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attack-surface.md

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Attack Surface Analysis for yewstack/yew

Attack Surface: Client-Side XSS via DOM Clobbering

  • Description: Exploiting DOM clobbering vulnerabilities to inject malicious scripts. DOM clobbering occurs when attacker-controlled HTML elements with specific IDs overwrite global JavaScript variables, potentially hijacking application logic or introducing XSS.
  • Yew Contribution: Yew applications can be vulnerable if developers use JavaScript interop or direct DOM access and render HTML based on unsanitized data that can influence element IDs. Yew's rendering process, if not carefully managed with sanitization, can contribute to this attack surface.
  • Example: A Yew component renders user-provided names as headings. If a user inputs <h1 id="alert">, and the JavaScript code later tries to access a global variable named alert, it will be clobbered by the HTML element, potentially leading to unexpected behavior or script execution if the attacker can further manipulate the context.
  • Impact: Full client-side compromise, including data theft, session hijacking, defacement, and redirection to malicious sites.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Strict Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a CSP that restricts script sources and inline script execution.
    • Avoid direct DOM manipulation: Prioritize Yew's component model and avoid direct JavaScript DOM manipulation.
    • Sanitize user input: Always sanitize user-provided data before rendering it into HTML, especially when it can influence element attributes like IDs or names.
    • Secure JavaScript Interop: Validate and sanitize data passed between Yew/WASM and JavaScript, particularly when dealing with DOM manipulation in JavaScript.

Attack Surface: Client-Side Template Injection

  • Description: Injecting malicious code into client-side templates that are dynamically rendered, leading to script execution.
  • Yew Contribution: While Yew's JSX-like syntax is generally safer, developers might still use string manipulation or unsafe JavaScript interop to construct UI elements. If unsanitized user input is incorporated into these strings and then rendered by Yew, it can lead to template injection.
  • Example: A Yew component dynamically constructs HTML strings based on user input to display formatted text. If a user inputs <img src=x onerror=alert('XSS')>, and this string is directly rendered by Yew without sanitization, the onerror event will trigger, executing the injected JavaScript.
  • Impact: Client-side XSS, similar to DOM clobbering, leading to data theft, session hijacking, defacement, and redirection.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Utilize Yew's component model: Leverage Yew's built-in components and declarative rendering to avoid manual string manipulation for UI construction.
    • Sanitize user input: Sanitize all user-provided data before rendering it within Yew components.
    • Minimize string-based UI construction: Reduce or eliminate the use of string concatenation or template literals to build UI elements dynamically, especially with user-provided data.

Attack Surface: Unsafe JavaScript Interop leading to Injection

  • Description: Vulnerabilities arising from insecure communication between Yew/WASM and JavaScript, particularly when passing data to JavaScript callbacks or functions.
  • Yew Contribution: Yew applications frequently use JavaScript interop for accessing browser APIs or external JavaScript libraries. If data passed from Yew to JavaScript callbacks is not properly sanitized or validated, it can create injection vulnerabilities. Yew's interop mechanisms are the direct conduit for this risk.
  • Example: A Yew application uses JavaScript interop to set a cookie based on user input. If the Yew code directly passes unsanitized user input to a JavaScript function that sets the cookie value, an attacker could inject malicious JavaScript code into the cookie value, which might be executed later if the cookie is processed insecurely by other JavaScript code.
  • Impact: XSS vulnerabilities, data corruption, or unexpected application behavior depending on the context of the JavaScript interop and the nature of the injected code.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Validate and sanitize data at the interop boundary: Thoroughly validate and sanitize all data before passing it from Yew/WASM to JavaScript and vice versa.
    • Minimize JavaScript interop: Reduce reliance on JavaScript interop where possible. Explore WASM-compatible Rust crates for browser API functionalities.
    • Secure JavaScript coding: Ensure JavaScript code interacting with Yew is also secure, including proper input validation and output encoding.

Attack Surface: Dependency Vulnerabilities in Yew Ecosystem

  • Description: Vulnerabilities present in the dependencies used by Yew applications, including Rust crates and JavaScript libraries within the Yew ecosystem.
  • Yew Contribution: Yew applications rely on a set of Rust crates and potentially JavaScript libraries. Vulnerabilities in these dependencies, which are integral to the Yew ecosystem and build process, can indirectly but significantly impact the security of Yew applications. Yew's build process and dependency management directly incorporate these elements.
  • Example: A Yew application uses a vulnerable version of a Rust crate for a core functionality like network requests or data parsing, or a commonly used JavaScript library for UI enhancements. An attacker could exploit a known vulnerability in these dependencies to compromise the application.
  • Impact: Varies widely depending on the vulnerability. Could range from denial of service to remote code execution, data breaches, or XSS, potentially leading to full application compromise.
  • Risk Severity: Critical
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Regular dependency audits: Periodically audit project dependencies using tools like cargo audit for Rust crates and vulnerability scanners for JavaScript libraries.
    • Keep dependencies updated: Regularly update dependencies to the latest stable versions to patch known vulnerabilities.
    • Dependency pinning and lock files: Use Cargo.lock for Rust and package lock files (e.g., package-lock.json, yarn.lock) for JavaScript to ensure consistent dependency versions and prevent unexpected updates that might introduce vulnerabilities.
    • Careful dependency selection: Choose well-maintained and reputable dependencies. For critical dependencies, consider source code review or in-depth security assessments.