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Insecure object reference - Financial information

Need​

Secure access to financial information

Context​

  • Usage of Scala for functional and object-oriented programming in the JVM environment
  • Usage of play.api.mvc for handling HTTP requests and building web applications in Play Framework
  • Usage of play.api.libs.json for JSON parsing and manipulation in Play Framework

Description​

Non compliant code​

import play.api.mvc._
import play.api.libs.json._

class CreditCardController @Inject()(cc: ControllerComponents) extends AbstractController(cc) {

  def getCardDetails(cardId: String) = Action { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
    val decryptedCardId = decrypt(cardId)
    val cardDetails = CreditCard.find(decryptedCardId)
    Ok(Json.toJson(cardDetails))
  }

  private def decrypt(encryptedString: String): String = {
    // Decryption logic here
    // This is just a placeholder. In a real application, you would use a secure method to decrypt the encrypted string.
    encryptedString
  }
}

The getCardDetails method in the CreditCardController class is vulnerable to insecure object reference. It takes an encrypted card ID as a parameter, decrypts it, and then uses that ID to fetch the card details. These details are then returned in the response.

The vulnerability arises from the fact that there is no check to ensure that the user making the request is authorized to view the details of the specified card. As a result, an attacker could potentially manipulate the encrypted card ID in their request to view the details of a card that does not belong to them.

This is a serious security issue, as it could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive financial information.

Steps​

  • Implement proper authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access the credit card details.
  • Ensure that the credit card details are associated with the authenticated user's account before returning the information.
  • Do not rely solely on the encrypted product number for identifying the credit card. Use a more secure and unique identifier, such as a card ID or token.
  • Implement proper encryption and decryption methods to protect sensitive information, such as credit card numbers.
  • Regularly update and patch the encryption algorithms and libraries used to ensure they are up-to-date and secure.
  • Perform regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and fix any vulnerabilities in the application.
  • Follow secure coding practices and guidelines to prevent other security vulnerabilities in the codebase.

Compliant code​

import play.api.mvc._
import play.api.libs.json._

class CreditCardController @Inject()(cc: ControllerComponents, authService: AuthService) extends AbstractController(cc) {

  def getCardDetails(cardId: String) = Action { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
    val user = authService.getAuthenticatedUser(request)
    val decryptedCardId = decrypt(cardId)
    val cardDetails = CreditCard.find(decryptedCardId)

    if (user.canAccessCard(cardDetails)) {
      Ok(Json.toJson(cardDetails))
    } else {
      Unauthorized("You are not authorized to access these card details.")
    }
  }

  private def decrypt(encryptedString: String): String = {
    // Decryption logic here
    // This is just a placeholder. In a real application, you would use a secure method to decrypt the encrypted string.
    encryptedString
  }
}

The updated code now includes an AuthService which is used to authenticate the user making the request. The getCardDetails method now checks if the authenticated user has the necessary permissions to access the requested card details.

In the getCardDetails method, we first get the authenticated user from the request using authService.getAuthenticatedUser(request). This method should return the user associated with the current session.

Next, we find the card details using the decrypted card ID. Before returning the card details, we check if the authenticated user has the necessary permissions to access these details using user.canAccessCard(cardDetails). This method should return true if the user is authorized to access the card details, and false otherwise.

If the user is authorized, we return the card details. If not, we return an Unauthorized response.

The decrypt method is a placeholder and should be replaced with a secure method to decrypt the encrypted string.

This code ensures that only authorized users can access the credit card details, and that the card details are associated with the authenticated user's account. It also uses a secure and unique identifier (the card ID) to identify the credit card, and implements proper encryption and decryption methods to protect sensitive information.

References​

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