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Threat Model Analysis for sortablejs/sortable

Threat: Element Injection (Facilitated by onAdd)

  • Description: While the core vulnerability is server-side, SortableJS's onAdd event provides a direct mechanism for an attacker to attempt to inject a new, unauthorized element into the sortable list. If the application doesn't properly handle the onAdd event and blindly trusts the client-side data, the attacker can introduce malicious content. The attacker would manipulate the DOM before triggering the onAdd event, causing SortableJS to include the injected element.
  • Impact: XSS attacks (if the injected element contains malicious scripts), data corruption, denial of service (if the injected element disrupts application logic), unauthorized data insertion.
  • Sortable Component Affected: onAdd event handler. This is a direct involvement because the onAdd event is specifically designed to handle the addition of elements, and improper handling of this event is the core of the vulnerability.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Server-Side Validation: The server must verify that the user is authorized to add new elements and that the added element's data is valid. Do not blindly accept new elements based on client-side data, especially data originating from the onAdd event.
    • Separate Add/Remove Functionality: Implement separate, well-secured endpoints for adding and removing elements. Don't rely solely on SortableJS events for these actions. This reduces the attack surface.
    • Strict Content Security Policy (CSP): A strong CSP can help mitigate XSS, even if injection occurs.

Threat: Element Data Tampering (via Event Manipulation)

  • Description: An attacker leverages SortableJS's event handlers (like onEnd, onUpdate) to send modified element content to the server. While the server should validate this data, the attacker uses SortableJS's events as the direct vehicle for transmitting the tampered data. The attacker would modify the DOM element's content before the SortableJS event fires, or they might directly manipulate the event object's data (if possible, depending on how the application uses the event data).
  • Impact: Data corruption, injection of malicious content (e.g., XSS), unauthorized modification of application data.
  • Sortable Component Affected: Event handlers (onEnd, onUpdate, and any custom functions that extract data from these events). The vulnerability is in how the application uses these events, making it a direct involvement.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Server-Side Validation: The server must rigorously validate the content of every element received, not just the order. Use strict whitelisting.
    • Minimal Data Transfer: Send only element IDs to the server. The server should retrieve element content from its authoritative source. This significantly reduces the attack surface related to content tampering.
    • Input Sanitization (Server-Side): Sanitize even the element IDs.

Threat: Unauthorized Reordering (Exploiting Event Data)

  • Description: An attacker manipulates the data provided by SortableJS's event handlers (e.g., onEnd, onUpdate) to reorder elements they shouldn't have access to. This relies on the server trusting the client-provided order without proper authorization checks. The attacker directly uses the output of SortableJS (the reordered list) as the attack vector.
  • Impact: Unauthorized modification of data, bypassing access controls, potential for data corruption.
  • Sortable Component Affected: Event handlers that provide order information (onEnd, onUpdate, etc.). The core issue is server-side authorization, but SortableJS's events are the direct means of conveying the unauthorized reordering request.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Server-Side Authorization: The server must independently verify that the user has permission to modify all affected elements. Do not trust the client-provided order without verification.
    • Opaque Identifiers: Use server-generated, non-predictable identifiers.

Threat: Element Deletion (via Event Manipulation)

  • Description: An attacker manipulates the data from SortableJS event handlers (specifically, the list of element IDs returned by toArray() or similar methods) to remove an element's ID before it's sent to the server. This makes SortableJS the direct tool used to initiate the unauthorized deletion. The attacker would modify the array of IDs after the drag-and-drop operation but before the data is sent to the server.
  • Impact: Data loss, disruption of application functionality, unauthorized removal of content.
  • Sortable Component Affected: onEnd, onUpdate, onRemove event handlers, and any custom functions that process the data (especially toArray() or similar).
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Server-Side Validation: The server must verify that the user is authorized to delete any missing elements. Compare the received list of IDs with the known, authorized list.
    • Separate Add/Remove Functionality: Use dedicated, secure endpoints for deletion, separate from SortableJS's reordering functionality.