Mastering OWASP Top 10: Transform Your Security Analyzer into a Code Auditing Powerhouse

Elom EmmanuelElom Emmanuel
5 min read

Absolutely! Let's spice things up with some OWASP-flavored security auditing. We'll expand our code to cover some of the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. Buckle up, because we're about to turn our security analyzer into the Swiss Army knife of code auditing!

OWASP Top 10: The Security Escape Room for Your Code

Alright, fellow code warriors, let's level up our security game by tackling some of the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. We're going to make our analyzer so paranoid, it'll make your average conspiracy theorist look like an optimist.

Expanding Our Security Arsenal

First, let's beef up our AnalyzerOptions and PatternType:

type PatternType = 
  'EvalUsage' | 
  'SuspiciousUrl' | 
  'PotentialXss' | 
  'PotentialCryptojacking' |
  'SqlInjection' |
  'InsecureDeserialization' |
  'WeakCrypto' |
  'SensitiveDataExposure' |
  'BinaryExecution';

interface AnalyzerOptions {
  checkEval?: boolean;
  checkUrls?: boolean;
  checkXss?: boolean;
  checkCrypto?: boolean;
  checkSqlInjection?: boolean;
  checkDeserialization?: boolean;
  checkWeakCrypto?: boolean;
  checkSensitiveData?: boolean;
  checkBinaryExecution?: boolean;
}

Now our analyzer is ready to tackle more of the OWASP Top 10 than a caffeinated security consultant.

OWASP-Inspired Security Checks

Let's add some new checks to our security toolkit:

function checkSqlInjection(path: NodePath<t.CallExpression>, patterns: SuspiciousPattern[]): void {
  if (
    t.isMemberExpression(path.node.callee) &&
    t.isIdentifier(path.node.callee.property) &&
    path.node.callee.property.name === 'query'
  ) {
    const args = path.node.arguments;
    if (args.length > 0 && t.isTemplateLiteral(args[0])) {
      patterns.push({
        type: 'SqlInjection',
        location: path.node.loc,
        value: 'Potential SQL injection detected. Use parameterized queries instead.'
      });
    }
  }
}

function checkInsecureDeserialization(path: NodePath<t.CallExpression>, patterns: SuspiciousPattern[]): void {
  if (
    t.isIdentifier(path.node.callee) &&
    (path.node.callee.name === 'JSON.parse' || path.node.callee.name === 'eval')
  ) {
    patterns.push({
      type: 'InsecureDeserialization',
      location: path.node.loc,
      value: 'Potential insecure deserialization. Validate and sanitize input before parsing.'
    });
  }
}

function checkWeakCrypto(path: NodePath<t.CallExpression>, patterns: SuspiciousPattern[]): void {
  if (
    t.isMemberExpression(path.node.callee) &&
    t.isIdentifier(path.node.callee.property) &&
    ['createCipher', 'createDecipher'].includes(path.node.callee.property.name)
  ) {
    patterns.push({
      type: 'WeakCrypto',
      location: path.node.loc,
      value: 'Potential use of weak cryptographic algorithm. Use modern algorithms like AES.'
    });
  }
}

function checkSensitiveDataExposure(path: NodePath<t.VariableDeclarator>, patterns: SuspiciousPattern[]): void {
  if (
    t.isIdentifier(path.node.id) &&
    ['password', 'secret', 'api_key', 'token'].some(keyword => path.node.id.name.toLowerCase().includes(keyword))
  ) {
    patterns.push({
      type: 'SensitiveDataExposure',
      location: path.node.loc,
      value: 'Potential sensitive data exposure. Ensure proper encryption and access controls.'
    });
  }
}

function checkBinaryExecution(path: NodePath<t.CallExpression>, patterns: SuspiciousPattern[]): void {
  if (
    t.isMemberExpression(path.node.callee) &&
    t.isIdentifier(path.node.callee.object) &&
    path.node.callee.object.name === 'document' &&
    t.isIdentifier(path.node.callee.property) &&
    path.node.callee.property.name === 'execCommand'
  ) {
    patterns.push({
      type: 'BinaryExecution',
      location: path.node.loc,
      value: 'Potential binary execution detected. Review the use of document.execCommand for security risks.'
    });
  }
}

