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Debugging Enabled in Production

Need​

Prevent sensitive information disclosure

Context​

  • Usage of Elixir (v1.10+) for building scalable and fault-tolerant applications
  • Usage of Plug.Debugger for debugging Elixir applications

Description​

Non compliant code​

defmodule MyApp do
  use Plug.Router

  if Mix.env() == :prod do
    use Plug.Debugger
  end

  plug :match
  plug :dispatch

  get "/" do
    send_resp(conn, 200, "Hello, world!")
  end
end

In this Elixir code, the application is using the Plug.Debugger middleware in a production environment (when Mix.env() == :prod). This means that in the event of a server error, detailed debugging information (like stack traces) will be displayed in the user's browser, which could expose sensitive information about the application's internals.

Steps​

  • Ensure that the Plug.Debugger middleware is not used in a production environment.
  • Regularly review and update application configurations to ensure they are secure.

Compliant code​

defmodule MyApp do
  use Plug.Router

  if Mix.env() == :dev do
    use Plug.Debugger
  end

  plug :match
  plug :dispatch

  get "/" do
    send_resp(conn, 200, "Hello, world!")
  end
end

In the updated code, the application only uses the Plug.Debugger middleware when the Mix.env() is :dev, which means during development. In a production environment, no debugging information will be displayed to the user.

References​

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