Attack Surface: Improper TLS/SSL Certificate Validation
Description: Failure to properly validate server certificates during HTTPS connections, allowing Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks.
rxhttp Contribution: rxhttp provides APIs for configuring TLS/SSL, including options that could be misused to disable or weaken certificate validation. It relies on OkHttp for the underlying TLS implementation, inheriting any vulnerabilities present there. This is a direct contribution because the library provides the mechanism for (mis)configuration.
Example: A developer uses setSSLSocketFactory(...) or a similar method with an insecure TrustManager that accepts all certificates, or disables hostname verification using rxhttp methods.
Impact: An attacker can intercept and modify traffic, stealing credentials, session tokens, or injecting malicious data.
Risk Severity: Critical
Mitigation Strategies:
* Use Default Settings: Rely on rxhttp's default TLS/SSL configuration (which should leverage OkHttp's secure defaults).
* Avoid Disabling Validation: Never disable certificate validation or hostname verification in production.
* Certificate Pinning (Carefully): Implement certificate pinning correctly if used, pinning to the public key and having a backup. Use rxhttp methods for pinning if available.
* Regularly Update: Keep rxhttp and its dependencies (especially OkHttp) updated.
* Thorough Testing: Test TLS/SSL configuration with invalid certificates.
Attack Surface: HTTP Request Smuggling/Splitting
Description: Exploiting inconsistencies in how rxhttp (and the underlying OkHttp) handles malformed Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding headers.
rxhttp Contribution: rxhttp relies on OkHttp for HTTP request processing. While rxhttp doesn't directly parse headers, it uses the OkHttp component that does. Vulnerabilities in OkHttp's header parsing are exposed through rxhttp. This is considered direct because the vulnerable component is a core dependency used for all HTTP requests.
Example: An attacker sends a request with conflicting Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding headers. The vulnerability lies within OkHttp, but is triggered by a request made via rxhttp.
Impact: Cache poisoning, request hijacking, bypassing security controls.
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
* Keep Updated: Ensure rxhttp and OkHttp are updated to the latest versions.
* Web Application Firewall (WAF): Use a WAF (this is an external mitigation, but important).
Attack Surface: Deserialization Vulnerabilities
Description: Exploiting vulnerabilities in the libraries used by rxhttp to deserialize responses (e.g., JSON, XML), leading to arbitrary code execution.
rxhttp Contribution: rxhttp uses converter libraries for deserialization. The choice of library and its configuration, directly managed by or through rxhttp, impact the vulnerability. This is a direct contribution because rxhttp provides the mechanism for choosing and configuring the deserializer.
Example: rxhttp is configured to use a vulnerable version of a JSON parsing library, or a custom converter is used that has a deserialization flaw. The attacker sends a crafted JSON payload.
Impact: Remote code execution.
Risk Severity: Critical
Mitigation Strategies:
* Use Secure Deserializers: Ensure rxhttp is configured to use secure and up-to-date deserialization libraries. Check the documentation for recommended converters.
* Avoid Untrusted Data: Be extremely cautious when deserializing data from untrusted sources.
* Input Validation (Before Deserialization): Perform strict input validation before passing data to the deserializer.
* Keep Dependencies Updated: Regularly update rxhttp and all converter libraries.
Attack Surface: Vulnerable Dependencies
Description: rxhttp depends on other libraries (OkHttp, RxJava, converters). Vulnerabilities in these dependencies can be exploited.
rxhttp Contribution: rxhttp's security is directly tied to the security of its dependencies. The choice of dependencies and their versions is a direct aspect of rxhttp.
Example: A vulnerability is discovered in OkHttp that allows for request smuggling. Applications using rxhttp are also vulnerable because rxhttp uses OkHttp.
Impact: Varies (could be High or Critical, depending on the dependency vulnerability).
Risk Severity: High to Critical (depending on the specific vulnerability)
Mitigation Strategies:
* Dependency Scanning: Use software composition analysis (SCA) tools.
* Regular Updates: Keep rxhttp and all of its dependencies updated.
* Monitor Security Advisories: Stay informed about security advisories.