
Rails.application.configure do
# ...
config.serve_static_files = false
config.public_file_server.enabled = false
# ...
end
The above code disables the serving of static files and the public file server in the production environment of a Ruby on Rails application. This is done by setting the
config.serve_static_files and
config.public_file_server.enabled to
false.
The previous configuration was a vulnerability because it allowed an attacker to access the server's default page and obtain relevant technical information about the server. By disabling these features, we are preventing unauthorized access to this information, thus enhancing the security of the application.