Transcript ColdFusion Security

ColdFusion Code
Security
Michael Smith
President
TeraTech, Inc
ColdFusion, database & VB
custom development and
training.
http://www.teratech.com
800-447-9120
Speaker Information
Who am I?
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Michael Smith
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President of TeraTech, Inc Rockville MD
http://www.teratech.com/
 ttWebReportServer, CFXGraphicserver

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MDCFUG, CFUN-02, Fusebox Conf
Articles in CFDJ, Fusion Authority
Introduction
The ColdFusion security
challenge:
 Keeping hackers out
 While still letting users and friendly
apps in
 Balance security vs easy of use
ColdFusion Security
Here is what we will be covering:
 Error handling
 Form Validation
 Page parameter validation
 User Authentication
 Members Only
 Encryption and passwords
Not covered in this talk
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Server security
Database security
Hardware security
Operating system security
TeraTech’s CF201 Class covers
more security topics than we can
cover in an hour.
Error handling
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Always have an error handler in
Application.cfm
Never display default CF errors gives out SQL information and
template paths
Instead email error to admin
Don’t explain why attempt failed
Standard processing time
Error handling code
In Application.cfm:
<cferror type="EXCEPTION"
template="error_exception.cfm"
mailto="#Request.ErrorNotifyEmail#">
<CFMAIL to="#error.MailTo#"
from="[email protected]"
subject="ColdFusion Error">
#error.RemoteAddress#
#error.Template#
#error.DateTime#
#error.Diagnostics#
</CFMAIL>
Form Validation
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Why it is important
Underscore validation
CFFORM validation
Javascript validation
CF validation
SQL validation
Fake form submits
Why is validation important?
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Malicious exploits are possible
Bad data may be entered
Server crashes
Hacker can force an error
message
Underscore Validation
AKA Form-level validation
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Easiest to implement
<Input Type=“Hidden”
Name=“field_required” value=“Error
message”>
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Runs on the server based on this hidden
parameter from the form page
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Trusts the browser that the form variable
is passed
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Effectively client-side, although actual
validation occurs on the server
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CFFORM Validation
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Automagically generates form-level
validation and javascript validation
Works well enough in simple forms
Does not adapt well for complex
forms, need for complex validation,
javascript, etc.
Generally roll-your-own is
preferred
Still trusts browser
Javascript Validation
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Available many places
 Swipe
from the source code
generated by CFForm
 http://builder.com/
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Totally browser dependent
With CF Form, won’t even submit if
javascript not present
Effectively useless with 508
BUT! Least server traffic
CF Validation
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Occurring on the ACTION page, on
the server side
Need not trust the browser
508 compliant, browser
independent
A little more complicated to write,
but necessary on public sites
Authentication
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Warning Can be
spoofed by
browser
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Stateless web - any page can call
another - this is good for open sites
Hacker pages call your page with
false data
Use CGI. HTTP_REFERER to
control who calls you
Use CGI. CF_TEMPLATE_PATH
application.cfm control what is run.
Fake form submits
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Hacker copies your HTML source
to their machine, edits form fields
and submits to your action page.
They can now edit your hidden
fields or remove fields to generate
error messages
Hidden form field token
Check HTTP_REFERER is in your
domain
Fake URLs
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Hacker edits your URL to get data
they shouldn’t see or to force page
error.
Protect URLs with checksum – eg
hash() function.
Fake cookies
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Cookies can be faked too – they
are just in text file on client
machine
Don’t assume cookie value is valid
For top security add checksum to
cookie.
Page Validation
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URL and Form parameters used in SQL
SELECT * FROM EMP WHERE ID =
#USERID#
 Extra SQL commands on SQL Server
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http://myserver/page.cfm?ID_VAR=7%3BDELETE%20FRO
M%20MyCustomerTable
| VBA functions - shell() on Access
 xp_cmdshell in SQL Server
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Use VAL() on parameters or check for ‘
and | or use <CFQUERYPARAM>
Encrypt Variables
Checksum URLs
CFQUERYPARAM
Code example
<CFQUERY NAME="getFirst"
DATASOURCE="cfsnippets"> SELECT *
FROM courses WHERE
Course_ID=<CFQUERYPARAM
VALUE="#Course_ID#"
CFSQLType="CF_SQL_INTEGER">
</CFQUERY>
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Also runs faster SQL too – cached query
plan.
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Protect CFINCLUDE and
CFMODULE files
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Don’t let CFINCLUDE and
CFMODULE files be run
standalone – they may do bad
things or generate error messages
Protect using a naming convention/
subdirectory and test in
application.cfm of CGI.script_name
Especially important for Fusebox
applications with many include files
Code to protect
CFINCLUDE files
For Fusebox In Application.cfm:
<CFIF CGI.script_name contains
“index.cfm”>
<!--- ok to run --->
<CFELSE>
<CFABORT SHOWERROR="Protected
page">
</CFIF>
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Non-Fusebox – check filename/directory
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Code Defensively
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Assume bad things will happen
and code for them
Always code the CFELSE and
CFDEFAULTCASE
Check input parameters exist using
CFPARAM, they are of correct type
and are that they are in range.
E.g. <CFPARAM NAME="" TYPE="numeric“>
Datasource password
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Don’t put datasource userid and
password in CF Admin – if any template
is compromised hacker can destroy data
Don’t hardcode in every CFQUERY call
Use request variables in application.cfm
and encrypt it
Or for super security set up user
accounts in Oracle and have users enter
userid/password when they logon.
