The Open Web Application Security Project or OWASP, is a standard security guide. It aims to secure GraphQL API, among others, and protect them from their vulnerabilities. APIs form an integral part of any web application development project. Protecting them by freeing them from their accompanying vulnerabilities will help a custom application development company improve its web app quality.
GraphQL APIs And Their Impact On Web Application Development
Originally, Facebook developed GraphQL as an open-source query language. It is the best alternative present for REST and SOAP APIs. Its widespread adoption results from its flexibility in developing APIs and invoking them. However, certain security challenges plague GraphQL APIs. These relate to functionalities like input validation, access control, securing configurations, and query limiting.
To understand how OWASP guidelines can secure GraphQL APIs, we must know about the common attacks that take place. The critical attacks that GraphQL APIs generally face include the following:
- Injection attacks involving SQL and NoSQL injections, SSRF or Server-Side request Forgery, OS Command Injection, etc.
- DoS or Denial of service, where attackers exploit expensive queries
- Broken authorization abuse, which involves excessive or improper access like Insecure Direct Object References or IDOR
- Batching attacks, a brute force attack specific to GraphQL
- Insecure Default Configuration Abuse, where hackers launch attacks by exploiting insecure default settings To eliminate these attacks and secure GraphQL APIs, OWASP lists down specific guidelines that an applications developer must implement.
Listing Down The Top 10 Ways To Secure GraphQL APIs In Web Application Development
GraphQL has transformed how developers interact with data today. It is also a potent API query language. Ensuring it remains robust and secure is critical for improving web application development quality. Let us explore the different ways in which a custom application development company can mitigate its risks and secure them.
Risk 1: Broken Object Level Authorization(BOLA)
Formerly, this threat was also known as IDOR or Insecure Direct Object Reference. It poses quite a significant risk for APIs. Sometimes, APIs can expose objects without ensuring that proper authorization checks are in place. Attackers take advantage of this vulnerability. They manipulate input parameters to access unauthorized data, compromising the entire application.
GraphQL is very user-friendly. It gives end users whatever they request in the format requested. This is a significant advantage of using GraphQL API for web application development. But this also results in broken authorizations. Hence, hackers can easily request a variety of very specific attack vectors in a single request. GraphQL quickly gives them access to data that they must not access.
Resolution
An applications developer can leverage OWASP guidelines to resolve this. They must implement precise, effective, advanced access control checks even at the resolver level. Developers must build access control from the start of the web application development. They must capitalize on tools and libraries like GraphQL-shield to ensure the security and proper use of the GraphQL API.
Risk 2: Broken Authentication
This arises because of flaws present in the implemented authentication mechanisms. Such flaws can be easily abused and bypassed to make way for a variety of attacks. These attacks can either be direct or indirect. Some examples include data exfiltration to Denial of service attacks taking place by overriding the authentication-based rate limiting security measure.
Resolution
All web developers must prioritize web application authentication. They must integrate measures to limit the amount of access made to sensitive resources. Further, they should also control how these resources are delivered. By default, GraphQL resource access requires a high level of authentication. This authentication is also routinely checked and validated. But, a custom application development company must ensure they do not bundle authentication directly into the GraphQL API logic. This will offer developers the flexibility to change or add multiple authentication methods without modifying API logic. Separating the authentication and GraphQL logic also makes the codebase more secure.
Developers must also use advanced and mature authentication solutions like OAuth, API keys, JWT etc. These authentication solutions will further ensure proper integration and security posture.
Risk 3: Broken Object Property Level Authorization or BOPLA
Here, the risk comes from users accessing API object-based fields they are not authorized to view. In GraphQL, it is very easy to expose sensitive properties if developers do not implement proper checks. BOPLA actually combines two vulnerabilities: mass assignment and excess data exposure. Here, unwanted data exposure or manipulation by attackers results from inadequate user authorization validation at property levels.
Resolution
Web app developers can use appropriate property-level checks to integrate protective measures against BOPLA. This is mandatory, especially when dealing with sensitive data. Web developers can identify and mitigate potential data exposure by using static analysis tooling. Using these tools will also help highlight critical areas currently lacking in the required protection. These insights will further enable a web development application provider to fortify GraphQL API security.
Risk 4: Unrestricted Resource Consumption
Sometimes, GraphQL APIs might not appropriately limit their resource consumption. Such instances make them vulnerable to this type of security risk. This risk also arises when APIs do not monitor their resource consumption correctly. Resource over-consumption might lead to service denial. In the long term, this Denial will escalate web app operational costs and take it to damaging levels.
In GraphQL, the user sets expectations related to queries and responses. Hence, they can also issue expensive queries without making proper use of caching or rate-limiting measures. Such requests and queries severely strain the servers used and lead to Denial of service. Unchecked resource consumption will further replicate this damage and exponentially raise web application development costs.
