Insecure functionality - User management

Need

Secure user management and access control

Context

• Usage of Go 1.16 for developing high-performance and efficient applications
• Usage of Gin for building web applications in Go
• Usage of net/http for creating HTTP servers in a Node.js application

Description

Non compliant code

package main

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

type User struct {
	Email string `json:"email"`
}

type Vulnerability struct {
	Info string `json:"info"`
}

func main() {
	r := gin.Default()
	r.POST("/assign", func(c *gin.Context) {
		var user User
		var vulnerability Vulnerability
		if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&user); err != nil {
			c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
			return
		}
		if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&vulnerability); err != nil {
			c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
			return
		}

		// Send email with vulnerability info to the user
		sendEmail(user.Email, vulnerability.Info)

		c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{"status": "Email sent"})
	})
	r.Run()
}

func sendEmail(email string, info string) {
	// function to send email
}

This is a simple Gin application that accepts POST requests to the '/assign' endpoint. The application expects JSON payloads containing a 'User' object and a 'Vulnerability' object.

The 'User' object should contain an 'Email' field, and the 'Vulnerability' object should contain an 'Info' field. The application will then send an email to the user with the vulnerability information.

The vulnerability lies in the fact that there are no checks to ensure that the email provided in the 'User' object is registered on the integrates platform. This means that it is possible to send vulnerability information to non-registered users.

Moreover, if a user is removed from all projects within an organization, they will still be able to access vulnerability information as long as they have access to the email account. This is because the application does not check if the user is still associated with any projects before sending the email.

This could potentially lead to sensitive information being leaked to unauthorized individuals.

Steps

• Implement user authentication and authorization to ensure that only registered and authorized users can access the functionality.
• Validate the user's email address before sending the email to ensure that it is a valid and registered email in the system.
• Check if the user has the necessary permissions to be assigned as a treatment manager of vulnerabilities.
• Remove the ability to send emails to non-users or unregistered email addresses.
• Implement a mechanism to revoke access to vulnerability information when a user is removed from all projects of an organization.
• Regularly review and update the user management functionality to address any new vulnerabilities or security concerns.

Compliant code

package main

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

type User struct {
	Email string `json:"email"`
	IsRegistered bool `json:"is_registered"`
	IsAuthorized bool `json:"is_authorized"`
}

type Vulnerability struct {
	Info string `json:"info"`
}

func main() {
	r := gin.Default()
	r.POST("/assign", func(c *gin.Context) {
		var user User
		var vulnerability Vulnerability
		if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&user); err != nil {
			c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
			return
		}
		if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&vulnerability); err != nil {
			c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
			return
		}

		// Validate user's email and authorization
		if !user.IsRegistered || !user.IsAuthorized {
			c.JSON(http.StatusUnauthorized, gin.H{"status": "Unauthorized"})
			return
		}

		// Send email with vulnerability info to the user
		sendEmail(user.Email, vulnerability.Info)

		c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{"status": "Email sent"})
	})
	r.Run()
}

func sendEmail(email string, info string) {
	// function to send email
}

The updated code now includes user authentication and authorization. The User struct now includes two new fields: IsRegistered and IsAuthorized. These fields are used to check if the user is registered and authorized to be assigned as a treatment manager of vulnerabilities.

In the POST "/assign" handler, after binding the JSON data to the user and vulnerability variables, the code now checks if the user is registered and authorized. If the user is not registered or not authorized, the handler returns a 401 Unauthorized status and does not send the email.

This update removes the ability to send emails to non-users or unregistered email addresses and ensures that only users with the necessary permissions can be assigned as treatment managers of vulnerabilities.

To further enhance the security, a mechanism should be implemented to revoke access to vulnerability information when a user is removed from all projects of an organization. Regular reviews and updates of the user management functionality should also be conducted to address any new vulnerabilities or security concerns.

References

• 324.Insecure functionality - User management