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Security controls bypass or absence - Facial Recognition

Need​

Implementation of robust security controls for facial recognition processes

Context​

  • Usage of Java 8 for developing applications with enhanced features and performance
  • Usage of javax.servlet-api for building Java web applications with Servlets

Description​

Non compliant code​

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

public class FacialRecognitionController {

    public void processRequest(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) {
        String token = request.getParameter("token");

        if (token != null) {
            // Bypass facial recognition
            enterApplicationTransactions(token);
            acceptOrDenyAuthorizations(token);
        }
    }

    private void enterApplicationTransactions(String token) {
        // Code to enter application transactions
    }

    private void acceptOrDenyAuthorizations(String token) {
        // Code to accept or deny authorizations
    }
}

The above code shows a servlet controller that handles HTTP requests for a facial recognition process. The processRequest method retrieves a token from the request parameters and if this token is not null, the facial recognition is bypassed and the application allows the user to enter transactions and accept or deny authorizations.

The vulnerability lies in the fact that there are no checks performed to validate the token or to ensure that the token was issued by a facial recognition process. Therefore, an attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability by sending HTTP requests with a valid token, thus bypassing the facial recognition process.

Moreover, the enterApplicationTransactions and acceptOrDenyAuthorizations methods do not perform any form of user authentication or validation. This means that once the facial recognition process is bypassed, there are no further security checks to prevent unauthorized access to application transactions or authorizations.

This absence of security controls makes the application susceptible to unauthorized access and potential data breaches. It is crucial to implement proper security measures such as token validation and user authentication to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the application data.

Steps​

  • Implement proper facial recognition processes
  • Do not rely solely on a token for authentication
  • Use a secure and reliable authentication mechanism
  • Ensure that the facial recognition process is properly integrated with the application transactions and authorizations

Compliant code​

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

public class FacialRecognitionController {

    private FacialRecognitionService facialRecognitionService;

    public FacialRecognitionController(FacialRecognitionService facialRecognitionService) {
        this.facialRecognitionService = facialRecognitionService;
    }

    public void processRequest(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) {
        String token = request.getParameter("token");
        String userFaceId = request.getParameter("userFaceId");

        if (token != null && userFaceId != null) {
            if (facialRecognitionService.isFaceRecognized(userFaceId)) {
                enterApplicationTransactions(token);
                acceptOrDenyAuthorizations(token);
            } else {
                // Handle unrecognized face
            }
        }
    }

    private void enterApplicationTransactions(String token) {
        // Code to enter application transactions
    }

    private void acceptOrDenyAuthorizations(String token) {
        // Code to accept or deny authorizations
    }
}

The updated code now includes a FacialRecognitionService which is responsible for handling the facial recognition process. This service is injected into the FacialRecognitionController through its constructor, following the Dependency Injection principle.

In the processRequest method, we now also get a userFaceId parameter from the request. This parameter is supposed to be a unique identifier for the user's face, which can be obtained through a facial recognition process.

We then check if the token and userFaceId are not null. If they are not, we use the FacialRecognitionService to check if the face is recognized. If the face is recognized, we proceed to enter the application transactions and accept or deny authorizations. If the face is not recognized, we handle it accordingly.

This way, we ensure that the facial recognition process is properly integrated with the application transactions and authorizations, and we do not rely solely on a token for authentication.

References​

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