Business information leak - Network Unit

Need

Protection of sensitive business information from unauthorized access or disclosure

Context

• Usage of Java 8 for developing applications with enhanced features and performance improvements
• Usage of javax.servlet for building Java web applications with Servlet technology
• Usage of java.io for input and output operations in Java

Description

Non compliant code

package com.example.demo;

import javax.servlet.*;
import javax.servlet.http.*;
import java.io.*;

public class NetworkUnitServlet extends HttpServlet {

    public void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
        response.setContentType("text/html");
        PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();

        String networkUnitName = request.getParameter("networkUnitName");

        // Vulnerable code: Network Unit information is being printed in the response
        out.println("<h1>" + "Network Unit: " + networkUnitName + "</h1>");
    }
}

The above code represents a Servlet that handles HTTP GET requests. It takes a network unit name as a parameter from the request and directly prints it in the HTTP response.

The vulnerability lies in the doGet method. Here, the network unit name is directly obtained from the request parameter networkUnitName and is included in the HTTP response without any sanitization or validation. This can lead to business information leak, as sensitive information about the organization's network units can be exposed to the client side.

Moreover, the code does not check if the user is authorized to access this information, which means any user, including those with malicious intent, can potentially access and misuse the organization's network unit information.

This vulnerability can lead to serious consequences like unauthorized access to sensitive information, business information leak, and potential misuse of the information. Therefore, it is crucial to fix this vulnerability by adding proper validation, sanitization, and access control mechanisms.

Steps

• Avoid printing sensitive information in the response
• Implement proper access controls to restrict access to sensitive information
• Ensure that sensitive information is properly encrypted and protected
• Regularly update and patch network units to address any known vulnerabilities
• Implement secure coding practices to prevent information leaks

Compliant code

package com.example.demo;

import javax.servlet.*;
import javax.servlet.http.*;
import java.io.*;

public class NetworkUnitServlet extends HttpServlet {

    public void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
        response.setContentType("text/html");
        PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();

        String networkUnitName = request.getParameter("networkUnitName");

        // Check if the user has the right permissions to access the network unit information
        if (hasAccessPermission(request.getUserPrincipal().getName(), networkUnitName)) {
            // If the user has the right permissions, then print the network unit information
            out.println("<h1>" + "Network Unit: " + networkUnitName + "</h1>");
        } else {
            // If the user does not have the right permissions, then print an error message
            out.println("<h1>" + "You do not have permission to access this information." + "</h1>");
        }
    }

    private boolean hasAccessPermission(String userName, String networkUnitName) {
        // Implement your access control logic here
        // For example, you can check if the user is in a specific role that has the permission to access the network unit information
        // Return true if the user has the permission, false otherwise
        return false;
    }
}

The original code was vulnerable because it was printing sensitive network unit information in the response without checking if the user has the right permissions to access this information. This could lead to a business information leak.

The fixed code adds a check to see if the user has the right permissions to access the network unit information before printing it in the response. This is done by calling a hasAccessPermission method, which should contain your access control logic. For example, you can check if the user is in a specific role that has the permission to access the network unit information.

If the user does not have the right permissions, an error message is printed in the response instead of the network unit information. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing sensitive information.

In addition to this code fix, you should also ensure that sensitive information is properly encrypted and protected, regularly update and patch network units to address any known vulnerabilities, and implement secure coding practices to prevent information leaks.

References

• 218.Business information leak - Network Unit