mitigations.md

Mitigation Strategies Analysis for heartcombo/devise

Mitigation Strategy: Implement Strong Password Policies

• Description:
  1. Set Password Length Requirement: Configure config.password_length in config/initializers/devise.rb to enforce a minimum password length using Devise's built-in setting.
  2. Implement Password Complexity Validation: Utilize custom validators in your User model (app/models/user.rb) or integrate gems like zxcvbn-ruby to enforce character complexity, leveraging Devise's validation framework.
  3. Provide User Feedback: Ensure registration and password change forms display password complexity requirements, guiding users within the Devise views.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Brute-force password attacks (High Severity)
  • Dictionary attacks (High Severity)
  • Password guessing (Medium Severity)
• Impact:
  • Significantly reduces brute-force and dictionary attack effectiveness.
  • Moderately reduces password guessing risk.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, password length is set in config/initializers/devise.rb. Custom validator for complexity is implemented in app/models/user.rb.
• Missing Implementation: N/A

Mitigation Strategy: Implement Rate Limiting for Login Attempts

• Description:
  1. Install Rate Limiting Gem: Integrate rack-attack or devise-security-extension to protect Devise login routes.
  2. Configure Rate Limiting Rules: Define rules in config/initializers/rack_attack.rb (or gem-specific config) to limit login attempts based on IP or username, specifically targeting Devise's session creation endpoint.
  3. Implement Response Handling: Configure responses for rate-limited requests, ensuring they are appropriate for the Devise authentication flow.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Brute-force password attacks (High Severity)
  • Credential stuffing attacks (High Severity)
  • Denial of Service (DoS) attacks (Medium Severity) targeting authentication.
• Impact:
  • Significantly reduces brute-force and credential stuffing effectiveness against Devise authentication.
  • Moderately reduces DoS impact on the login system.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, rack-attack is implemented and configured in config/initializers/rack_attack.rb to limit login attempts per IP address on Devise routes.
• Missing Implementation: N/A

Mitigation Strategy: Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

• Description:
  1. Install 2FA Gem: Integrate devise-two-factor or devise-otp to extend Devise with 2FA capabilities.
  2. Configure 2FA Methods: Configure supported 2FA methods within the chosen Devise 2FA gem.
  3. Implement User Interface: Develop UI elements within Devise views for users to manage 2FA in their account settings.
  4. Enforce 2FA (Optional): Optionally enforce 2FA for users managed by Devise, potentially based on roles defined within Devise.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Account takeover (High Severity) even with compromised Devise passwords.
  • Phishing attacks (Medium Severity) targeting Devise logins.
  • Man-in-the-middle attacks (Medium Severity) affecting Devise sessions.
• Impact:
  • Significantly reduces account takeover risk for Devise users.
  • Moderately reduces phishing and MITM attack impact on Devise authentication.
• Currently Implemented: No, 2FA is not currently implemented for Devise users.
• Missing Implementation: 2FA implementation is missing across the Devise user authentication flow, requiring integration with Devise models, controllers, and views.

Mitigation Strategy: Secure Password Reset Process

• Description:
  1. Review Devise's :recoverable Module Configuration: Ensure Devise's default :recoverable module is enabled and configured correctly in the User model, verifying default settings are secure.
  2. Implement Rate Limiting for Password Reset Requests: Apply rate limiting to Devise's password reset request endpoint using rack-attack or similar.
  3. Set Token Expiration Time: Configure config.reset_password_within in config/initializers/devise.rb to set a reasonable expiration for Devise password reset tokens.
  4. Consider Email Verification: Implement email verification within the Devise password reset flow to confirm user identity before password change.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Account takeover via password reset vulnerability (High Severity) in Devise's :recoverable module.
  • Password reset abuse (Medium Severity) targeting Devise users.
• Impact:
  • Significantly reduces account takeover risk through Devise password reset vulnerabilities.
  • Moderately reduces password reset abuse.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, Devise's :recoverable module is enabled. Password reset functionality is working using Devise defaults.
• Missing Implementation: Rate limiting for Devise password reset requests is missing. Email verification in Devise password reset is also not implemented.

