Software and Data Integrity Failures
Learn about risks in OWASP Top Ten including malicious code, unauthorized access, & compromise of applications. Prevent with robust verification & digital signatures.
Overview
Software and Data Integrity Failures is a risk category in the OWASP Top Ten which highlights the potential risks associated with faulty default assumptions made during the development pipelines, particularly regarding the integrity of software or data.
Description
Web applications often depend on plugins and libraries from external sources. However, if the integrity of these external sources is not adequately verified, it can lead to serious risks such as the inclusion of malicious code, unauthorized access, and compromise of the application. To mitigate these risks, it is important to implement strategies that ensure the integrity of external code or data. One effective approach is to require the use of digital signatures to verify the authenticity and integrity of such components.
How to Prevent ?
To prevent software and data integrity failures, organizations should consider the following measures: 1. Implement a robust verification process for all external plugins and libraries used in web applications. 2. Require the use of digital signatures to validate the authenticity and integrity of external code or data. 3. Regularly update and patch software components to mitigate any known vulnerabilities. 4. Monitor and log any suspicious or unauthorized activities within the application. 5. Educate developers about the importance of software and data integrity and provide them with best practices to follow.
Example Attack Scenarios:
Compromised Library: An attacker could modify a commonly used library, injecting malicious code that allows them to gain unauthorized access to the web application or its underlying systems. This kind of attack can go undetected for a long period if proper integrity checks are not in place.
Tampered Data Source: If an attacker is able to tamper with the data source used by a web application, they can manipulate the data being processed or displayed, leading to potential data breaches or unauthorized access to sensitive information.