How to mitigate SSRF vulnerabilities in Go

Securing HTTP requests is crucial when developing Go applications to prevent vulnerabilities like Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). SSRF occurs when an attacker manipulates a server to make unintended requests, potentially accessing internal services or sensitive data.

We will explore how to secure HTTP requests by employing URL parsing and validation techniques, and provide example code to fortify the http.Get HTTP GET request handler.

The HTTP route handler code that sends out HTTP requests to a user’s own domain to fetch an image is as follows (reducted for brevity) in a function called downloadAndResize:

func downloadAndResize(tenantID, fileID, fileSize string) error {
    // ...

    downloadResp, err := http.Get(info.Download)
    if (err != nil) {
        panic(err)
    }

    // ...
}

Mitigating SSRF vulnerabilities in Go code

To mitigate SSRF vulnerabilities in Go applications, developers should focus on validating and sanitizing inputs and understanding how to securely construct URLs in a way that doesn’t manipulate the resulting domain.

SSRF attacks often exploit insufficient input validation, allowing attackers to manipulate URLs and redirect requests to unintended destinations. By implementing robust input validation and sanitization, developers can significantly reduce the risk of SSRF attacks.

Implementing input validation for tenantID and fileID

In our vulnerable Go application, the tenantID and fileID are extracted from the query string without any validation. This lack of validation opens the door for SSRF attacks.

Let's consider the following Go code that implements input validation to ensure these parameters are safe to use:

func isValidTenantID(tenantID string) bool {
    // Implement a regex pattern to validate tenantID format
    // Example: only allow alphanumeric characters
    validTenantIDPattern := `^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$`
    matched, _ := regexp.MatchString(validTenantIDPattern, tenantID)
    return matched
}

func isValidFileID(fileID string) bool {
    // Implement a regex pattern to validate fileID format
    // Example: only allow alphanumeric characters and hyphens
    validFileIDPattern := `^[a-zA-Z0-9-]+$`
    matched, _ := regexp.MatchString(validFileIDPattern, fileID)
    return matched
}

Importance of restricting outbound requests to trusted hosts

Another effective strategy to mitigate SSRF vulnerabilities is restricting outbound requests to trusted hosts. This can be achieved by maintaining a whitelist of allowed hosts and verifying that the destination host of each request is on this list.

Here's an example of how you can implement host restriction in the downloadAndResize function:

func isTrustedHost(host string) bool {
    // Define a list of trusted hosts
    trustedHosts := []string{"localtest.me", "example.com"}
    for _, trustedHost := range trustedHosts {
        if host == trustedHost {
            return true
        }
    }
    return false
}

func downloadAndResize(tenantID, fileID, fileSize string) error {
    urlStr := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s.%s/storage/%s.json", tenantID, baseHost, fileID)
    parsedURL, err := url.Parse(urlStr)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    if !isTrustedHost(parsedURL.Hostname()) {
        return fmt.Errorf("untrusted host: %s", parsedURL.Hostname())
    }

    // Proceed with the rest of the function
    // ...
}

By implementing allowed host restrictions as a security control, we ensure that the Go application only sends out HTTP requests to a closed list of predefined and trusted hosts, further reducing the impact of an  SSRF attack.

Importance of adopting a security-first mindset in development

Adopting a security-first mindset is crucial for developers to build robust and secure applications, and Go is no different. This involves integrating security considerations into every stage of the software development lifecycle, from design to deployment.

By prioritizing security, developers can:

• Reduce the risk of security breaches and data leaks.
• Protect user data and maintain trust.
• Comply with industry regulations and standards.
• Minimize the cost and impact of security incidents.

By following these best practices and leveraging resources like the Go security cheatsheet, developers can enhance the security of their Go applications and safeguard against threats like SSRF.

Leveraging Snyk Code for security

We learned how to protect against SSRF vulnerabilities and why developers should validate and sanitize user inputs, restrict outbound requests to trusted hosts, and use allowlists to control which domains can be accessed. Additionally, leveraging security tools like Snyk Code can help identify and fix such vulnerabilities early in the development process.

To further enhance your application's security, consider using Snyk Code for static analysis. Snyk Code can identify SSRF vulnerabilities and other security issues in your Go code before deployment. By integrating Snyk into your IDE or repository, you can catch vulnerabilities early and ensure your application remains secure.

For more Go security best practices, check out the Go security cheatsheet and learn how to containerize your applications securely with Docker.

By implementing these techniques and utilizing tools like Snyk, you can protect your Go applications from SSRF attacks and other security threats.

Can Snyk be used with other programming languages?

Snyk is a versatile tool that supports a wide range of programming languages, making it an essential asset for developers working in diverse tech stacks. Whether developing in JavaScript, Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, or other languages, Snyk provides comprehensive security solutions tailored to each ecosystem.

This includes:

• JavaScript and TypeScript: With Snyk, you can scan your Node.js applications for vulnerabilities in both your code and dependencies.
• Python: Snyk helps identify vulnerabilities in Python packages and provides actionable remediation advice.
• Java: Snyk's integration with Maven and Gradle allows Java developers to secure their applications by identifying and fixing vulnerabilities in their dependencies.
• Ruby: Ruby developers can leverage Snyk to scan their Gemfiles and Gemfile.lock for known vulnerabilities.

PHP: Snyk supports Composer, enabling PHP developers to secure their projects by identifying vulnerabilities in their dependencies.