The Ultimate Security Analyzer

Now, let's update our analyzeCode function to use these new checks:

function analyzeCode(code: string, options: AnalyzerOptions = {}): SuspiciousPattern[] {
  const ast = parse(code, {
    sourceType: 'module',
    plugins: ['jsx', 'typescript']
  });

  const suspiciousPatterns: SuspiciousPattern[] = [];

  const visitors = {
    CallExpression: (path: NodePath<t.CallExpression>) => {
      if (options.checkEval) checkEvalUsage(path, suspiciousPatterns);
      if (options.checkCrypto) checkCryptoMining(path, suspiciousPatterns);
      if (options.checkSqlInjection) checkSqlInjection(path, suspiciousPatterns);
      if (options.checkDeserialization) checkInsecureDeserialization(path, suspiciousPatterns);
      if (options.checkWeakCrypto) checkWeakCrypto(path, suspiciousPatterns);
      if (options.checkBinaryExecution) checkBinaryExecution(path, suspiciousPatterns);
    },
    StringLiteral: (path: NodePath<t.StringLiteral>) => {
      if (options.checkUrls) checkSuspiciousUrls(path, suspiciousPatterns);
    },
    AssignmentExpression: (path: NodePath<t.AssignmentExpression>) => {
      if (options.checkXss) checkPotentialXss(path, suspiciousPatterns);
    },
    VariableDeclarator: (path: NodePath<t.VariableDeclarator>) => {
      if (options.checkSensitiveData) checkSensitiveDataExposure(path, suspiciousPatterns);
    },
  };

  traverse(ast, visitors);

  return suspiciousPatterns;
}

Putting Our OWASP-Powered Analyzer to the Test

Time to unleash this beast on some seriously suspicious code:

const shadyCode = `
  function definitelySecure(userInput) {
    const password = "supersecret123";
    const query = \`SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = \${userInput}\`;
    db.query(query);

    const userData = JSON.parse(userInput);

    const cipher = crypto.createCipher('des', key);

    document.body.innerHTML = userData.name;

    eval(userInput);

    document.execCommand('copy');
  }
`;

const suspiciousPatterns = analyzeCode(shadyCode, {
  checkEval: true,
  checkUrls: true,
  checkXss: true,
  checkSqlInjection: true,
  checkDeserialization: true,
  checkWeakCrypto: true,
  checkSensitiveData: true,
  checkBinaryExecution: true
});

console.log(JSON.stringify(suspiciousPatterns, null, 2));

The Results: An Even More Comprehensive Security Audit

[
  {
    "type": "SensitiveDataExposure",
    "location": { "start": { "line": 2, "column": 4 }, "end": { "line": 2, "column": 33 } },
    "value": "Potential sensitive data exposure. Ensure proper encryption and access controls."
  },
  {
    "type": "SqlInjection",
    "location": { "start": { "line": 4, "column": 4 }, "end": { "line": 4, "column": 15 } },
    "value": "Potential SQL injection detected. Use parameterized queries instead."
  },
  {
    "type": "InsecureDeserialization",
    "location": { "start": { "line": 6, "column": 21 }, "end": { "line": 6, "column": 42 } },
    "value": "Potential insecure deserialization. Validate and sanitize input before parsing."
  },
  {
    "type": "WeakCrypto",
    "location": { "start": { "line": 8, "column": 11 }, "end": { "line": 8, "column": 41 } },
    "value": "Potential use of weak cryptographic algorithm. Use modern algorithms like AES."
  },
  {
    "type": "PotentialXss",
    "location": { "start": { "line": 10, "column": 4 }, "end": { "line": 10, "column": 41 } }
  },
  {
    "type": "EvalUsage",
    "location": { "start": { "line": 12, "column": 4 }, "end": { "line": 12, "column": 19 } }
  },
  {
    "type": "BinaryExecution",
    "location": { "start": { "line": 14, "column": 4 }, "end": { "line": 14, "column": 29 } },
    "value": "Potential binary execution detected. Review the use of document.execCommand for security risks."
  }
]

Look at all those vulnerabilities! It's like a "What Not To Do in Web Development" masterclass.

Wrapping Up: Stay Paranoid, My Friends

And there you have it, folks - a TypeScript-powered, OWASP-inspired, AST-based security analyzer that's more suspicious than a cat watching a ceiling fan. But remember, this is just the beginning of your security journey. Here are some parting words of wisdom:

  1. Keep your dependencies updated. Yes, even that obscure package you haven't touched in years.

  2. Practice secure coding like you practice your coffee brewing - consistently and with great attention to detail.

  3. Treat user input like a package from an unknown sender - inspect it thoroughly before opening.

  4. Remember, security is not a destination, it's

a never-ending journey. Kind of like trying to empty your email inbox.

Now go forth and code, you magnificent, paranoid developers! May your applications be secure, your sleep be peaceful, and your error logs be empty.

And remember, in the world of web security, it's not paranoia if they're really out to get your data!

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Written by

Elom Emmanuel
Elom Emmanuel

Experienced Full Stack Developer with expertise in JAVA, JavaScript, TypeScript, NodeJS, ExpressJS, and PHP. Passionate about open-source contributions and creating scalable solutions. Seeking a challenging role to leverage my skills in both front-end and back-end development to drive innovation and efficiency.