attack-surface.md

Attack Surface Analysis for oracle/node-oracledb

Attack Surface: 1. SQL Injection Vulnerabilities

• Description: Injection of malicious SQL code into database queries, leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or execution of arbitrary commands on the database server.
• node-oracledb Contribution: node-oracledb executes SQL queries provided by the application. If applications dynamically construct SQL queries by concatenating user input without proper sanitization or parameterization, it directly enables SQL injection through node-oracledb.
• Example: An application builds a SQL query using string concatenation with user input for filtering products: SELECT * FROM products WHERE category = ' + user_provided_category + '. An attacker could input ' OR 1=1; DROP TABLE users; -- as user_provided_category, leading to unintended database operations executed by node-oracledb.
• Impact: Critical data breach, data modification or deletion, potential for complete database compromise and control, denial of service.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Use Parameterized Queries (Bind Variables): Exclusively use parameterized queries offered by node-oracledb (using :param syntax and binding values). This ensures user input is treated as data, not SQL code, when executed by node-oracledb.
  • Input Validation and Sanitization (Secondary): Implement robust server-side input validation to ensure user input conforms to expected formats and lengths. Sanitize input by escaping special characters only if parameterized queries cannot be used in very specific scenarios (parameterization is the primary and strongly preferred method).
  • Principle of Least Privilege (Database User): Grant the database user used by node-oracledb connections only the minimum necessary privileges required for the application's functionality. Avoid using database users with DBA or overly broad permissions to limit the impact of successful SQL injection.

Attack Surface: 2. Connection String Exposure

• Description: Exposure of sensitive database connection details, including usernames and passwords, allowing unauthorized access to the database.
• node-oracledb Contribution: node-oracledb requires connection strings to establish connections to the Oracle Database. Insecure storage or handling of these connection strings within the application or its configuration directly exposes credentials used by node-oracledb.
• Example: Hardcoding connection strings with credentials directly in application code that uses node-oracledb, storing them in plain text configuration files within the application repository accessible to unauthorized users, or accidentally logging connection strings in application logs generated by node-oracledb related operations.
• Impact: Unauthorized access to the database via node-oracledb connections, potentially leading to data breaches, data manipulation, or denial of service.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Environment Variables: Store connection strings, especially credentials, in environment variables rather than hardcoding them in the application or configuration files used by node-oracledb.
  • Secure Configuration Management: Utilize secure configuration management systems or secret management tools (e.g., HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager) to store and retrieve connection strings securely for use with node-oracledb.
  • Avoid Hardcoding Credentials: Never hardcode usernames and passwords directly in the application code that interacts with node-oracledb.
  • Restrict Access to Configuration Files: Ensure that configuration files containing connection details (if used at all) are not publicly accessible and have appropriate access controls.

Attack Surface: 3. Database User Privilege Escalation via SQL Injection

• Description: Exploiting SQL injection vulnerabilities (facilitated by insecure use of node-oracledb) to escalate privileges within the database, potentially gaining administrative control.
• node-oracledb Contribution: If SQL injection vulnerabilities exist due to insecure query construction in applications using node-oracledb, attackers can leverage these vulnerabilities, executed through node-oracledb, to run SQL commands that modify user privileges within the database.
• Example: An attacker exploits a SQL injection vulnerability in an application using node-oracledb to execute a command like GRANT DBA TO attacker\_user; if the application's database user (used by node-oracledb) has sufficient initial privileges to perform such actions (which should be avoided).
• Impact: Complete compromise of the database instance, full control over data and database operations, potential for wider system compromise if the database server is not properly isolated.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Robust SQL Injection Prevention (Paramount): Prioritize and rigorously implement all mitigation strategies for SQL Injection (parameterized queries, input validation) to prevent this attack vector through node-oracledb.
  • Principle of Least Privilege (Database User - Critical): The database user used by node-oracledb must have the absolute minimum privileges necessary. It should never have privileges that allow granting administrative roles or modifying user permissions unless absolutely required and extremely carefully controlled.
  • Database Security Auditing and Monitoring: Regularly audit database user permissions and configurations to identify and rectify any overly permissive settings. Monitor database activity for suspicious privilege escalation attempts originating from node-oracledb connections.

Attack Surface: 4. Vulnerabilities in Oracle Client Libraries (OCI)

• Description: Security vulnerabilities present in the underlying Oracle Client Libraries (OCI) that node-oracledb directly depends on.
• node-oracledb Contribution: node-oracledb is a wrapper around the Oracle Client Libraries. Any vulnerabilities in OCI directly impact the security of applications using node-oracledb because node-oracledb relies on OCI for database communication.
• Example: A buffer overflow vulnerability in the OCI library's network communication handling could be exploited through node-oracledb if an attacker can manipulate data sent to or received from the Oracle Database via node-oracledb connections.
• Impact: Application crashes, potential remote code execution on the application server or database server, data breaches, denial of service, all potentially triggered through interactions initiated by node-oracledb.
• Risk Severity: High to Critical (depending on the specific OCI vulnerability)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Regularly Update Oracle Client Libraries (Crucial): Keep the Oracle Client Libraries updated to the latest patched versions provided by Oracle. Monitor Oracle security advisories and apply patches promptly to the environment where node-oracledb is running.
  • Vulnerability Scanning (OCI): Include Oracle Client Libraries in your vulnerability scanning processes to identify known vulnerabilities in the OCI components used by node-oracledb.
  • Stay Informed about Oracle Security Advisories: Subscribe to Oracle security alerts and advisories to be informed about newly discovered vulnerabilities and patches for Oracle Client and related components that directly affect node-oracledb's security.

Attack Surface: 5. Native Code Vulnerabilities in node-oracledb

• Description: Security vulnerabilities within the native C/C++ code components of node-oracledb itself, which are used for performance and interaction with Oracle Client Libraries.
• node-oracledb Contribution: node-oracledb includes native code for performance-critical operations and for interfacing with the Oracle Client Libraries. Vulnerabilities in this native code within node-oracledb can be directly exploited by attackers interacting with the application through node-oracledb's API.
• Example: A buffer overflow vulnerability in the native code of node-oracledb that handles data parsing from the Oracle Database could be exploited to achieve remote code execution on the application server when processing database responses through node-oracledb.
• Impact: Application crashes, potential remote code execution, data breaches, denial of service, all stemming from vulnerabilities within node-oracledb's own code.
• Risk Severity: High to Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Keep node-oracledb Updated (Essential): Regularly update node-oracledb to the latest versions. The maintainers of node-oracledb are responsible for addressing vulnerabilities in their native code and releasing patched versions.
  • Security Audits (Indirect User Benefit): While less directly actionable for typical application developers, security audits of the node-oracledb codebase by security experts are crucial for identifying and mitigating native code vulnerabilities. Users benefit from the maintainers' efforts in performing these audits and releasing secure versions of node-oracledb.
  • Report Suspected Vulnerabilities: If you suspect a vulnerability in node-oracledb's native code, report it to the maintainers through their security channels to contribute to the library's overall security.