Phishing

Need

Enhanced user awareness and education to prevent falling victim to phishing attacks

Context

• Usage of Scala 2.13 for developing scalable and high-performance applications
• Usage of javax.inject for dependency injection in Java applications
• Usage of play.api for building web applications in Scala
• Usage of play.api.mvc for handling HTTP requests and responses in Play Framework
• Usage of play.api.data for handling form data in Play Framework
• Usage of play.api.data.Forms for handling form data in Play Framework

Description

Non compliant code

package controllers

import javax.inject._
import play.api._
import play.api.mvc._
import play.api.data._
import play.api.data.Forms._

case class UserLoginData(username: String, password: String)

@Singleton
class HomeController @Inject()(val controllerComponents: ControllerComponents) extends BaseController {

  val userLoginForm = Form(
    mapping(
      "Username" -> text,
      "Password" -> text
    )(UserLoginData.apply)(UserLoginData.unapply)
  )

  def login = Action { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
    Ok(views.html.login(userLoginForm))
  }

  def authenticate = Action { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
    val errorFunction = { formWithErrors: Form[UserLoginData] =>
      BadRequest(views.html.login(formWithErrors))
    }

    val successFunction = { data: UserLoginData =>
      Redirect(routes.HomeController.index()).withSession("username" -> data.username)
    }

    val formValidationResult: Form[UserLoginData] = userLoginForm.bindFromRequest
    formValidationResult.fold(errorFunction, successFunction)
  }

  def index = Action { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
    request.session.get("username").map { user =>
      Ok("Hello " + user)
    }.getOrElse {
      Unauthorized("Oops, you are not connected")
    }
  }
}

The above Scala code is a simple login system using the Play framework. It is vulnerable to phishing attacks due to the lack of any form of user validation or protection against malicious attacks.

The UserLoginData case class simply stores a username and password as plain text. This information is then passed to and from the form on the client side without any form of encryption or security measures.

The login method displays the login form to the user. The authenticate method is where the user's input from the login form is processed. If the form data is valid, a new session is started with the username stored in it.

The index method checks if a username is stored in the session and, if so, displays a greeting to the user. If not, it returns an Unauthorized error.

In this setup, an attacker could easily create a fake login page that looks identical to the real one. When users enter their credentials, the attacker can capture them and use them to log into the real site. This is a typical phishing attack.

To prevent this, measures such as HTTPS, two-factor authentication, and educating users about the dangers of phishing should be implemented.

Steps

• Implement secure email configuration for corporate email clients to prevent phishing attacks.
• Educate users about phishing attacks and how to identify and report suspicious emails.
• Implement multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security.
• Use secure protocols (e.g., HTTPS) for transmitting sensitive information.
• Implement strong password policies and encourage users to use unique and complex passwords.
• Regularly update and patch the application and its dependencies to fix any security vulnerabilities.
• Implement input validation and sanitization to prevent malicious input.
• Implement session management best practices, such as using secure session cookies and expiring sessions after a certain period of inactivity.
• Implement secure coding practices to prevent common security vulnerabilities, such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection.
• Regularly monitor and analyze application logs for any suspicious activities or attempts of phishing attacks.

Compliant code

package controllers

import javax.inject._
import play.api._
import play.api.mvc._
import play.api.data._
import play.api.data.Forms._
import play.filters.csrf._

case class UserLoginData(username: String, password: String)

@Singleton
class HomeController @Inject()(val controllerComponents: ControllerComponents, csrfAddToken: CSRFAddToken, csrfCheck: CSRFCheck) extends BaseController {

  val userLoginForm = Form(
    mapping(
      "Username" -> nonEmptyText,
      "Password" -> nonEmptyText
    )(UserLoginData.apply)(UserLoginData.unapply)
  )

  def login = csrfAddToken {
    Action { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
      Ok(views.html.login(userLoginForm))
    }
  }

  def authenticate = csrfCheck {
    Action { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
      val errorFunction = { formWithErrors: Form[UserLoginData] =>
        BadRequest(views.html.login(formWithErrors))
      }

      val successFunction = { data: UserLoginData =>
        Redirect(routes.HomeController.index()).withNewSession.withSession("username" -> data.username)
      }

      val formValidationResult: Form[UserLoginData] = userLoginForm.bindFromRequest
      formValidationResult.fold(errorFunction, successFunction)
    }
  }

  def index = Action { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
    request.session.get("username").map { user =>
      Ok("Hello " + user)
    }.getOrElse {
      Unauthorized("Oops, you are not connected")
    }
  }
}

The updated code includes several changes to enhance the security of the application and mitigate the risk of phishing attacks.

1. Input Validation: The nonEmptyText function is used instead of text to ensure that the username and password fields are not empty.

2. CSRF Protection: The csrfAddToken and csrfCheck functions are used to add CSRF tokens to the login form and check the validity of these tokens when the form is submitted. This helps to prevent Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks where an attacker tricks a victim into performing actions on their behalf.

3. Session Management: The withNewSession function is used to create a new session when a user logs in. This helps to prevent session fixation attacks where an attacker uses a known session ID to hijack a user's session.

These changes help to secure the login process and protect users from phishing attacks. However, it's important to note that these are just a part of a comprehensive security strategy. Other measures such as user education, secure email configuration, multi-factor authentication, use of secure protocols, strong password policies, regular updates and patches, input sanitization, secure coding practices, and regular monitoring and analysis of application logs are also crucial in preventing phishing and other types of attacks.

References

• 114.Phishing