mitigations.md

Mitigation Strategies Analysis for kataras/iris

Mitigation Strategy: Strict Iris Configuration and Hardening

1. Mitigation Strategy: Strict Iris Configuration and Hardening

• Description:

  1. Document All Iris Settings: Create a configuration file (e.g., config.yml or using environment variables) that explicitly defines every Iris setting, even if using the default value. This provides a clear and auditable record of the application's Iris-specific configuration.
  2. Disable Iris Debug Mode: Ensure that debug mode is disabled in production using Iris's configuration options: app.Run(iris.Addr(":8080"), iris.WithConfiguration(iris.Configuration{DisableStartupLog: true, DisableInterruptHandler: true, ...})).
  3. Secure Iris Session Management:
     • Use a secure session store supported by Iris (e.g., Redis, a database). Do not use the default in-memory store in production. Iris provides adapters for various session stores.
     • Configure Iris session cookies with Secure: true (only transmit over HTTPS), HttpOnly: true (prevent JavaScript access), and a reasonable MaxAge (expiration time) using Iris's session configuration.
     • Use a strong, randomly generated session secret, configured within Iris.
     • Example (using Redis with Iris):

       sess := sessions.New(sessions.Config{
           Cookie:       "session_id",
           Expires:      24 * time.Hour,
           AllowReclaim: true,
       })
       redisStore := redis.New(redis.Config{/* Redis connection details */})
       sess.UseDatabase(redisStore)
       app.Use(sess.Handler())

  4. Configure Iris Error Handling:
     • Create custom error pages to avoid revealing sensitive information in error messages. Use Iris's OnAnyErrorCode or specific error handlers (e.g., OnErrorCode(iris.StatusNotFound, ...)). This is Iris-specific error handling.
  5. Set Request Limits with Iris:
     • Use Iris's built-in middleware to limit request size (LimitRequestBodySize), body size, and the number of concurrent requests. This leverages Iris's request handling capabilities.
     • Example: app.Use(middleware.LimitRequestBodySize(10 << 20)) // 10MB limit
  6. Configure CORS with Iris:
     • Use Iris's built-in CORS middleware to explicitly define allowed origins, methods, and headers. Avoid using wildcard origins (*) in production. This utilizes Iris's routing and middleware system.
     • Example:

       app.Use(cors.New(cors.Options{
           AllowedOrigins:   []string{"https://example.com"},
           AllowedMethods:   []string{"GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE"},
           AllowedHeaders:   []string{"Authorization", "Content-Type"},
           AllowCredentials: true,
       }))

  7. Enable Iris CSRF Protection:
     • Use Iris's built-in CSRF protection middleware. Ensure it's properly configured and that CSRF tokens are included in all relevant forms and requests. This is a core Iris security feature.
     • Example: app.Use(csrf.New(csrf.Config{/* CSRF configuration */}))
  8. Set Security Headers with Iris:
     • Use Iris middleware (or custom middleware within the Iris framework) to set security headers. Iris provides convenient ways to manipulate headers.
  9. Iris File Upload Restrictions (if applicable):
     • If your application handles file uploads, use Iris's built-in features (within the Context) to:
       • Restrict allowed file types.
       • Limit file sizes.
       • Specify a secure storage location (outside the web root).
       • Iris provides methods like ctx.FormFile and related functions for handling file uploads.
  10. Iris Template Engine Security (if applicable):
      • If using an Iris-supported template engine (e.g., Iris's built-in html/template, or others integrated with Iris), ensure it's configured to automatically escape output to prevent XSS. Iris provides configuration options for its view engines.
  11. Validate Iris Configuration: Implement checks to ensure Iris-specific configuration values are within expected ranges and formats.

• Threats Mitigated:

  • Information Disclosure (Severity: Medium to High): Incorrect Iris error handling or debug mode can reveal sensitive information.
  • Session Hijacking (Severity: High): Weak Iris session management can allow attackers to steal user sessions.
  • Denial of Service (DoS) (Severity: Medium to High): Lack of request limits configured through Iris can allow attackers to overwhelm the application.
  • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (Severity: High): Improperly configured Iris template engines or lack of output escaping can lead to XSS.
  • Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) (Severity: High): Lack of Iris's CSRF protection can allow attackers to perform actions on behalf of users.
  • Clickjacking (Severity: Medium): Missing X-Frame-Options header (set via Iris middleware) can allow clickjacking.
  • MIME Sniffing Attacks (Severity: Low): Missing X-Content-Type-Options header (set via Iris) can allow MIME sniffing.
  • Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks (Severity: High): Missing Strict-Transport-Security header (set via Iris, when using HTTPS) increases MitM risk.
  • File Upload Vulnerabilities (Severity: High): Unrestricted file uploads handled through Iris can lead to RCE and other issues.

• Impact:

  • All Threats: Significantly reduces the risk by addressing vulnerabilities directly related to Iris's configuration and features. High overall impact (e.g., 70-90% reduction).

• Currently Implemented: (Example: Partially - Basic security headers are set via Iris, and Iris's CSRF protection is enabled. Iris session management uses a database, but cookie security settings need review. Iris request limits are not yet implemented.)

