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Attack Surface Analysis for ankane/chartkick

Attack Surface: Client-Side JavaScript Injection (XSS)

  • Description: Malicious JavaScript code is injected into the web page through chart data or options and executed in the user's browser.
  • Chartkick Contribution: Chartkick renders charts client-side using JavaScript libraries. It directly processes data and configuration options provided by the application and embeds them into the rendered chart. If this data is not properly sanitized, Chartkick becomes the vector for XSS.
  • Example:
    • An application uses user-provided text as chart labels via Chartkick.
    • An attacker crafts a malicious label like "My Label <img src=x onerror=alert('XSS')>" and submits it.
    • Chartkick, without proper sanitization by the application, renders this label directly into the HTML, causing the malicious JavaScript to execute when the chart is displayed.
  • Impact: Account compromise, session hijacking, data theft, website defacement, redirection to malicious sites, malware distribution.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Strict Data Sanitization: Crucially sanitize all data that will be used in Chartkick charts before passing it to Chartkick. This includes chart labels, tooltips, data point values, and any configurable options that accept string inputs. Use robust server-side HTML escaping functions provided by your framework or language (e.g., ERB::Util.html_escape in Ruby on Rails, or equivalent in other languages).
    • Context-Aware Output Encoding: Ensure that output encoding is applied correctly based on the context where the data is being used within the chart (e.g., HTML escaping for labels, potentially JavaScript escaping if data is dynamically inserted into JavaScript code by Chartkick - though less common in typical Chartkick usage, still consider).
    • Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a strong Content Security Policy to mitigate the impact of XSS vulnerabilities. CSP can restrict the sources from which the browser can load resources and limit the actions that malicious scripts can perform, even if injected.

Attack Surface: Dependency Vulnerabilities (JavaScript Libraries)

  • Description: Chartkick relies on external JavaScript charting libraries (like Chart.js, Highcharts, or Google Charts). Vulnerabilities in these direct dependencies of Chartkick can be exploited through applications using Chartkick.
  • Chartkick Contribution: Chartkick's functionality is directly built upon these JavaScript libraries. If Chartkick includes or depends on vulnerable versions of these libraries, applications using Chartkick are inherently exposed to those vulnerabilities. Chartkick acts as a conduit, inheriting the security posture of its dependencies.
  • Example:
    • Chart.js, a common library used by Chartkick, has a publicly disclosed critical XSS vulnerability in a specific version range.
    • If an application uses a Chartkick version that depends on this vulnerable Chart.js version, the application becomes vulnerable to this known XSS issue, even if the application code itself is otherwise secure regarding chart data handling.
  • Impact: Depending on the vulnerability in the dependency, impacts can range from XSS (as in the example), to Denial of Service (DoS), or potentially even Remote Code Execution (in less common but possible scenarios for complex JavaScript vulnerabilities).
  • Risk Severity: High to Critical (Severity depends on the specific vulnerability in the dependency library. XSS is High, RCE would be Critical).
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Aggressive Dependency Updates: Prioritize keeping Chartkick gem updated to the latest version. Chartkick updates often include updates to its JavaScript dependencies to address known vulnerabilities.
    • Dependency Auditing and Monitoring: Regularly audit your project's dependencies, specifically including Chartkick's JavaScript library dependencies. Use tools like bundler-audit for Ruby gems and npm audit or yarn audit (if using Node.js for asset management) to identify known vulnerabilities in JavaScript dependencies.
    • Dependency Version Locking and Management: Use dependency management tools (like Bundler for Ruby) to explicitly specify and lock down dependency versions. This ensures consistent builds and allows for controlled updates. When updating dependencies, carefully review changelogs and security advisories for Chartkick and its JavaScript library dependencies.
    • Consider Subresource Integrity (SRI): If you are directly including Chartkick's JavaScript dependencies from CDNs (though less common with gem-based asset management), consider using Subresource Integrity (SRI) to ensure that the browser only executes JavaScript files that match a known cryptographic hash, preventing tampering or serving of malicious versions from compromised CDNs. However, with Chartkick gem, asset pipeline usually handles this, but be mindful if customizing asset loading.