vulnerabilities-workflow-1.md

Here is the combined list of vulnerabilities, formatted as markdown:

Combined Vulnerability List:

This document consolidates identified vulnerabilities from the provided lists, removing duplicates and presenting them in a structured format.

1. Insecure Debug Mode Enabled with Hardcoded Secret Key in Django Settings

• Vulnerability Name: Insecure Debug Mode Enabled with Hardcoded Secret Key in Django Settings

• Description: The Django project configuration in t/proj/settings.py is set to development mode. This is indicated by:

  1. A hardcoded secret key: SECRET_KEY = 'u($kbs9$irs0)436gbo9%!b&#zyd&70tx!n7!i&fl6qun@z1_l'
  2. Debug mode enabled: DEBUG = True
  3. An empty allowed hosts list: ALLOWED_HOSTS = []

  When debug mode is enabled (DEBUG = True), Django provides detailed error pages when an error occurs in the application. An external attacker can intentionally trigger an error (e.g., by requesting a non-existent URL) to view these debug pages. These pages contain sensitive information including: internal configuration details, the hardcoded secret key, stack traces, and other debugging data. This exposure can significantly aid attackers in understanding the application's internals and planning further attacks.

• Impact:

  • Exposure of sensitive system configuration details and internal application workings.
  • Leakage of the secret key, which is critical for Django's security. Compromising the secret key allows attackers to perform session hijacking, forge cryptographic signatures, and potentially gain unauthorized access to the application.
  • Full insight into application internals gained from debug information can significantly lower the barrier for more sophisticated exploitation attempts.

• Vulnerability Rank: Critical

• Currently Implemented Mitigations:

  • None. The provided settings file directly enables debug mode and hardcodes the secret key without any runtime modifications or overrides.

• Missing Mitigations:

  • Disable Debug Mode in Production: Set DEBUG = False in production environments. Debug mode should only be enabled in development or testing environments.
  • Secure Secret Key Management: The secret key should not be hardcoded. Instead, it should be:
    • Loaded from a secure environment variable.
    • Generated randomly during deployment and stored securely (e.g., using a secrets management system).
  • Configure ALLOWED_HOSTS: Populate the ALLOWED_HOSTS setting with a list of explicit hostnames or domains that the Django application is intended to serve. This prevents host header attacks and ensures the application only responds to legitimate requests.

• Preconditions:

  • The Django application is deployed with the vulnerable settings file (t/proj/settings.py) in a production or publicly accessible environment.
  • The deployed instance is reachable by external attackers over the internet or an untrusted network.

• Source Code Analysis:

  • /code/t/proj/settings.py:

    SECRET_KEY = 'u($kbs9$irs0)436gbo9%!b&#zyd&70tx!n7!i&fl6qun@z1_l'
    DEBUG = True
    ALLOWED_HOSTS = []

    These lines directly configure the application with debug mode enabled and a hardcoded secret key. When DEBUG is True, Django's error handling middleware will generate detailed HTML error pages for any unhandled exceptions. These pages expose a significant amount of debugging information, including settings, environment variables, and stack traces.

• Security Test Case:

  1. Deploy Application: Deploy the Django application using the provided Docker configuration or any other method that utilizes the t/proj/settings.py file. Ensure the application is publicly accessible.
  2. Trigger Error: Open a web browser and navigate to a URL of the deployed application that is intentionally designed to cause a 404 error or any other server-side error (e.g., http://<your-domain>/nonexistent-page).
  3. Inspect Error Page: Examine the rendered error page in the browser.
     • Check for Stack Trace: Verify if a detailed Python stack trace is visible, showing the execution path leading to the error.
     • Check for Settings Information: Look for sections in the error page that display Django settings or environment variables. Specifically, try to locate the SECRET_KEY value within the displayed settings.
  4. Confirm Vulnerability: If the error page displays a detailed stack trace and reveals sensitive settings information, including the SECRET_KEY, the vulnerability is confirmed. This indicates that debug mode is enabled in a publicly accessible environment, posing a significant security risk.

2. Default Credentials in Docker Setup

• Vulnerability Name: Default Credentials in Docker Setup

• Description: The Docker configuration provided for the Django application includes the setup of default credentials for both the PostgreSQL database and the Django admin superuser. This is achieved through:

  1. Hardcoded PostgreSQL Password: In /code/docker/base/Dockerfile, the PostgreSQL database password is hardcoded directly into the Django settings file during the Docker image build process:

     RUN echo 'DATABASES = {"default": {"ENGINE": "django.db.backends.postgresql", "NAME": "postgres", "USER": "postgres","PASSWORD": "s3cr3t", "HOST": "postgres", "PORT": 5432}}' >> mysite/settings.py

     This sets the default PostgreSQL password to s3cr3t.
  2. Default Django Admin Superuser Credentials: In /code/docker/django/entrypoint.sh, a Django admin superuser is automatically created with the username admin and password admin every time the Django container starts:

     python3 manage.py createsuperuserwithpassword \
             --username admin \
             --password admin \
             --email [email protected] \
             --preserve

  These default credentials are highly insecure and predictable. If the Docker containers are deployed in a publicly accessible environment or are reachable from an untrusted network, attackers can exploit these default credentials to gain unauthorized access to both the database and the Django admin panel.