Mitigation Strategy: Implement Session Timeout

• Description:
  1. Enable Devise's :timeoutable Module: Ensure Devise's :timeoutable module is enabled in the User model for Devise-managed sessions.
  2. Configure Timeout Duration: Set config.timeout_in in config/initializers/devise.rb to configure the session timeout for Devise sessions.
  3. Implement Timeout Warning (Optional): Consider a timeout warning within the application UI for Devise users before session expiration.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Session hijacking (Medium Severity) of Devise sessions.
  • Unauthorized access due to unattended Devise sessions (Medium Severity).
• Impact:
  • Moderately reduces session hijacking risk for Devise sessions.
  • Moderately reduces unauthorized access due to unattended Devise sessions.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, Devise's :timeoutable module is enabled and config.timeout_in is set in config/initializers/devise.rb.
• Missing Implementation: N/A

Mitigation Strategy: Implement Account Confirmation

• Description:
  1. Enable Devise's :confirmable Module: Ensure Devise's :confirmable module is enabled in the User model for Devise registrations.
  2. Customize Confirmation Emails: Customize confirmation emails sent by Devise to align with application branding and clarity.
  3. Handle Confirmation Token Expiration: Be aware of Devise's default confirmation token expiration and adjust if necessary.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Spam account creation (Low Severity) within Devise registrations.
  • Unverified email addresses (Low Severity) for Devise users.
• Impact:
  • Minimally reduces spam account creation in Devise.
  • Minimally improves data quality of Devise user emails.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, Devise's :confirmable module is enabled in the User model.
• Missing Implementation: N/A

Mitigation Strategy: Implement Account Lockout

• Description:
  1. Enable Devise's :lockable Module: Ensure Devise's :lockable module is enabled in the User model to protect Devise accounts.
  2. Configure Lockout Strategy: Configure lockout parameters in config/initializers/devise.rb such as config.maximum_attempts and config.lock_strategy for Devise accounts.
  3. Provide Unlock Instructions: Ensure clear unlock instructions are provided to users locked out by Devise, potentially leveraging Devise's unlock mechanisms.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Brute-force password attacks (Medium Severity) against Devise accounts.
  • Credential stuffing attacks (Medium Severity) targeting Devise logins.
• Impact:
  • Moderately reduces brute-force and credential stuffing effectiveness against Devise accounts.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, Devise's :lockable module is enabled and configured in config/initializers/devise.rb.
• Missing Implementation: N/A

Mitigation Strategy: Securely Customize Devise Controllers and Views

• Description:
  1. Thoroughly Review Customizations: When overriding Devise controllers or views, meticulously review and test customizations for security vulnerabilities introduced in the custom code.
  2. Maintain Devise Security Features: Ensure customizations do not inadvertently weaken or disable Devise's built-in security features.
  3. Apply Secure Coding Practices: Follow secure coding practices when implementing custom logic within Devise controllers and views.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Introduction of new vulnerabilities (High to Critical Severity) through insecure custom Devise code.
  • Weakening of Devise's inherent security (Medium Severity) due to misconfiguration or insecure overrides.
• Impact:
  • Potentially prevents introduction of critical vulnerabilities in Devise customizations.
  • Maintains the intended security level of Devise.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, we follow code review processes for all code changes including Devise customizations.
• Missing Implementation: N/A - Ongoing process.

Mitigation Strategy: Carefully Evaluate and Audit Devise Extensions

• Description:
  1. Security Evaluation: Before using any Devise extension gems, carefully evaluate their security implications and potential vulnerabilities.
  2. Code Auditing: Audit the code of Devise extensions, especially those from less reputable sources, for potential security flaws.
  3. Maintain Updates: Ensure used Devise extensions are actively maintained and updated to patch any discovered vulnerabilities.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Vulnerabilities introduced by insecure Devise extensions (High to Critical Severity).
  • Compromise through backdoors or malicious code in extensions (High Severity).
• Impact:
  • Prevents introduction of vulnerabilities from Devise extensions.
  • Reduces risk of using malicious extensions.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, we have a policy to review and approve all new gems, including Devise extensions, before integration.
• Missing Implementation: N/A - Ongoing process.

Mitigation Strategy: Keep Devise and Dependencies Up-to-Date

• Description:
  1. Regular Updates: Regularly update Devise and its dependencies (Rails, Ruby, gems) to the latest stable versions.
  2. Security Monitoring: Monitor security advisories specifically for Devise and its dependencies.
  3. Prompt Patching: Apply security patches and updates for Devise and dependencies promptly upon release.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Known vulnerabilities in Devise and dependencies (High to Critical Severity).
• Impact:
  • Significantly reduces exploitation risk of known Devise and dependency vulnerabilities.
• Currently Implemented: Yes, we have a process for regularly updating gems and monitoring for security updates as part of our maintenance cycle, including Devise.
• Missing Implementation: N/A - Ongoing process.