Insecure Configuration

Fixing Insecure Configuration

About Insecure Configuration

What is Insecure Configuration?

Insecure configuration refers to the situation where a system or application is configured with settings or parameters that do not adequately protect it against security threats.

Examples of insecure configurations include using default or weak passwords, allowing open access to network ports, enabling unnecessary services or protocols, and misconfiguring access controls.

Insecure configuration can occur at any layer of the technology stack, including hardware, operating systems, applications, and network devices.

It is a common cause of security incidents and is often exploited by attackers who take advantage of misconfigured systems to gain access to sensitive information or carry out attacks.

Check out this video for a high-level explanation:

What is the impact of Insecure Configuration?

The impact of insecure configuration can lead to financial and reputational losses and potential harm to individuals or organizations.

Insecure configurations can leave systems and applications vulnerable to a variety of security threats, including unauthorized access, data breaches, and denial of service. Attackers can exploit insecure configurations to gain access to sensitive information, steal data, install malware or ransomware, or disrupt services.

In addition to the direct financial and operational costs of such attacks, insecure configurations can also result in lost business, damage to brand reputation, and legal or regulatory penalties.

Insecure configurations can also make it difficult for organizations to comply with security and privacy regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Non-compliance with these regulations can result in significant fines, legal actions, and reputational damage.

How to prevent Insecure Configuration?

To prevent insecure configuration, it is important to follow security best practices and guidelines, such as those provided by industry standards like NIST or CIS, and to regularly review and update configurations to ensure they are up-to-date and properly secured.

Here are some specific steps you can take to prevent insecure configuration:

• Use secure defaults: Always change the default configuration settings of software and hardware devices to more secure settings, such as changing default passwords and disabling unnecessary services.
• Limit access: Implement the principle of least privilege and limit access to systems and applications only to authorized users who need it to perform their job duties.
• Apply security updates: Keep systems and applications up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates to protect against known vulnerabilities.
• Use security tools: Deploy security tools, such as vulnerability scanners and security information and event management (SIEM) systems, to monitor and manage system configurations.
• Enforce strong passwords: Require the use of strong passwords and two-factor authentication for accessing systems and applications.
• Follow security standards and frameworks: Implement security standards and frameworks, such as NIST or CIS, to ensure that your configurations adhere to industry best practices.
• Regularly review and audit configurations: Regularly review and audit system configurations to ensure they are properly secured and to identify and address any vulnerabilities or misconfigurations.

By taking these steps, you can significantly reduce the risk of insecure configuration and protect your systems and applications from security threats.

References

Taxonomies

• OWASP Top 10 - A05 Security Misconfiguration
• CWE-16: Use of GET Request Method With Sensitive Query Strings

Related CVEs

• CVE Details: CWE-16

Training

• Secure Code Warrior: OWASP Top 10 2017 - A06 Security Misconfiguration
• Secure Code Warrior: Security Misconfiguration - Disabled Security Features

Debugging Enabled (Flask)

Running Flask applications in debug mode results in the Werkzeug debugger being enabled. This includes a feature that allows arbitrary code execution.

Rule-specific references:

• Flask debug mode documentation
• Werkzeug debug mode documentation

Option A: Remove debug configuration in Flask

By removing the enabled Werkzeug debugger, there will not be any arbitrary code execution.

1. Replace app.run(debug=True) with app.run() or app.run(debug=False)
2. Test it
3. Ship it 🚢 and relax 🌴

Environment auto escape disabled (Jinja2)

As of Jinja 2.9, the auto escape extension is built-in. However, auto-escaping is not enabled by default. It is strongly recommended to automatically escape all variables before they are rendered in the templates, to reduce the risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

This rule checks for Jinja2 configurations that have the global auto escape extension disabled. Do note that this rule does not detect an exploitable XSS vulnerability, but an insecure default setting that significantly increases the risk of causing XSS vulnerabilities.

Rule-specific references:

• Jinja2 Autoescaping documentation

Option A: Enable Auto Escaping

By configuring Autoescaping, the application will be less likely to contain XSS vulnerabilities.

1. Go through the issues that GuardRails identified in the PR/MR.

2. Look for usages of Jinja2.Environment and replace them with the secure usage shown below.

   from jinja2 import Environment
   
   # Insecure example 1:
   # autoescape is disabled by default
   env = Environment(loader=templateLoader, load=templateLoader)
   
   # Insecure example 2:
   # autoescape is set to disabled
   env = Environment(autoescape=False)

   from jinja2 import Environment, select_autoescape
   # Seccure example 1:
   # autoescape is enabled
   env = Environment(autoescape=True) 
   
   # Secure example 2:
   # Enable autoescape except if the template ends with .txt
   env = Environment(autoescape=select_autoescape(
     disabled_extensions=('txt',),
     default_for_string=True,
     default=True,

3. Test it

4. Ship it 🚢 and relax 🌴