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attack-surface.md

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Attack Surface Analysis for actix/actix-web

Attack Surface: HTTP Request Smuggling

  • Description: Exploits discrepancies in how HTTP requests are parsed, allowing attackers to "smuggle" a hidden request.
  • Actix-Web Contribution: Actix-Web's HTTP request parsing logic (handling of Content-Length, Transfer-Encoding, chunked encoding) is the direct point of vulnerability.
  • Example: Conflicting Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding headers allow bypassing security controls via a hidden, smuggled request.
  • Impact: Authentication bypass, data modification, session hijacking, potentially leading to complete server compromise.
  • Risk Severity: Critical
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Keep Actix-Web Updated: Prioritize updating Actix-Web and its dependencies.
    • Web Application Firewall (WAF): Use a WAF configured to detect and block request smuggling.
    • Proxy Configuration: Ensure any front-end proxies are securely configured and updated.
    • Avoid Chained Proxies: Minimize the number of proxies in front of Actix-Web.
    • Testing: Specifically test for request smuggling vulnerabilities.

Attack Surface: Request Parsing Vulnerabilities (General - High Risk Subset)

  • Description: Flaws in Actix-Web's parsing of HTTP requests leading to DoS or potential RCE. This is a narrowed-down version of the previous entry, focusing on the highest-risk aspects.
  • Actix-Web Contribution: Actix-Web's core request parsing is the direct attack surface.
  • Example:
    • Header Injection (DoS): Extremely large or malformed headers causing resource exhaustion or crashes.
    • Malformed Body (Potential RCE): Exploiting a vulnerability in a body parsing library (e.g., serde_json) used by Actix-Web, if such a vulnerability exists and is exploitable. This is less likely but still a high-impact scenario.
  • Impact: Denial of Service (DoS), Potentially Remote Code Execution (RCE) in rare cases.
  • Risk Severity: High (DoS), Potentially Critical (RCE - but less probable)
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Limit Input Sizes: Configure Actix-Web to limit header, body, and query parameter sizes. Use Actix-Web's built-in configuration.
    • Dependency Management: Keep Actix-Web and all dependencies (especially parsing libraries) up-to-date. Use cargo audit.
    • WAF: A WAF can filter malicious requests.
    • Input Validation: Always validate and sanitize all input after Actix-Web parses it, but this is secondary to preventing the parsing vulnerability itself.

Attack Surface: WebSocket Vulnerabilities (CSWSH & DoS)

  • Description: Exploits targeting Actix-Web's WebSocket implementation, specifically Cross-Site WebSocket Hijacking (CSWSH) and Denial of Service.
  • Actix-Web Contribution: Actix-Web's WebSocket handling (connection establishment, message processing) is the direct point of vulnerability.
  • Example:
    • CSWSH: A malicious website establishes a WebSocket connection to the Actix-Web application without the user's knowledge.
    • WebSocket DoS: An attacker opens numerous WebSocket connections, exhausting resources.
  • Impact: Data theft, unauthorized actions, denial of service.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Strict Origin Checks: Implement strict origin checks in the Actix-Web WebSocket handler.
    • Authentication & Authorization: Require authentication and authorization for WebSocket connections.
    • TLS (wss://): Always use TLS (wss://) for WebSocket connections.
    • Rate Limiting & Connection Limits: Implement rate limiting and connection limits within Actix-Web.
    • Input Validation: Validate all data received over the WebSocket, but this is secondary to preventing unauthorized connections.

Attack Surface: Insecure Configuration

  • Description: Misconfiguration of Actix-Web, leading to security weaknesses.
  • Actix-Web Contribution: Actix-Web provides various configuration options. Incorrect settings can directly introduce vulnerabilities.
  • Example:
    • Leaving Actix-Web's debug mode enabled in production.
    • Not configuring TLS/SSL.
  • Impact: Information disclosure, unauthorized access, data breaches.
  • Risk Severity: High to Critical
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Review Configuration: Thoroughly review all Actix-Web configuration options.
    • Disable Debug Mode: Disable debug mode in production.
    • Enable TLS/SSL: Always use TLS/SSL (HTTPS).
    • Regular Audits: Regularly audit the configuration.