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Database

Security controls bypass or absence - Fingerprint

Need

Enhancement of security controls for fingerprint identification

Context

• Usage of PHP 7.0 for server-side scripting and web development

• Usage of Request for making HTTP requests

• Usage of the Customer package for managing customer data and interactions

• Usage of Auth for implementing authentication and authorization functionality

Description

1. Non compliant code

public function authenticate(Request $request)
{
    $customer = Customer::where('fingerprint', $request->fingerprint)->first();

    if($customer){
        Auth::login($customer);
        return redirect()->intended('dashboard');
    else{...

The above code is a part of a Laravel application which is used for authenticating a user based on their fingerprint. This is a vulnerable piece of code because it does not include any additional security measures to verify the authenticity of the fingerprint. Here is how the code works: 1. The function `authenticate(Request $request)` is called when a user tries to login. 2. The fingerprint from the request is used to find a customer with the same fingerprint in the database: `Customer::where('fingerprint', $request->fingerprint)->first();`. 3. If a customer with the same fingerprint is found, the user is logged in and redirected to the dashboard: `Auth::login($customer); return redirect()->intended('dashboard');`. 4. If no customer is found with the same fingerprint, the user is redirected back with an error message: `return redirect()->back()->withErrors(['fingerprint' => 'Fingerprint not found.']);`. The vulnerability lies in the fact that there is no additional security measure to verify the authenticity of the fingerprint. A malicious user could potentially bypass this security control by using a stolen or spoofed fingerprint to gain unauthorized access to another user's account.

2. Steps

• Implement multi-factor authentication. This could be a combination of something the user knows (like a password), something the user has (like a mobile device), and something the user is (like a fingerprint).

• Add a rate limiting mechanism to prevent brute force attacks. This will limit the number of authentication attempts from a single IP address within a certain time period.

• Encrypt the fingerprint data stored in the database. This will prevent unauthorized access to the fingerprint data even if the database is compromised.

• Use secure communication protocols like HTTPS to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.

• Implement a session timeout mechanism. This will automatically log out the user after a certain period of inactivity.

• Regularly update and patch the system to fix any known vulnerabilities.

3. Secure code example

public function authenticate(Request $request)
{
    // Rate limiting
    if (Cache::has('login_attempts_' . $request->ip())) {
        $loginAttempts = Cache::get('login_attempts_' . $request->ip());
        if ($loginAttempts > 5) {
            return redirect()->back()->withErrors(['fingerprint' => 'Too many login attempts. Please try again later.']);
    }...

The updated code includes several security enhancements to address the vulnerability: 1. **Rate Limiting**: The code checks if there have been more than 5 login attempts from the same IP address. If so, it returns an error message and does not proceed with the authentication process. This is done using Laravel's Cache facade. 2. **Multi-factor Authentication**: In addition to the fingerprint, the user is also required to enter a password. The entered password is hashed and compared with the hashed password stored in the database. If they match, the user is authenticated. 3. **Fingerprint Encryption**: The fingerprint data is hashed using the SHA-256 algorithm before it is compared with the data in the database. This ensures that even if the database is compromised, the actual fingerprint data will not be exposed. 4. **Session Timeout**: A timestamp of the last activity is stored in the session data. This can be used to automatically log out the user after a certain period of inactivity. Remember to use secure communication protocols like HTTPS to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks and regularly update and patch the system to fix any known vulnerabilities.

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