Description: Attackers might access sensitive data like database credentials or API keys by exploiting misconfigured or exposed Laminas MVC configuration files. This can occur due to web server misconfiguration, accidental exposure in version control, or insufficient file permissions.
Impact: Confidentiality breach, full system compromise if credentials are exposed, data breaches, unauthorized access to backend systems.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: Configuration system (autoloading, module configuration files)
Risk Severity: Critical
Mitigation Strategies:
- Store sensitive configuration outside the web root.
- Use environment variables or secure vault solutions for sensitive data.
- Implement strict file permissions on configuration files.
- Exclude sensitive configuration files from version control.
- Regularly audit configuration files for exposed secrets.
Description: Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities arising from incorrect Laminas MVC configuration settings. For example, enabling debug mode in production exposes sensitive error details, or insecure routing grants unintended access to application areas.
Impact: Information disclosure (debug mode), unauthorized access to application areas (routing), weakened security posture leading to further exploits.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: Configuration system, Routing
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
- Maintain separate configurations for development, staging, and production environments.
- Thoroughly review and test configuration changes before production deployment.
- Implement automated configuration validation and security checks.
- Adhere to security best practices and framework configuration recommendations.
Threat: Insecure Route Definitions
Description: Attackers can exploit overly permissive or poorly designed route definitions in module.config.php to gain unintended access to controllers and actions. This allows bypassing intended access controls and reaching sensitive functionalities.
Impact: Unauthorized access to application features, potential data manipulation, privilege escalation, and access to administrative functionalities.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: Routing component, module.config.php
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
- Define routes with the principle of least privilege, exposing only necessary endpoints.
- Carefully review route regular expressions and parameters for unintended matches.
- Use route constraints to restrict allowed parameter values.
- Implement authorization checks within controllers as a secondary access control layer.
Threat: Unprotected Actions
Description: Attackers can access controller actions that lack proper authorization checks. If actions intended for specific roles or authenticated users are not protected, unauthorized users can execute them.
Impact: Unauthorized access to application functionalities, potential data manipulation, privilege escalation, and access to sensitive operations.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: Controllers, Action methods, Authentication/Authorization system
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
- Implement robust authentication and authorization mechanisms.
- Use Laminas MVC's authentication/authorization components or integrate external libraries.
- Apply authorization checks at the controller action level.
- Adopt a "deny by default" access control approach.
Description: Attackers can inject template code into views if user-controlled input is directly embedded without proper escaping. This code executes on the server, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.
Impact: Full server compromise, data breaches, denial of service, and complete control over the application and server.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: View layer, Template engine (e.g., Twig, PhpRenderer), View scripts
Risk Severity: Critical
Mitigation Strategies:
- Use template engines with built-in SSTI protection (like Twig with default settings).
- Avoid directly embedding user input into templates without escaping.
- Utilize template engine's escaping mechanisms to sanitize user input.
- Regularly review templates for potential SSTI vulnerabilities.
Description: Attackers can inject malicious scripts into rendered HTML if output escaping is not correctly implemented in Laminas MVC views. These scripts execute in users' browsers, enabling cookie theft, session hijacking, and other malicious actions.
Impact: Client-side attacks, user account compromise, data theft, defacement of the website, and malware distribution.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: View layer, View scripts, View Helpers
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
- Always use proper output escaping when displaying user-generated content in views.
- Utilize Laminas MVC's view helpers or template engine's escaping functions.
- Choose appropriate escaping strategies based on context (HTML, JavaScript, URL).
- Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) to further mitigate XSS.
Description: Attackers can forge requests on behalf of authenticated users if CSRF protection is missing in Laminas MVC forms. This allows them to perform unauthorized actions if a user is tricked into interacting with a malicious link or site.
Impact: Unauthorized state-changing actions, data manipulation, account compromise, and potential financial loss.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: Forms, Form component, CSRF protection features
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
- Enable and configure CSRF protection for all state-changing forms.
- Utilize Laminas MVC's CSRF form element or integrate CSRF libraries.
- Ensure proper CSRF token generation, validation, and handling.
Description: Attackers can manipulate fields they are not intended to modify if form data is directly used to update entities without proper filtering or validation in Laminas MVC applications. This is a mass assignment vulnerability.
Impact: Data corruption, unauthorized modification of application state, privilege escalation, and potential security breaches.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: Forms, Form component, Input filters, Entity management (if applicable)
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
- Use Laminas MVC's form input filters and validation rules to define allowed fields.
- Avoid directly assigning form data to entities without filtering and validation.
- Implement whitelisting of allowed fields for form submissions.
- Use form data transfer objects (DTOs) to control data flow.
Threat: Inadequate Input Validation
Description: Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities like SQL Injection, XSS, or command injection if user input is not properly validated across all entry points in a Laminas MVC application, especially when not utilizing Laminas MVC's input filtering and validation features.
Impact: Wide range of impacts depending on the vulnerability exploited, including data breaches, system compromise, code execution, and denial of service.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: Input filters, Validators, Controllers, Forms, all input points
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
- Implement input validation for all user-supplied data.
- Use Laminas MVC's input filters and validators to define validation rules.
- Apply validation rules consistently throughout the application.
- Sanitize or escape user input before using it in sensitive contexts.
Threat: Bypass of Input Filters
Description: Attackers can find ways to circumvent Laminas MVC input validation filters due to misconfiguration or logic errors in filter definitions or application code. This allows them to inject malicious data despite intended filtering mechanisms.
Impact: Input validation bypass can lead to various vulnerabilities that the filters were intended to prevent, such as SQL Injection, XSS, etc.
Affected Laminas MVC Component: Input filters, Validators, Controller logic, Form configuration
Risk Severity: High
Mitigation Strategies:
- Thoroughly test input validation rules for effectiveness and bypass attempts.
- Regularly review and update input filter definitions.
- Use a layered security approach, combining input validation with other measures.
- Ensure consistent and correct application of input filtering.