Input massaging
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Textarea field may be stored to
database for redisplay
Bad users may enter JavaScript or
CF functions into your text hoping
you will use evaluate() on them.
Strip them out using a regular
expression.
CFCONTENT
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CFCONTENT can be misused to
send back your source code – eg
filename/path in URL
Store files it sends in directory
outside of webroot.
Logins
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Use Strong SSL where available
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http://www.thawte.com/
Require at least 8 chr password
Consider requiring numbers in password
Consider forcing regular password
changes depending on application
Strong form validation
Consider blocking accounts after multiple
failed attempts
Authentication
Warning - spoofed IP
numbers will get
around this code
 Protected
Header code
In your application.cfm or header.cfm to be included in every
page.
<CFIF cgi.script_name contains "/intranet/">
<cfif left(CGI.REMOTE_ADDR,11) is not
"123.456.789">
<cfif not
isdefined("session.authorized")>
<CFLOCATION
URL=”http://www.teratech.com/logon.cfm”>
<cfabort>
<cfelse>
<cfset session.authorized = TRUE>
</cfif>
</cfif>
Your protected links here </cfif>
Members Only
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Session, client and cookies
Refresh issues
Timeouts
Remember me
Session, client and
cookies
Client Management
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Use short timeouts. (conflicts with 508)
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Consider rolling your own security
Use CFID / CFToken from URL or create
your own cookies
 Store information in database with a table
to keep track of ID/Token combinations
against user Ids
 Most flexible method
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Session, client and
cookies
Client Management
 If you use session management
(as enabled with CFApplication)
 Lock
your usage
<CFLOCK scope=“Session”>
 Limit session timeout, minutes not
hours
 Consider passing session vars into
request vars at top and bottom of
page
Session, client and
cookies
Client Management
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Use client variables in place of session
variables where you do not need to store
complex values
 Configure storage so that variables are
stored in a DB, NOT the registry
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Use WDDX if you have the occasional
need for a complex variable
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Don’t use too many cookies
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Manually test for timeout less than 2
hours – client.last_access_datetime
Timeouts
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Use as short a timeout as practical
Don’t want users annoyed
Do want to protect against trouble
Consider (also/instead) having cookies
go away after browser closing
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This is the default with cookies if you do
not specify a time
If you create your own session
management, you can do more
Session Tracking
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Who is logged on now
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Keep track of login times to see who’s
logged in now, can record activity and
determine based on last activity or logoff
option
Variable and structure dump
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Use CF_Dump or CF5 CFDump tags to
output all session variables or all cookies,
etc.
http://www.smartobjects.com/docs.cfm?f=cf_dump.htm
Session hang over
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User logs in then closes browser
without logging out.
Hacker uses browser and if the
session has not timed out they are
logged in as previous user
Use CFCOOKIE on CFID and
CFTOKEN to set these session
cookies to expire immediately on
browser close.
Remember Me
Sites with Login functions often have
“Remember Me” option
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Be careful - want to be clear what this
option means
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Use <CFCookie> to set your own cookie
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Store something other than username /
password or a flag - consider some
random values
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Don’t turn option on by default
Members Only
Summary
 Session variables can still be used,
with locks, but Client or Cookies
are preferable
 Use <CFLOCATION> after
insert/cfmail to avoid issues
 Short timeouts for login experiment
 Remember Me is easy with Cookie
Back button hacking
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Hacker uses back button to view
sensitive information from a users
browser
Consider disabling back button,
especially on logout
<CFHEADER NAME="Expires" VALUE="06 Nov
1994 08:49:37 GMT">
<CFHEADER NAME="Pragma" VALUE="nocache">
<CFHEADER NAME="cache-control" VALUE="nocache, no-store, must-revalidate">
Encryption
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Encrypt source so even if
downloaded can not be read
Be aware that decryption programs
exist
Encrypt sensitive data such as
credit card numbers in database
using CF encrypt() and decrypt().
Consider storing hash() of
password instead of plain text.
Hashing passwords
<CFQUERY NAME="CheckPerson"
DATASOURCE="UserData"> SELECT
PasswordHash FROM SecureData WHERE
UserID=<CFQUERYPARAM VALUE="#UserID#"
CFSQLType="CF_SQL_CHARVAR">
</CFQUERY>
<CFIF Hash(Form.Password) IS NOT
CheckPerson.PasswordHash>
<CFLOCATION URL="unauthenticated.cfm">
<CFELSE>
<CFLOCATION URL="authenticated.cfm">
</CFIF>
Refresh Issues
If delete/insert/update pages are
refreshed, or other action pages,
problems occur – hacker sees
error message.
 Immediately <CFLOCATION> after
one of these actions to avoid this
 Use the addtoken=“yes” parameter
to keep any session changes
across pages
Resources
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http://www.allaire.com/developer/s
ecurityzone/
http://www.macromedia.com/v1/de
veloper/securityzone/
http://www.houseoffusion.com/
Security section
What Security Means
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Security is hard because a hacker
only needs one window to be open
to get in while the poor webmaster
must work on closing dozens of
holes.
Security is a way of thinking - how
can they get in...
More knowledge is power - don’t
keep security tips secret!
Next Steps
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Conduct a security audit
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Download Michael Dinowitz’s
http://www.houseoffusion.com/ MunchkinLAN
to test your site for holes
Remove CFDOCS
Validate pages
Authenticate pages
TeraTech’s CF201 class
Questions? Email me at
[email protected]