mitigations.md

Mitigation Strategies Analysis for iamkun/dayjs

Mitigation Strategy: Regular Updates and Dependency Management

Description:

1. Identify dayjs and Plugin Versions: Determine the exact versions of dayjs and all associated plugins currently used in the project (from package.json, package-lock.json, or yarn.lock).
2. Check for Latest Versions: Visit the official dayjs GitHub repository and plugin repositories. Identify the latest released versions.
3. Update Dependencies: Update package.json to reflect the latest versions, using semantic versioning (e.g., ^1.11.10).
4. Run Update Command: Execute npm update or yarn upgrade.
5. Test Thoroughly: Run the full suite of application tests.
6. Automate: Integrate into the CI/CD pipeline (e.g., Dependabot).

Threats Mitigated:

• Prototype Pollution (High Severity): Newer versions often contain fixes.
• Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) (Medium Severity): Updates may include patches.
• Locale-Related Issues (Low Severity): Updates may address locale issues.
• Other Unknown Vulnerabilities (Variable Severity): Updates provide protection.

Impact:

• Prototype Pollution: Significantly reduces risk.
• ReDoS: Reduces risk.
• Locale-Related Issues: Reduces risk.
• Other Unknown Vulnerabilities: Best possible protection.

Currently Implemented:

• dayjs and AdvancedFormat plugin are updated in frontend/package.json.
• Dependabot checks weekly.

Missing Implementation:

• backend service uses an older dayjs version; Dependabot is not configured.
• No automated checks for CustomParseFormat plugin updates in the reporting module.

Mitigation Strategy: Object Freezing (After dayjs Interaction)

Description:

1. Identify Critical Objects: Identify crucial objects.

2. Freeze After dayjs: After dayjs operations that might interact with these objects, use Object.freeze().

3. Example:

   const config = { /* ... */ };
   // ... dayjs operations ...
   Object.freeze(config);

Threats Mitigated:

• Prototype Pollution (High Severity): Limits the impact.

Impact:

• Prototype Pollution: Medium impact (defense-in-depth).

Currently Implemented:

• Object.freeze() on the main application configuration.

Missing Implementation:

• Utility functions in backend should consider Object.freeze().

Mitigation Strategy: Careful Plugin Selection and Review

Description:

1. Minimize Plugin Use: Only use plugins when necessary.
2. Prioritize Well-Maintained Plugins: Choose actively maintained plugins with a good reputation.
3. Review Plugin Code: If possible, review the plugin's source code.
4. Monitor for Plugin Vulnerabilities: Stay informed about vulnerabilities.

Threats Mitigated:

• Prototype Pollution (High Severity): Reduces risk from plugin vulnerabilities.
• Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) (Medium Severity): Reduces risk.
• Other Plugin-Specific Vulnerabilities (Variable Severity): Reduces risk.

Impact:

• Prototype Pollution: Medium to High, depending on the plugin.
• ReDoS: Medium to High, depending on the plugin.
• Other: Variable.

Currently Implemented:

• Approved plugin list.
• New plugins require review.

Missing Implementation:

• Custom dayjs plugin in reporting needs a security review.

Mitigation Strategy: Timeout Mechanisms for dayjs Parsing

Description:

1. Identify Parsing Operations: Find where dayjs parses untrusted strings.

2. Wrap in Timeout Function: Wrap the dayjs parsing with a timeout (using Promise and setTimeout).

3. Handle Timeout: Reject the Promise and handle the error if the timeout is reached.

4. Example:

   function parseDateWithTimeout(dateString, timeoutMs) {
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
       const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
         reject(new Error('Date parsing timed out'));
       }, timeoutMs);
   
       try {
         const parsedDate = dayjs(dateString); // Direct dayjs call
         clearTimeout(timeoutId);
         resolve(parsedDate);
       } catch (error) {
         clearTimeout(timeoutId);
         reject(error);
       }
     });
   }

Threats Mitigated:

• Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) (Medium Severity): Prevents hangs.

Impact:

• ReDoS: High impact.

Currently Implemented:

• Timeout for parsing user-uploaded CSV files in reporting.

Missing Implementation:

• No timeout for /api/events date parameters.

Mitigation Strategy: Explicit and Consistent Timezone Handling with dayjs.tz

Description:

1. Use tz Plugin: Always use dayjs.tz for timezone-aware operations.
2. Specify Timezones Explicitly: Never rely on implicit conversions. Always specify the timezone.
3. Use UTC Internally: Store and process in UTC. Convert to local timezones only for display.
4. Validate Timezone Input: Validate user-provided timezones.
5. Example:

   const nowUTC = dayjs.utc(); // Explicit UTC
   const userTimezone = getUserTimezone();
   const nowUserLocal = nowUTC.tz(userTimezone); // Explicit conversion
   const formattedDate = nowUserLocal.format('YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss z');

Threats Mitigated:

• Timezone-Related Data Inconsistencies (Medium Severity): Ensures correctness.
• Potential Security Vulnerabilities (Low Severity): Reduces risk.

Impact:

• Data Inconsistencies: High impact.
• Security Vulnerabilities: Low impact.

Currently Implemented:

• backend uses UTC.
• frontend uses dayjs.tz.

Missing Implementation:

• reporting module inconsistently handles timezones.