• Impact:

  • PostgreSQL Database Breach: Attackers can gain unauthorized access to the PostgreSQL database using the default credentials (username: postgres, password: s3cr3t). This allows them to:
    • Read sensitive data stored in the database.
    • Modify or delete data, leading to data integrity issues or data loss.
    • Potentially gain further access to the underlying system depending on database configurations and permissions.
  • Django Admin Panel Takeover: Attackers can log in to the Django admin panel using the default superuser credentials (username: admin, password: admin). This grants full administrative control over the Django application, enabling them to:
    • Modify application data, including scheduled tasks in django-celery-beat.
    • Create, modify, or delete users and permissions.
    • Alter application configurations, potentially leading to further vulnerabilities or complete application compromise.

• Vulnerability Rank: Critical

• Currently Implemented Mitigations:

  • None. The Dockerfiles explicitly configure these default credentials as part of the image build and container startup processes. There are no mechanisms in place to prevent or mitigate the use of these default credentials.

• Missing Mitigations:

  • Remove Default PostgreSQL Password from Dockerfile: The hardcoded PostgreSQL password s3cr3t should be removed from /code/docker/base/Dockerfile. Database credentials should be configured using environment variables instead, allowing for secure and dynamic credential injection at runtime.
  • Disable Default Django Admin Superuser Creation: The automatic creation of the Django admin superuser with default credentials in /code/docker/django/entrypoint.sh should be removed or disabled in production deployments. A secure setup process should be documented, instructing users to create an admin user with a strong password as part of their deployment process, ideally after the application is deployed and running.
  • Use Environment Variables for Credentials: Implement the use of environment variables for all sensitive credentials, including database passwords and potentially admin user credentials if automatic creation is desired in non-production environments. This allows for separation of configuration from code and facilitates secure credential management.
  • Enforce Strong Password Policies: Implement and enforce strong password policies for all user accounts, especially administrative accounts. This includes minimum password length, complexity requirements, and regular password rotation.

• Preconditions:

  • The application is deployed using the provided Docker configuration without modifying the default credentials.
  • The Docker containers (especially the Django and PostgreSQL services) are publicly accessible or accessible from an untrusted network, allowing attackers to attempt connections to the database and admin panel.

• Source Code Analysis:

  1. /code/docker/base/Dockerfile:

     RUN echo 'DATABASES = {"default": {"ENGINE": "django.db.backends.postgresql", "NAME": "postgres", "USER": "postgres","PASSWORD": "s3cr3t", "HOST": "postgres", "PORT": 5432}}' >> mysite/settings.py

     This line in the Dockerfile directly embeds the hardcoded password s3cr3t into the Django settings.py file during the Docker image build process. This means that every instance of the Docker image will be configured with this default database password.

  2. /code/docker/django/entrypoint.sh:

     python3 manage.py createsuperuserwithpassword --username admin --password admin --email [email protected] --preserve

     This script, executed when the Django container starts, automatically creates a Django superuser named admin with the password admin. The --preserve flag ensures that if an admin user already exists, it will not be recreated, but if no admin user exists, it will be created with these default credentials. This guarantees the existence of an admin account with these default credentials in new deployments.

• Security Test Case:

  1. Build Docker Image: Build the Docker image using docker-compose build django from the project root directory containing docker-compose.yml.
  2. Run Docker Containers: Run the Docker containers in detached mode using docker-compose up -d django. This will start the Django and PostgreSQL containers.
  3. Test Django Admin Login:
     • Access the Django admin panel in a web browser by navigating to http://<your-public-ip>:<exposed-django-port>/admin/ (replace <your-public-ip> with the public IP address of your server and <exposed-django-port> with the port mapping defined for the Django service in docker-compose.yml, which defaults to 58000).
     • Attempt to log in using the following credentials:
       • Username: admin
       • Password: admin
     • If the login is successful, you have confirmed the vulnerability related to default Django admin credentials.
  4. Test PostgreSQL Database Connection:
     • To test the PostgreSQL default password, you need to connect to the PostgreSQL database externally. This might require configuring port forwarding or using docker exec to enter the PostgreSQL container.
     • Using a PostgreSQL client (e.g., psql command-line tool or a GUI client like pgAdmin) from a system that has network access to the Docker host, attempt to connect to the PostgreSQL server using the following credentials:
       • Host: <your-public-ip> or localhost if port forwarding is set up to your local machine.
       • Port: 5432 (default PostgreSQL port, exposed in docker-compose.yml).
       • Database: postgres
       • User: postgres
       • Password: s3cr3t
     • If the connection is successful, you have confirmed the vulnerability related to the default PostgreSQL password. You should be able to execute SQL commands and access the database contents.