Use of software with known vulnerabilities in environments

Need

Regular software updates and patch management

Context

Usage of Python 3.7 for developing Python applications
Usage of Django for building web applications

Description

Non compliant code

# Django settings for mysite project.
import os

# Build paths inside the project like this: os.path.join(BASE_DIR, ...)
BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))

# SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!
SECRET_KEY = 'your-secret-key'

# SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
DEBUG = True

ALLOWED_HOSTS = []

# Application definition

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    # Add your apps here
]

MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
]

ROOT_URLCONF = 'mysite.urls'

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': [],
        'APP_DIRS': True,
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
            ],
        },
    },
]

WSGI_APPLICATION = 'mysite.wsgi.application'

# Database
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/ref/settings/#databases

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
        'NAME': os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'db.sqlite3'),
    }
}

# Password validation
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/ref/settings/#auth-password-validators

AUTH_PASSWORD_VALIDATORS = [
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.UserAttributeSimilarityValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.MinimumLengthValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.CommonPasswordValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.NumericPasswordValidator',
    },
]

# Internationalization
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/topics/i18n/

LANGUAGE_CODE = 'en-us'

TIME_ZONE = 'UTC'

USE_I18N = True

USE_L10N = True

USE_TZ = True

# Static files (CSS, JavaScript, Images)
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/howto/static-files/

STATIC_URL = '/static/'

The vulnerable code above is a typical Django settings file. However, the version of Django that is being used has known vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities in the Django version being used could be exploited by attackers to compromise the system. For example, an attacker could exploit a known vulnerability in Django to execute arbitrary code, inject malicious scripts, bypass authentication, or access sensitive data.

This issue arises when developers use outdated versions of software or dependencies that have known vulnerabilities. It's essential to keep all software and dependencies up-to-date and apply patches as soon as they are available to minimize the risk of exploitation.

In the code above, the Django version is not explicitly declared, but it's implied by the 'django.contrib' modules being used. These modules are part of the Django framework, and their presence indicates that the Django framework is being used. However, without knowing the exact version of Django being used, it's impossible to know which vulnerabilities might be present.

To fix this vulnerability, the Django version should be updated to the latest stable release. This can be done by updating the Django version in the project's requirements.txt file or by installing the latest version of Django using pip.

Please note that after updating Django, it's important to thoroughly test the application to ensure that it still works as expected, as some changes in Django could potentially break existing functionality.

Steps

Identify the version of Django being used in the project. This can be done by checking the version in the requirements.txt file or by running 'django-admin version' in the terminal.
Check if the identified version has any known vulnerabilities. This can be done by referring to the Django's official security release notes or using online databases that track software vulnerabilities such as the National Vulnerability Database (NVD).
If the current version is found to be vulnerable, plan for an upgrade to the latest or a more secure version of Django. Ensure that the new version is compatible with the rest of your project.
Test the updated version in a controlled environment before deploying it to production. This is to ensure that the update does not break any existing functionality.
Once the update has been tested and confirmed to be working as expected, deploy it to the production environment.
Regularly update the software and its dependencies to the latest versions to avoid future vulnerabilities.

Compliant code

# Django settings for mysite project.
import os

# Build paths inside the project like this: os.path.join(BASE_DIR, ...)
BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))

# SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!
SECRET_KEY = 'your-secret-key'

# SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
DEBUG = True

ALLOWED_HOSTS = []

# Application definition

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    # Add your apps here
]

MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
]

ROOT_URLCONF = 'mysite.urls'

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': [],
        'APP_DIRS': True,
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
            ],
        },
    },
]

WSGI_APPLICATION = 'mysite.wsgi.application'

# Database
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/ref/settings/#databases

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
        'NAME': os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'db.sqlite3'),
    }
}

# Password validation
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/ref/settings/#auth-password-validators

AUTH_PASSWORD_VALIDATORS = [
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.UserAttributeSimilarityValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.MinimumLengthValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.CommonPasswordValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.NumericPasswordValidator',
    },
]

# Internationalization
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/topics/i18n/

LANGUAGE_CODE = 'en-us'

TIME_ZONE = 'UTC'

USE_I18N = True

USE_L10N = True

USE_TZ = True

# Static files (CSS, JavaScript, Images)
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/howto/static-files/

STATIC_URL = '/static/'

The above code is a Django settings file for a project named 'mysite'. The vulnerability in this code is that it uses a version of Django that may have known vulnerabilities. This can expose the application to potential security risks.

To fix this vulnerability, we need to ensure that we are using a secure and updated version of Django. Here are the steps to do that:

Identify the version of Django being used in the project. This can be done by checking the version in the requirements.txt file or by running 'django-admin version' in the terminal.
Check if the identified version has any known vulnerabilities. This can be done by referring to the Django's official security release notes or using online databases that track software vulnerabilities such as the National Vulnerability Database (NVD).
If the current version is found to be vulnerable, plan for an upgrade to the latest or a more secure version of Django. Ensure that the new version is compatible with the rest of your project.
Test the updated version in a controlled environment before deploying it to production. This is to ensure that the update does not break any existing functionality.
Once the update has been tested and confirmed to be working as expected, deploy it to the production environment.
Regularly update the software and its dependencies to the latest versions to avoid future vulnerabilities.

By following these steps, we can ensure that we are using a secure version of Django and reduce the risk of potential security threats.

References

435.Use of software with known vulnerabilities in environments

Need​

Context​

Description​

Non compliant code​

Steps​

Compliant code​

References​