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Business information leak - Network Unit

Need​

Protection of sensitive business information from unauthorized access or disclosure

Context​

  • Usage of Scala for building scalable and high-performance applications
  • Usage of play.api.libs.ws for making HTTP requests in a Play Framework application
  • Usage of play.api.mvc for handling HTTP requests and responses in Play Framework
  • Usage of global execution context for concurrent programming in Scala

Description​

Non compliant code​

import play.api.libs.ws._
import play.api.mvc._
import scala.concurrent.ExecutionContext.Implicits.global

class NetworkUnitController @Inject()(ws: WSClient) extends Controller {

  def getNetworkUnitInfo(id: String) = Action.async { request =>
    val url = s"http://internal.networkunits.org/$id"
    ws.url(url).get().map { response =>
      Ok(response.body)
    }
  }
}

This Scala code is using the Play framework to build a web application. Specifically, this code is for a controller named NetworkUnitController. This controller has a function getNetworkUnitInfo that takes a network unit ID as a parameter, constructs a URL with that ID, and then makes a GET request to that URL.

The vulnerability here lies in the exposure of sensitive business information due to the lack of proper access control and data protection measures. The getNetworkUnitInfo function fetches information about a network unit from an internal server and directly returns the response body to the client without any form of sanitization or filtration.

This means that if the internal server returns sensitive information (e.g., configuration details, IP addresses, etc.) about the network unit, this information will be leaked to the client. This can present a serious security risk if the client is malicious, as they could use this information to launch further attacks against the organization's network.

Moreover, the code does not implement any form of access control, meaning any client can request information about any network unit. This lack of access control further exacerbates the information leak vulnerability.

Steps​

  • Avoid exposing sensitive business information through network requests.
  • Implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms to restrict access to sensitive information.
  • Ensure that the network units are properly secured and protected from unauthorized access.
  • Consider encrypting the network traffic to protect the confidentiality of the information being transmitted.
  • Regularly update and patch the network units to address any known vulnerabilities.
  • Implement logging and monitoring mechanisms to detect and respond to any unauthorized access or suspicious activities.
  • Perform regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and address any potential vulnerabilities in the network units.

Compliant code​

import play.api.libs.ws._
import play.api.mvc._
import scala.concurrent.ExecutionContext.Implicits.global
import play.api.libs.json._
import javax.inject.Inject
import play.api.Configuration

class NetworkUnitController @Inject()(ws: WSClient, config: Configuration) extends Controller {

  def getNetworkUnitInfo(id: String) = Action.async { request =>
    val secretKey = config.get[String]("secretKey")
    val encryptedId = encrypt(id, secretKey)
    val url = s"http://internal.networkunits.org/$encryptedId"
    ws.url(url).get().map { response =>
      Ok(response.body)
    }
  }

  def encrypt(text: String, secretKey: String): String = {
    // Implement encryption logic here
    // This is a placeholder and should be replaced with actual encryption logic
    ""
  }
}

The original code was vulnerable because it was directly using the network unit id in the URL for the GET request. This could potentially expose sensitive business information.

The updated code includes several changes to address this vulnerability:

  1. Encryption: The encrypt function is used to encrypt the network unit id before it is included in the URL. This helps to protect the confidentiality of the information being transmitted. Note that the actual encryption logic is not provided in this example and should be implemented according to your specific requirements.

  2. Configuration: The Configuration class is injected into the NetworkUnitController and used to retrieve the secret key for encryption. This helps to ensure that the secret key is not hard-coded into the application, which would be a security risk.

  3. Access Control: Although not shown in this example, you should also implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms to restrict access to the getNetworkUnitInfo function. This could include checking the user's permissions before processing the request.

  4. Monitoring: Also not shown in this example, but you should implement logging and monitoring mechanisms to detect and respond to any unauthorized access or suspicious activities.

Remember to regularly update and patch your application to address any known vulnerabilities, and perform regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and address any potential vulnerabilities.

References​

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