CWE-346: Origin Validation Error

What is Origin Validation Error?

• Overview: Origin Validation Error occurs when a system fails to properly verify the authenticity of the source of data or communication, potentially allowing untrusted or malicious sources to interact with the system.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by spoofing the source address, making it appear as a trusted source.
• Common attack patterns include man-in-the-middle attacks, DNS spoofing, and IP address spoofing to bypass source validation controls.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences include unauthorized access to sensitive data or system functionalities.
• Potential cascading effects involve further penetration into the network, lateral movement, and data exfiltration.
• Business impact can include data breaches, loss of customer trust, financial losses, and legal repercussions.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Implement strict validation and verification mechanisms for all incoming data and communication sources.
• Use cryptographic techniques like digital signatures or certificates to authenticate source data.
• Employ security best practices such as input validation, secure coding standards, and regular security assessments.
• Utilize recommended tools and frameworks that offer built-in security features for source validation, like secure APIs and libraries.

Corgea can automatically detect and fix Origin Validation Error in your codebase. Try Corgea free today.

Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not Language-Specific

Affected Technologies: Not specified

Vulnerable Code Example

JavaScript Example for CWE-346 (Origin Validation Error)

// Import necessary modules
const express = require('express');
const app = express();

// Middleware to log requests
app.use((req, res, next) => {
    console.log(`Received a request from: \${req.headers.origin}`);
    next();
});

// Vulnerable endpoint that does not validate the origin
app.post('/data', (req, res) => {
    // The server accepts data from any origin without validation
    const origin = req.headers.origin;
    if (origin) {
        res.send('Data received from origin: ' + origin);
    } else {
        res.status(400).send('No origin specified');
    }
});

// Server listens on port 3000
app.listen(3000, () => {
    console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});

Explanation of Vulnerability

In this vulnerable code example, the server accepts requests from any origin without performing validation. This can lead to security issues such as Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks, where a malicious site can make requests to the server on behalf of a user without their knowledge.

How to fix Origin Validation Error?

To fix this vulnerability, you should implement a whitelist of allowed origins and validate incoming requests against this list. By doing so, you ensure that the server only processes requests from trusted sources.

Best Practices for Fixing Origin Validation Error:

1. Implement a Whitelist: Define a list of trusted domains that are allowed to interact with your server.
2. Validate Incoming Requests: Check the Origin header of incoming requests against the whitelist.
3. Respond Appropriately: Reject any request that does not originate from a trusted domain with a suitable HTTP status code, such as 403 Forbidden.

Fixed Code Example

// Import necessary modules
const express = require('express');
const app = express();

// Define a whitelist of allowed origins
const allowedOrigins = ['https://trusted.com', 'https://another-trusted.com'];

// Middleware to log requests
app.use((req, res, next) => {
    console.log(`Received a request from: \${req.headers.origin}`);
    next();
});

// Secure endpoint with origin validation
app.post('/data', (req, res) => {
    const origin = req.headers.origin;
    // Validate the origin against the whitelist
    if (allowedOrigins.includes(origin)) {
        res.send('Data received from origin: ' + origin);
    } else {
        res.status(403).send('Origin not allowed');
    }
});

// Server listens on port 3000
app.listen(3000, () => {
    console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});

Explanation of Fix

In the fixed code example, we introduced an allowedOrigins array containing trusted domains. The server now checks if the Origin header of incoming requests matches any of the entries in this whitelist. If the origin is not in the list, the server responds with a 403 Forbidden status, effectively preventing unauthorized domains from interacting with the server. This approach mitigates the risk of CSRF attacks by ensuring that only requests from trusted origins are processed.