Insecure Functionality - User Management - Elixir

Need

To ensure that sensitive vulnerability data is only accessible by registered and authorized users

Context

1. Usage of Elixir 1.12 for functional programming and building scalable applications
2. Usage of Phoenix Framework 1.6 for web development

Description

Insecure Code Example

defmodule UserManager do
  def assign_treatment_manager(email, vulnerability_id) do
    send_vulnerability_email(email, vulnerability_id)
  end

  defp send_vulnerability_email(email, vulnerability_id) do
    # Email sending logic here
  end
end

In this code, the function `assign_treatment_manager` allows any email address to be assigned as a manager of vulnerabilities. This means the system could potentially send sensitive vulnerability data to non-registered users, or users who no longer have access to the system.

Steps

1. Ensure the system verifies if a user is registered and has the necessary access rights before assigning them as a treatment manager
2. Check if a user is still part of an organization before sending them any vulnerability data
3. When a user is removed from all projects, ensure their access to all related data is revoked

Secure Code Example

defmodule UserManager do
  def assign_treatment_manager(email, vulnerability_id) do
    if is_registered_and_authorized?(email) do
      send_vulnerability_email(email, vulnerability_id)
    end
  end

  defp send_vulnerability_email(email, vulnerability_id) do
    # Email sending logic here
  end

  defp is_registered_and_authorized?(email) do
    # Verification logic here
  end
end

In the secure version of the code, the system checks whether the user is registered and still part of the organization before assigning them as a treatment manager. Also, when a user is removed from all projects, their access is effectively revoked.

References

Last updated

2023/09/18