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attack-surface.md

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Attack Surface Analysis for jnunemaker/httparty

Attack Surface: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via Redirection

  • Description: An attacker exploits httparty's default redirect following behavior to make the application request unintended, often internal or protected, resources.
  • httparty Contribution: httparty follows redirects by default (follow_redirects => true), enabling the attack if not properly managed.
  • Example:
    • Application code: HTTParty.get(params[:user_provided_url])
    • Attacker provides: http://attacker.com/redirect?to=http://127.0.0.1:6379 (local Redis instance)
    • httparty follows the redirect and potentially exposes Redis data.
  • Impact: Exposure of internal services, sensitive data (credentials, configuration), potential for remote code execution (RCE).
  • Risk Severity: Critical
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Disable Redirection: Set :follow_redirects => false in httparty options. This is the most secure approach if redirects are not essential.
    • Strict URL Whitelisting: Maintain a whitelist of allowed domains/URLs and strictly enforce it before the request and after any redirects.
    • Safe Redirect Handling (if necessary):
      • Validate the final destination URL after following redirects.
      • Limit the number of redirects (e.g., :max_redirects => 3).
      • Use a robust URL parsing library (e.g., Addressable::URI).

Attack Surface: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via Parameter Injection

  • Description: An attacker manipulates parameters within a URL or request body to control the destination or content of the request made by httparty.
  • httparty Contribution: httparty executes requests based on the provided parameters. If these parameters are constructed from unsanitized user input, httparty becomes the vehicle for the SSRF attack.
  • Example:
    • Application code: HTTParty.get("http://example.com/api?host=#{params[:host]}")
    • Attacker provides: host=internal.server
    • httparty makes a request to the internal server.
  • Impact: Exposure of internal services, sensitive data, potential for RCE.
  • Risk Severity: Critical
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Input Validation and Sanitization: Always validate and sanitize all user-supplied data.
    • Parameterization: Use httparty's built-in parameter handling:
      • GET: HTTParty.get("http://example.com/api", :query => { :host => params[:host] })
      • POST/PUT: Use the :body option with appropriate encoding.
    • Avoid Dynamic URL Construction: Minimize dynamic URL construction based on user input.

Attack Surface: Header Injection

  • Description: An attacker injects malicious HTTP headers into requests made by httparty.
  • httparty Contribution: While httparty offers some protection, if custom headers are built dynamically using unsanitized user input, httparty will include the injected headers in the request.
  • Example:
    • Application code: HTTParty.get("...", :headers => { "X-Custom" => params[:user_input] })
    • Attacker provides: user_input=Value\r\nHost: attacker.com
    • httparty sends the request with the injected Host header.
  • Impact: Varies; can include request smuggling, response splitting, and potentially RCE.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Header Whitelisting: Maintain a whitelist of allowed header names and value patterns.
    • Input Validation: Strictly validate and sanitize user input used in header values. Reject newlines (\r, \n).
    • Use httparty's Header Handling: Always use the :headers option.

Attack Surface: Data Exposure via Insecure Configuration

  • Description: Using httparty with insecure defaults or without explicitly configuring security-related options.
  • httparty Contribution: httparty's default settings might not be secure in all contexts (e.g., SSL verification).
  • Example: Using httparty without explicitly setting :verify => true, potentially allowing a man-in-the-middle attack.
  • Impact: Man-in-the-middle attacks, data breaches.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Explicit Configuration: Always explicitly configure httparty options, especially:
      • :verify => true (SSL/TLS certificate verification)
      • :timeout => [reasonable_value]

Attack Surface: Dependency Vulnerabilities (Directly in httparty)

  • Description: Vulnerabilities within the httparty gem itself.
  • httparty Contribution: The vulnerability exists directly within the httparty code.
  • Example: A hypothetical vulnerability in httparty's parsing logic allows for request manipulation.
  • Impact: Varies depending on the vulnerability; could range from information disclosure to RCE.
  • Risk Severity: High to Critical (depending on the vulnerability)
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Keep httparty Updated: Regularly update httparty to the latest version.
    • Vulnerability Scanning: Use vulnerability scanning tools to identify known vulnerabilities in httparty.