Cybersecurity

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====== BBC Ch 22: Code Reviews ======

//Source: Bug Bounty Bootcamp by Vickie Li//

Source code review is one of the most effective ways to find vulnerabilities. Even partial access to source code (leaked repos, JS files, open-source components) dramatically increases your attack surface visibility.

===== Dangerous Functions =====

Start by grepping for functions known to introduce vulnerabilities. Their presence doesn't confirm a bug -- trace the input to determine if attacker-controlled data reaches them.

^ Language ^ Function ^ Vulnerability ^
| PHP | ''eval()'', ''assert()'' | Code injection |
| PHP | ''system()'', ''exec()'', ''shell_exec()'', ''passthru()'', ''popen()'', backticks | RCE / command injection |
| PHP | ''include()'', ''require()'' | RFI / LFI |
| PHP | ''unserialize()'' | Insecure deserialization |
| Python | ''eval()'', ''exec()'', ''os.system()'' | Code injection / RCE |
| Python | ''pickle.loads()'', ''yaml.load()'' | Insecure deserialization |
| JavaScript | ''document.write()'', ''document.writeln()'' | XSS |
| JavaScript | ''document.location.href'' | Open redirect |
| Ruby | ''system()'', ''exec()'', ''%x()'', backticks | RCE / command injection |
| Ruby | ''Marshal.load()'', ''yaml.load()'' | Insecure deserialization |

===== Leaked Secrets and Weak Cryptography =====

Grep for keywords that indicate hardcoded credentials or weak algorithms:
<code>
grep -rn "key\|secret\|password\|encrypt\|API\|login\|token" .
</code>

GitHub personal access tokens follow the pattern ''[a-f0-9]{40}''. Use TruffleHog for entropy-based secret scanning across git history:
<code>
trufflehog filesystem --directory=.
</code>

Weak/broken cryptographic algorithms to flag:
  * ECB mode (deterministic, leaks block patterns)
  * MD4, MD5 (collision-vulnerable; not suitable for password hashing)
  * SHA-1 (deprecated)
  * Custom crypto implementations

===== Outdated Dependencies =====

Grep for import and dependency statements:
<code>
grep -rn "import\|require" . | grep -v "node_modules"
cat package.json
cat requirements.txt
cat pom.xml
</code>

Cross-reference library versions against:
  * CVE database / NVD
  * Snyk Vulnerability Database
  * OWASP Dependency-Check (automated): ''dependency-check --scan .''

===== Developer Comments =====

Developers leave notes that reveal internal details, removed features, and security TODOs:
<code>
grep -rn "TODO\|FIXME\|HACK\|completed\|config\|setup\|removed\|password\|secret" .
</code>

Look for comments like:
  * ''// TODO: add auth check''
  * ''// removed rate limiting for now''
  * ''// admin key: ...''

===== Debug Endpoints and Config Files =====

Debug routes left in production:
<code>
grep -rn "debug\|test\|dev\|admin\|internal" . | grep -i "route\|path\|url\|endpoint"
grep -rn "HTTP\|HTTPS\|FTP" . | grep -i "dev\|internal\|staging"
</code>

Config file extensions to look for:
<code>
find . -name "*.conf" -o -name "*.env" -o -name "*.cnf" -o -name "*.cfg"        -o -name "*.cf" -o -name "*.ini" -o -name "*.sys" -o -name "*.plist"
</code>

===== Detailed Code Review Approach =====

==== Step 1: Identify Important Functions ====

Focus on high-impact areas first:
  * Authentication logic (login, session creation, token validation)
  * Password reset flows (token generation, expiry checks, delivery)
  * State-changing operations (transfers, purchases, account changes)
  * Sensitive data reads (profile info, payment data, admin queries)

==== Step 2: Trace User Input ====

Follow attacker-controlled data from entry point to sink. Example -- login endpoint:
<code>
username = request.get("username")   # entry point
query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username='" + username + "'"  # SQL sink -> SQLi
</code>

Example -- file download endpoint revealing multiple issues:
<code>
url = request.get("url")             # attacker controls url
# open redirect if url is external domain
# command injection if url passed to shell
# XSS if url reflected into HTML response
os.system("wget " + url)             # command injection sink
</code>

Trace every parameter through the call chain. Look for points where sanitization is skipped, bypassed, or applied after use.

===== 5-Step Checklist =====

  - Grep for dangerous functions (eval/system/unserialize/pickle.loads etc.) and trace their inputs to determine if attacker-controlled.
  - Grep for secrets (key/secret/password/token) and scan git history with TruffleHog for entropy-based leaks.
  - Audit dependencies against CVE databases; flag outdated packages.
  - Grep for developer comments and debug endpoints that reveal hidden functionality or removed security controls.
  - For each important function (auth, password reset, state-changing actions), trace user input from entry to sink and identify missing or bypassable sanitization.