mitigations.md

Mitigation Strategies Analysis for videojs/video.js

Mitigation Strategy: Strict Plugin Vetting and Management (Video.js Specific Aspects)

• Mitigation Strategy: Strict Plugin Vetting and Management (Video.js Specific Aspects)

  • Description:

    1. Whitelist Approved Plugins: Maintain a list of explicitly allowed Video.js plugins. This list should only include plugins from trusted sources (official Video.js plugins, well-known and reputable community developers).
    2. Video.js API Usage Review: Within the source code review of plugins (and your own custom Video.js code), pay specific attention to how the Video.js API is used. Look for:
       • player.src() Misuse: Ensure that the player.src() method (or any method that sets the video source) is not using untrusted or user-supplied data directly without proper validation and sanitization. This is a potential injection point.
       • Event Listener Security: Carefully review any event listeners added to the Video.js player (e.g., player.on('loadedmetadata', ...)). Ensure that the event handler functions do not use unsanitized data from the event object or other sources in a way that could lead to XSS.
       • Custom UI Component Handling: If the plugin creates custom UI components within the player, ensure that any data displayed in these components is properly sanitized.
       • Plugin Options: If the plugin accepts configuration options, review how these options are used. Ensure that options that could affect security (e.g., allowing custom HTML) are handled securely.
    3. Dependency Management (npm/yarn): Use a package manager to manage Video.js and plugin versions. This allows for easy updates and ensures you're using known versions.
    4. Regular Updates (via package manager): Regularly update Video.js and all plugins to their latest versions using the package manager. This is critical for patching security vulnerabilities.
    5. Removal of Unused Plugins/Features: Disable or remove any Video.js plugins or features that are not actively used in your application. This reduces the attack surface.

  • Threats Mitigated:

    • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via Malicious Plugins: (Severity: Critical) - Prevents execution of arbitrary JavaScript injected through a compromised or malicious plugin, specifically targeting how the plugin interacts with the Video.js API.
    • Data Exfiltration via Malicious Plugins: (Severity: High) - Reduces the risk of a plugin using the Video.js API to access and send sensitive data to an attacker.
    • Video Source Manipulation: (Severity: High) - Prevents attackers from injecting malicious video sources via the player.src() method or similar.

  • Impact:

    • XSS: Significantly reduces the risk by focusing on the specific ways plugins can introduce XSS through the Video.js API.
    • Data Exfiltration: Significantly reduces the risk by limiting how plugins can interact with potentially sensitive data through the Video.js API.
    • Video Source Manipulation: Significantly reduces the risk by ensuring proper validation and sanitization of video sources set through Video.js.

  • Currently Implemented:

    • Package manager (npm) is used for Video.js and plugin management.
    • Video.js and plugins are updated manually on a monthly basis.

  • Missing Implementation:

    • Formal whitelist of approved plugins is not established.
    • Comprehensive source code review, specifically focusing on Video.js API usage, is not consistently performed.
    • Automated update process is not in place.
    • Documentation of plugin security reviews and Video.js API usage is lacking.
    • Regular review and removal of unused plugins/features is not a standard practice.

Mitigation Strategy: Metadata Sanitization within Video.js Context

• Mitigation Strategy: Metadata Sanitization within Video.js Context

  • Description:

    1. Identify Metadata Display Points: Within your Video.js implementation (including custom plugins), identify all places where video metadata (title, description, captions, custom data) is displayed to the user. This includes:
       • Using the player.title() method.
       • Customizing the control bar or other UI elements to display metadata.
       • Using plugin-specific methods for displaying metadata.
    2. Sanitize Before Display: Before passing any metadata to Video.js methods or displaying it within custom UI elements, sanitize it using a robust HTML sanitization library (like DOMPurify). This should be done within your JavaScript code that interacts with Video.js.

       // Example using DOMPurify and player.title()
       const dirtyTitle = "<script>alert('XSS')</script>Malicious Title";
       const cleanTitle = DOMPurify.sanitize(dirtyTitle);
       player.title(cleanTitle);
       
       // Example with a custom UI element
       const dirtyDescription = "<img src=x onerror=alert('XSS')>Bad Description";
       const cleanDescription = DOMPurify.sanitize(dirtyDescription);
       document.getElementById('video-description').textContent = cleanDescription; // Use textContent for safety

    3. Prefer textContent: When setting text-only content within Video.js UI elements (where HTML is not expected), use the .textContent property instead of .innerHTML. This provides automatic escaping.
    4. Test with Malicious Payloads: Specifically test your Video.js integration with various XSS payloads embedded in metadata to ensure the sanitization is effective.

  • Threats Mitigated:

    • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via Video Metadata (within Video.js): (Severity: High) - Prevents the execution of malicious JavaScript embedded in video metadata that is displayed through Video.js or its plugins.

  • Impact:

    • XSS: Significantly reduces the risk. Proper sanitization within the Video.js context eliminates the possibility of injecting executable code through metadata handled by Video.js.

  • Currently Implemented:

    • Basic escaping is used in some places when setting the video title, but a dedicated sanitization library is not used consistently across all metadata display points.

  • Missing Implementation:

    • A robust sanitization library (like DOMPurify) needs to be integrated and used consistently for all metadata displayed through Video.js or its plugins.
    • Thorough testing with various XSS payloads, specifically targeting the Video.js integration, is required.

Mitigation Strategy: Secure Handling of Video Source (within Video.js)

• Mitigation Strategy: Secure Handling of Video Source (within Video.js)

  • Description:

    1. Validate Input to player.src(): If you are allowing users to input video URLs (which is generally discouraged), strictly validate and sanitize the input before passing it to the player.src() method (or any other method that sets the video source). This validation should:
       • Check the URL format.
       • Potentially restrict the allowed protocols (e.g., only allow https://).
       • Potentially restrict the allowed domains (whitelist).
    2. Prefer Server-Side Source Control: The best approach is to avoid allowing users to directly input video URLs. Instead, have the server provide the video source to Video.js. This allows for much stronger control and validation.
    3. Escape URL Components: If you must construct URLs dynamically on the client-side, ensure that all URL components are properly escaped using encodeURIComponent().

  • Threats Mitigated:

    • Video Source Manipulation (leading to XSS or other attacks): (Severity: High) - Prevents attackers from injecting malicious video sources (e.g., pointing to a file containing JavaScript) via the player.src() method.

  • Impact:

    • Video Source Manipulation: Significantly reduces the risk by ensuring that only validated and sanitized URLs are passed to Video.js.

  • Currently Implemented:

    • Video sources are primarily controlled server-side.

  • Missing Implementation:

    • There are a few minor instances where user-provided data (e.g., from a query parameter) might be used to construct part of a video URL. These instances need to be reviewed and secured with proper validation and escaping.