Misconfigured Smarty
TLDR: Misconfigured Smarty, introduced in 2000, can lead to vulnerabilities such as code injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and unintended exposure of sensitive data. These issues typically arise from insecure template configurations, improper handling of user inputs, and reliance on unsafe defaults, violating several OWASP Top Ten principles, including Input Validation, Output Encoding, and Access Controls.
Improper input validation is a critical concern with Smarty templates. When unsanitized user inputs are passed directly into templates, it opens the door for code injection attacks, enabling malicious actors to execute unauthorized commands. This directly violates the OWASP Top Ten's emphasis on robust Input Validation practices.
https://owasp.org/www-community/Input_Validation
Smarty templates that render unescaped content using raw output filters can expose applications to XSS attacks. Developers often misuse modifiers like `nofilter`, bypassing built-in escaping mechanisms. Proper Output Encoding must be enforced to prevent malicious JavaScript or HTML execution.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Security/Output_Encoding
Dynamic inclusion of templates in Smarty without proper validation can result in unauthorized access to sensitive files or execution of untrusted scripts. Strict Access Controls and allowlists must be implemented to align with OWASP Top Ten recommendations on secure resource management.
https://www.smarty.net/docs/en/language.function.include.tpl
Direct exposure of sensitive variables or configuration settings within Smarty templates can lead to data leakage. This practice violates OWASP Top Ten principles on Data Encryption and secure handling of sensitive information, requiring encryption or masking of such data.
https://owasp.org/www-community/Data_Encryption
Improper Error Handling in Smarty templates can inadvertently reveal sensitive details such as stack traces or debug information to attackers. It is critical to suppress detailed error outputs and implement secure Error Handling in production environments to meet the OWASP Top Ten guidelines.
https://owasp.org/www-community/Error_Handling
Over-reliance on Smarty's Framework Defaults can leave applications vulnerable if those defaults do not address specific security requirements. Developers should review and customize default configurations to ensure alignment with OWASP Top Ten security practices.
https://owasp.org/www-community/Framework_Security_Project
Integrating Smarty with API Endpoints without proper CORS enforcement or secure Cross-Domain Permissions can lead to unauthorized data access. Policy Enforcement measures should ensure that templates respect origin restrictions to prevent abuse.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/CORS
Logging raw user inputs or sensitive data within Smarty templates without sanitization or encryption increases the risk of data exposure. Secure Logging practices, such as sanitizing data and restricting log access, are essential to comply with the OWASP Top Ten guidelines.
https://owasp.org/www-community/Logging_and_Monitoring_Cheat_Sheet
Neglecting regular dependency checking for Smarty and its associated plugins can expose applications to vulnerabilities in outdated components. Tools for alerts for vulnerable components and dependency management are crucial to maintaining template security, as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten.
https://owasp.org/www-project-dependency-check/
Lastly, remote code execution (RCE) risks can emerge in Smarty when untrusted inputs are processed insecurely. Sandboxing template execution and validating all inputs are critical measures to prevent such exploits, adhering to the OWASP Top Ten's focus on secure template engine usage.