Prevention of unauthorized access to files and functionalities
import play.api.mvc._
class UserController @Inject()(cc: ControllerComponents) extends AbstractController(cc) {
def updateUser(id: String) = Action { request =>
val body: AnyContent = request.body
val jsonBody: Option[JsValue] = body.asJson
// parsing json and getting value
val name: String = (jsonBody.get \\ "name").as[String]
val email: String = (jsonBody.get \\ "email").as[String]
// directly using user input to update the user
val result = SQL(s"UPDATE users SET name = $name, email = $email WHERE id = $id").executeUpdate()
Ok("User updated successfully")
}
}
The above code is an example of a vulnerability in a Scala backend application using the Play framework. The vulnerability lies within the
updateUser function, which directly uses user input to update the user details.
In this function, the application receives a JSON payload from the client, which includes the
name and
email of the user. These values are directly taken from the payload without any sanitization or validation, and are used in an SQL query to update the user details in the database.
This poses a severe security risk as it allows for SQL Injection attacks. An attacker could potentially inject malicious SQL commands in the
name or
email fields, which would then be executed by the database. This could lead to unauthorized access to files and data, data loss, data corruption, and other serious issues.
Moreover, if the application is connected to Sharepoint, the malicious user could potentially gain access to functionalities and files without authorization, as described in the vulnerability context.
To fix this vulnerability, the application should never directly use user input in SQL queries. Instead, it should use prepared statements, parameterized queries, or ORM libraries, which automatically escape user input and prevent SQL Injection attacks. Furthermore, the application should implement proper access control mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to files and functionalities.
import play.api.mvc._
import anorm._
import play.api.db.Database
class UserController @Inject()(cc: ControllerComponents, db: Database) extends AbstractController(cc) {
def updateUser(id: String) = Action { request =>
val body: AnyContent = request.body
val jsonBody: Option[JsValue] = body.asJson
// parsing json and getting value
val name: String = (jsonBody.get \\ "name").as[String]
val email: String = (jsonBody.get \\ "email").as[String]
// sanitize and validate user input
if (isValidInput(name) && isValidInput(email)) {
db.withConnection { implicit c =>
// using parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection
SQL("UPDATE users SET name = {name}, email = {email} WHERE id = {id}")
.on('name -> name, 'email -> email, 'id -> id)
.executeUpdate()
}
Ok("User updated successfully")
} else {
BadRequest("Invalid input")
}
}
// function to validate user input
def isValidInput(input: String): Boolean = {
// add your validation logic here
true
}
}
The updated code now includes a function
isValidInput to sanitize and validate user input before using it in SQL queries. This function should contain the logic to check if the input is valid and safe to use in a SQL query.
The SQL query to update the user data is now a parameterized query. This means that the values of
name,
email, and
id are passed as parameters to the query, which prevents SQL injection attacks. The parameters are passed using the
.on method, which takes a symbol and a value. The symbol corresponds to the placeholder in the SQL query, and the value is the actual value that should be used in the query.
The
if statement checks if the user input is valid before executing the SQL query. If the input is not valid, a
BadRequest response is returned.
The
db.withConnection block is used to execute the SQL query. This ensures that the connection to the database is properly managed, and that the connection is closed after the query is executed.
This code also assumes that proper access control mechanisms are in place to ensure that only authorized users can update user data, and that proper authentication and authorization mechanisms are in place to prevent unauthorized access to files and functionalities.