Restriction of app permissions to only necessary and authorized operations
import UIKit
import CoreLocation
class ViewController: UIViewController, CLLocationManagerDelegate {
var locationManager: CLLocationManager!
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
// Requesting excessive privileges
locationManager = CLLocationManager()
locationManager.delegate = self
locationManager.desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyBest
locationManager.requestAlwaysAuthorization()
locationManager.startUpdatingLocation()
}
func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) {
let userLocation:CLLocation = locations[0] as CLLocation
print("user latitude = \\(userLocation.coordinate.latitude)")
print("user longitude = \\(userLocation.coordinate.longitude)")
}
}
The above Swift code is for a view controller in an iOS application that requests location permissions from the user. The application is requesting
requestAlwaysAuthorization(), which is a high level of privilege that allows the application to access the user's location at all times, even when the application is not in use.
This is considered a security vulnerability because the application is requesting more permissions than necessary. If an attacker were able to exploit this application, they could potentially gain access to the user's location at all times, which is a serious invasion of privacy.
The application should only request the minimum level of permissions necessary to perform its functions. In this case, if the application only needs to access the user's location while the application is in use, it should request
requestWhenInUseAuthorization() instead.
This excessive privilege vulnerability can be abused by an attacker to perform unauthorized read or write operations in the device.
import UIKit
import CoreLocation
class ViewController: UIViewController, CLLocationManagerDelegate {
var locationManager: CLLocationManager!
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
// Requesting only necessary privileges
locationManager = CLLocationManager()
locationManager.delegate = self
locationManager.desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyBest
locationManager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization() // Changed from requestAlwaysAuthorization to requestWhenInUseAuthorization
locationManager.startUpdatingLocation()
}
func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) {
let userLocation:CLLocation = locations[0] as CLLocation
print("user latitude = \\(userLocation.coordinate.latitude)")
print("user longitude = \\(userLocation.coordinate.longitude)")
}
}
The original code was requesting excessive permissions from the user's device. Specifically, it was using the
requestAlwaysAuthorization() method of the
CLLocationManager class, which requests permission to access the user's location data at all times, even when the app is not in use. This is a potential security vulnerability, as it gives the app more access to sensitive data than it needs.
The fixed code changes the
requestAlwaysAuthorization() method to
requestWhenInUseAuthorization(). This method only requests permission to access the user's location data when the app is in use. This reduces the potential for abuse of the app's permissions, as it can no longer access location data when it is not in use.
This change ensures that the app only has the minimum permissions it needs to function, reducing the potential for unauthorized access to sensitive data. It is important to regularly review and update the permissions requested by the app as its functionality evolves, and to thoroughly test the app to ensure it functions correctly with the reduced permissions.