Resolution
Developers can integrate measures to reduce this to acceptable and practical levels. Some effective measures include implementing rate limits, leveraging caching, enabling load balancing, etc. They can also implement controls at the base level. Such query complexity and depth controls will eliminate the chances of making expensive queries capable of jeopardizing the GraphQL API. Further, it will also mitigate the depth and breadth of the Denial of service style attacks.
Risk 5: Broken Function level authorization or BFLA
When users execute unauthorized functions, it results in a BFLA. For example, if a regular user performs admin-level tasks, such unauthorized usage will lead to a BFLA. This vulnerability primarily occurs due to weaknesses present in access control policies. Consequently, the underlying protected data gets exposed, leading to GraphQL API mutation abuse. The intensity of this GraphQL API risk is further compounded by the accompanying combinatory tasks that get initiated.
Resolution
A custom application development company must ensure perfection in the function-level authorization they implement in the GraphQL API. They must not be flawed or totally absent. Ensuring appropriate resolver-level checks, like authorization, input validation, rate limiting, etc., is as essential as regular monitoring and review. Further, developers must test function-level permissions to keep a check on the level of access given to a user. The idea is to provide users with just as much permission as is required by them to carry out their tasks without hassles.
Risk 6: Sensitive business flow unrestricted access
Businesses revolve around certain sensitive flows that define the core essentials of running the business. Access to these must be restricted to only those who must deal with them. However, sometimes flaws in GraphQL API may lead to regular users gaining access to these sensitive business workflows. The result of this vulnerability may range from data breaches to financial loss, reputation loss, and even regulatory compliance issues.
Resolution
With GraphQL offering easy access to endpoints, it is particularly vulnerable to this security risk. Hence, companies providing custom web application development services must integrate measures to mitigate this. However, this risk elimination can only happen at the business logic level. Some measures that developers can incorporate include:
- Advanced authentication and authorization methods
- Role-based access control
- Securing the GraphQL schema design
- User input validation
- Query depth limiting
- Rate limiting, etc.
Further, developers can also restrict the number of business purchases made either by account or payment methods. Generally, irregular buying patterns are suggestive of a distributed attack. Developers must, therefore, leverage heuristics to identify them and take appropriate action.
Risk 7: Server-Side Request Forgery or SSRF
Here, attackers manipulate the server and induce it to make an unauthorized request on their behalf. This gives them free access to potentially sensitive information, internal resources, and critical functions.
GraphQL’s flexibility in allowing users greater control over data queries, requests, and returns is its biggest disadvantage. It turns the GraphQL API into an accomplice in a server-side request forgery. This increases the criticality of this vulnerability.
Resolution
Hence, developers must never trust server-side requests when using GraphQL API in web application development. They must integrate measures to validate these requests. Essentially, they must try to implement a zero-trust model. Even at the business level, developers must restrict the exposure of core server resources to people who absolutely need them. This will further limit potential threat escalation.
Risk 08: Security Misconfiguration
Sometimes, server or application misconfigurations can expose sensitive information and functionalities to the regular user. Here, flaws present make it easy for attackers to manipulate the GraphQL API and make unauthorized requests to external resources.
Introspection is a powerful feature of a GraphQL API. This feature allows users to query its API for details about its schema. Essentially, such a query will expose GraphQL API’s types and fields, the queries and mutation it supports, etc, to the user. Consequently, GraphQL API’s biggest advantage becomes its biggest vulnerability. By leaving the schema wide open, GraphQL API opens up potential opportunities for its abuse. Hence, developers must resolve this security misconfiguration on priority.
Resolution
A custom application development company must implement additional steps to identify and sanitize resolver URIs. They must also restrict outbound requests, possibly at the network level, if possible. This will further prevent privilege escalation by blocking the routes. Developers must, therefore, implement the principle of least principle and balance. This will ensure accessibility but with security and control.
Risk 9: Improper Inventory Management
Sometimes, improper maintenance of API version inventory, environment, and deprecated fields might result in API vulnerabilities. Attackers easily exploit this loophole to access unprotected or old API endpoints. Deprecated fields might not have the advanced authentication and authorization libraries present in recent versions. This limits their security, making them accessible to attackers.
Resolution
Developers must resolve this using relevant tools capable of controlling graphs and variants. They must clearly define the API inventory schema, implement business logic in resolvers to maintain data integrity, maintain inventory audit trails, etc.
Risk 10: Unsafe API consumption
Third-party APIs must be validated and sanitized. Sometimes, GraphQL API might treat data from these external resources as trusted. This will introduce vulnerabilities within the system.
Resolution
Developers must implement a zero-trust model for all these external resources and systems. They must limit integration with unvalidated third-party services. However, care must be taken that this policy does not undermine the value of API as a core concept. Hence, developers must balance security and utility efficiently.
Conclusion
A custom application development company must carefully understand the security risks involved in GraphQL API. This will enhance the effectiveness of their resolution. Further implementing these integrations within GraphQL API during web application development will improve its quality, security, and robustness.
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