• Missing Implementation: (Example: Comprehensive review of Iris session cookie settings. Implementation of Iris request limits. Custom Iris error pages. Thorough Iris CORS configuration. Iris file upload restrictions and malware scanning (if applicable). Iris configuration validation.)

Mitigation Strategy: Secure Iris Middleware Usage and Ordering

2. Mitigation Strategy: Secure Iris Middleware Usage and Ordering

• Description:

  1. Document Iris Middleware Chain: Clearly document the order in which Iris middleware is applied. Use comments in your code to explain the purpose of each Iris middleware and its position in the chain.
  2. Prioritize Iris Security Middleware: Ensure that security-related Iris middleware (authentication, authorization, CSRF protection, CORS, request limiting) is applied before any Iris middleware that handles application logic or accesses sensitive data. This is crucial for Iris's request handling pipeline.
  3. Use Built-in Iris Middleware: Prefer using Iris's built-in security middleware whenever possible.
  4. Audit Custom Iris Middleware: If you create custom Iris middleware, thoroughly audit it for security vulnerabilities. Pay close attention to how it interacts with the Iris Context.
  5. Minimize Iris Middleware: Only use the Iris middleware that is absolutely necessary.
  6. Regularly Review Iris Middleware: Periodically review the Iris middleware chain.

• Threats Mitigated:

  • Authentication Bypass (Severity: Critical): Incorrect Iris middleware order can allow bypass.
  • Authorization Bypass (Severity: Critical): Incorrect Iris middleware order can allow bypass.
  • CSRF (Severity: High): If Iris's CSRF middleware is applied incorrectly, it's ineffective.
  • Various Injection Attacks (Severity: High): Custom Iris middleware without proper validation/encoding can introduce vulnerabilities.

• Impact:

  • Authentication/Authorization Bypass: Correct Iris middleware order is essential (close to 100% reduction if done right).
  • CSRF: Correct order ensures Iris's CSRF protection is effective (high impact).
  • Injection Attacks: Auditing custom Iris middleware significantly reduces risk (e.g., 60-80% reduction).

• Currently Implemented: (Example: Partially - Security middleware is generally applied early, but the order hasn't been formally documented. Some custom Iris middleware exists but hasn't been thoroughly audited.)

• Missing Implementation: (Example: Formal documentation of the Iris middleware chain. Thorough security audit of all custom Iris middleware. Regular review process.)

Mitigation Strategy: Secure Handling of Iris Context and Features

3. Mitigation Strategy: Secure Handling of Iris Context and Features

• Description:

  1. Iris Context Data Security:
     • Avoid storing sensitive information directly in the iris.Context object unless absolutely necessary and properly encrypted. The iris.Context is central to Iris's request handling.
     • Understand the lifecycle of the iris.Context and how data is passed between Iris middleware and handlers.
  2. Iris WebSocket Security (if applicable):
     • Implement authentication and authorization for WebSocket connections using Iris's features or custom Iris middleware.
     • Validate all data received over WebSocket connections, interacting with Iris's WebSocket API.
     • Implement rate limiting and connection limits using Iris's capabilities.
  3. Iris gRPC Security (if applicable):
     • Use TLS for all gRPC communication when integrating with Iris.
     • Implement authentication and authorization for gRPC services, potentially using Iris middleware.
     • Validate all data received by gRPC services, interacting with Iris's gRPC integration.
  4. Iris MVC Security (if applicable):
     • Ensure that data passed between Iris controllers, models, and views is properly validated and sanitized, using Iris's MVC features.
     • Avoid directly exposing database models to Iris views.
  5. Iris Event Handling Security (if applicable):
     • Validate data passed in Iris events.
     • Ensure Iris event handlers are secure.
     • Avoid executing arbitrary code based on Iris event data.

• Threats Mitigated:

  • Information Disclosure (Severity: Medium to High): Insecure iris.Context usage can lead to leaks.
  • Authentication/Authorization Bypass (Severity: Critical): Insecure Iris WebSocket or gRPC handling can allow bypass.
  • Injection Attacks (Severity: High): Lack of validation in Iris WebSocket, gRPC, or MVC can lead to injections.
  • Denial of Service (DoS) (Severity: Medium to High): Lack of rate limiting in Iris WebSockets can lead to DoS.

• Impact:

  • Information Disclosure: Secure Iris context handling significantly reduces risk (e.g., 70-90% reduction).
  • Authentication/Authorization Bypass: Proper security for Iris WebSockets and gRPC is essential (high impact).
  • Injection Attacks: Input validation and output encoding within Iris components are crucial (high impact).
  • DoS: Rate limiting in Iris mitigates DoS risks (medium to high impact).

• Currently Implemented: (Example: Partially - Basic input validation in Iris controllers, but Iris WebSocket security hasn't been addressed. gRPC is not currently used with Iris.)

• Missing Implementation: (Example: Comprehensive review of iris.Context usage. Implementation of security for Iris WebSockets. Security review of Iris MVC components (if applicable).)