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Authentication mechanism absence or evasion - Admin Console

Need​

Implementation of a robust and secure authentication mechanism for the Admin Console

Context​

  • Usage of Scala for building scalable and high-performance applications
  • Usage of play.api.mvc for handling HTTP requests and responses in Play Framework

Description​

Non compliant code​

import play.api.mvc._

object AdminController extends Controller {
  
  def viewData() = Action { implicit request =>
    val data = // Fetch data from database
    Ok(views.html.admin(data))
  }
  
  def editData(id: Int, newValue: String) = Action { implicit request =>
    // Update data in database
    Ok("Data updated")
  }
}

The above code is a simple controller in a Scala backend application using Play framework. The controller has two functions: viewData() and editData(id: Int, newValue: String).

The viewData() function fetches some data from the database and renders an HTML view with this data. The editData(id: Int, newValue: String) function updates some data in the database with a new value.

The vulnerability here is that there is no authentication mechanism in place. Any user, even if they are not logged in, can access these functions.

In the viewData() function, this means that they can view potentially sensitive data that should be restricted to admin users. In the editData(id: Int, newValue: String) function, the vulnerability is even more severe. Without an authentication check, any user could potentially update data in the database. This could lead to unauthorized data modification, which could have serious consequences for the application.

To fix this vulnerability, an authentication check should be added to these functions, ensuring that only logged in users with the correct permissions can access them.

Steps​

  • Implement an authentication mechanism to restrict access to the admin console.
  • Ensure that only authenticated users with the necessary privileges can access the viewData and editData functions.
  • Use a secure authentication method, such as username/password or token-based authentication.
  • Implement authorization checks to ensure that only authorized users can perform specific actions, such as editing data.
  • Consider implementing role-based access control to manage different levels of access for different user roles.
  • Regularly review and update the authentication and authorization mechanisms to address any potential vulnerabilities.

Compliant code​

import play.api.mvc._
import play.api.mvc.Security.Authenticated

object AdminController extends Controller {
  
  def viewData() = Authenticated { implicit request =>
    val data = // Fetch data from database
    Ok(views.html.admin(data))
  }
  
  def editData(id: Int, newValue: String) = Authenticated { implicit request =>
    // Update data in database
    Ok("Data updated")
  }
}

The updated code now includes an Authenticated wrapper around the Action in both the viewData and editData methods. This ensures that only authenticated users can access these methods.

The Authenticated method is a built-in method in the Play Framework that checks if a user is authenticated before allowing them to access certain actions. If the user is not authenticated, they will be redirected to a login page.

This is a simple form of authentication and should be combined with other security measures for a more secure application. For example, you could implement role-based access control to restrict which users can access certain actions based on their role.

Remember to also secure your login mechanism, for example by hashing and salting passwords, and using secure tokens for session management.

Regularly review and update your authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure they are secure against the latest threats.

References​

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