Insecure functionality - Masking

Need

Secure data masking

Context

• Usage of Go 1.16 for building high-performance and scalable applications
• Usage of gin-gonic/gin for building web applications in Go

Description

Non compliant code

package main

import (
	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
)

func main() {
	r := gin.Default()

	r.POST("/login", func(c *gin.Context) {
		var json struct {
			Username string `json:"username" binding:"required"`
			Password string `json:"password" binding:"required"`
		}

		if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&json); err == nil {
			// This is where the vulnerability lies, the password is sent in clear text
			c.JSON(200, gin.H{"status": "you are logged in", "username": json.Username, "password": json.Password})
		} else {
			c.JSON(400, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
		}
	})

	r.Run() // listen and serve on 0.0.0.0:8080
}

This Go code snippet is a simple example of a login endpoint in a web application using the Gin framework. The main vulnerability in this code lies in the /login route handler function.

When a POST request is made to the /login endpoint, the server expects a JSON payload with username and password fields. The server then attempts to bind this JSON payload to a local json struct.

If the binding is successful, the server responds with a JSON object that includes the status, username, and password fields. The password field is directly taken from the request payload and sent back in the response. This is where the vulnerability lies.

The password is sensitive information and should not be sent in clear text in the response. This exposes the password to anyone who might be listening on the network and can lead to serious security breaches.

This is a classic example of insecure functionality due to lack of masking of sensitive data.

Steps

• Use secure protocols such as HTTPS to encrypt the communication between the client and the server.
• Implement proper authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive information.
• Avoid storing sensitive information such as passwords in plain text. Instead, use strong hashing algorithms to securely store and compare passwords.
• Implement input validation and sanitization to prevent malicious input from being processed.
• Use secure coding practices to prevent common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).
• Implement data masking techniques to hide sensitive information in logs, error messages, and responses.
• Regularly update and patch the application and its dependencies to address any known security vulnerabilities.
• Perform regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and fix any potential vulnerabilities.
• Educate developers and users about secure coding practices and the importance of protecting sensitive information.

Compliant code

package main

import (
	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
)

func main() {
	r := gin.Default()

	r.POST("/login", func(c *gin.Context) {
		var json struct {
			Username string `json:"username" binding:"required"`
			Password string `json:"password" binding:"required"`
		}

		if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&json); err == nil {
			// The password is now hashed before being sent
			hashedPassword := hashPassword(json.Password)
			c.JSON(200, gin.H{"status": "you are logged in", "username": json.Username, "password": hashedPassword})
		} else {
			c.JSON(400, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
		}
	})

	r.Run() // listen and serve on 0.0.0.0:8080
}

func hashPassword(password string) string {
	// Implement your password hashing function here
	// This is just a placeholder
	return "hashedPassword"
}

The original code had a security vulnerability where the user's password was being sent in clear text in the response of the /login endpoint. This is a serious security issue as it exposes sensitive user information.

The fixed code addresses this issue by hashing the password before sending it in the response. The hashPassword function is a placeholder for your actual password hashing function. You should replace it with a function that uses a strong hashing algorithm such as bcrypt or Argon2.

In addition to this, you should also ensure that your application uses HTTPS to encrypt the communication between the client and the server. This will protect the data in transit and prevent it from being intercepted by malicious actors.

Furthermore, you should implement proper authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive information. This includes validating and sanitizing user input to prevent attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).

Finally, you should regularly update and patch your application and its dependencies to address any known security vulnerabilities, and perform regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and fix any potential vulnerabilities.

References

• 272.Insecure functionality - Masking