Managing document field permissions in a Meteor application: Best practices for restricting which fields can be inserted or updated

Question

Managing document field permissions in a Meteor application: Best practices for restricting which fields can be inserted or updated

I am currently using Meteor and I have some concerns regarding security vulnerabilities. My main goal is to restrict users from creating or modifying certain fields in the database. Specifically, I only want users to be able to add or update the name and description fields for a party.

Parties.allow({
  insert: function (userId, party) {
    return userId && party.owner === userId;
  },
  update: function (userId, party, fields, modifier) {
    return userId && party.owner === userId;
  },
});

I came across similar code in an Angular Meteor tutorial. However, it seems like individuals could potentially add any arbitrary field through the browser console using Minimongo. Is there a straightforward way for me to specify which fields are acceptable, and reject any inserts or updates that do not adhere to those defined fields? For updates, I thought of implementing a basic function:

function ensureFieldsAreOk(acceptableFields, fieldsInQuestion){
    for(i = 0; i < fieldsInQuestion.length; ++i){
        if(acceptableFields.indexOf(fieldsInQuestion[i]) === -1){
           console.log("Hacking attempt detected");
           return false;
        }
    }
    return true;
}

A similar approach could be used for the insert command by utilizing the same function with Object.keys(party) as the list of acceptable fields.

I highly doubt that I am the first person to encounter this issue, so there must be a standard method for addressing this concern.

javascript mongodb security meteor

Answer 1

Answer №1

If you want to control which fields are linked to a collection, one approach is to utilize and

These packages allow you to specify fields, their data types, default values, and various other settings.

To restrict a user from only updating specific fields, you can implement validation checks using the fieldNames parameter within your update permissions:

update: function (userId, doc, fieldNames, modifier) { 
    // perform validation on fieldNames here.
}

Answer 2

If you want to control which fields are linked to a collection, one approach is to utilize and

These packages allow you to specify fields, their data types, default values, and various other settings.

To restrict a user from only updating specific fields, you can implement validation checks using the fieldNames parameter within your update permissions:

update: function (userId, doc, fieldNames, modifier) { 
    // perform validation on fieldNames here.
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

I find no issue with approaching it that way, and I am not aware of a more appropriate method. However, you can streamline your test significantly by using underscore:

Parties.allow({
  insert: function (userId, party) {
    return userId && party.owner === userId 
           && _.difference(_.keys(party), acceptableFields).length == 0;
  },
  update: function (userId, party, fields, modifier) {
    return userId && party.owner === userId
           && _.difference(fields, acceptableFields).length == 0
  }
});

Answer 4

I find no issue with approaching it that way, and I am not aware of a more appropriate method. However, you can streamline your test significantly by using underscore:

Parties.allow({
  insert: function (userId, party) {
    return userId && party.owner === userId 
           && _.difference(_.keys(party), acceptableFields).length == 0;
  },
  update: function (userId, party, fields, modifier) {
    return userId && party.owner === userId
           && _.difference(fields, acceptableFields).length == 0
  }
});

Answer 5

Answer №3

Your question is valid and I will share how I approach this situation in my Meteor applications. When handling document insertion or updates, I utilize a screening process to ensure security. The methods for insertion and update differ based on the parameters passed to the permissions functions. I recommend implementing code similar to the following, tailored to your specific criteria:

Parties.allow({
    insert: function(userId, doc) {
        var allow = true;

        if(!userId || doc.owner !== userId) {
            allow = false;
        }

        Object.keys(doc).forEach(function(docKey) {
            if(acceptableFields.indexOf(docKey) < 0) {
                allow = false;
            }
        });

        return allow;
    },
    update: function(userId, doc, fieldNames, modifier) {
        var allow = true;

        if(!userId || doc.owner !== userId) {
            allow = false;
        }

        fieldNames.forEach(function(fieldName) {
            if(acceptableFields.indexOf(fieldName) < 0) {
                allow = false;
            }
        });

        return allow;
    }
});

In the provided code snippet, I have included checks to verify if the user is logged in and the owner of the document being manipulated in the database. The insertion function directly reviews the document's keys and fails if any are not acceptable. For the update function, examination is done on the field names parameter instead of the modified document. If deeper key checks are needed, it can be accomplished by scrutinizing the modifier parameter. Referencing this section of the Meteor documentation can provide more insights on crafting a final solution. I have written this response using generic Javascript to offer flexibility. Feel free to explore extensions like Underscore or other libraries for further enhancements.

Answer 6

Your question is valid and I will share how I approach this situation in my Meteor applications. When handling document insertion or updates, I utilize a screening process to ensure security. The methods for insertion and update differ based on the parameters passed to the permissions functions. I recommend implementing code similar to the following, tailored to your specific criteria:

Parties.allow({
    insert: function(userId, doc) {
        var allow = true;

        if(!userId || doc.owner !== userId) {
            allow = false;
        }

        Object.keys(doc).forEach(function(docKey) {
            if(acceptableFields.indexOf(docKey) < 0) {
                allow = false;
            }
        });

        return allow;
    },
    update: function(userId, doc, fieldNames, modifier) {
        var allow = true;

        if(!userId || doc.owner !== userId) {
            allow = false;
        }

        fieldNames.forEach(function(fieldName) {
            if(acceptableFields.indexOf(fieldName) < 0) {
                allow = false;
            }
        });

        return allow;
    }
});

In the provided code snippet, I have included checks to verify if the user is logged in and the owner of the document being manipulated in the database. The insertion function directly reviews the document's keys and fails if any are not acceptable. For the update function, examination is done on the field names parameter instead of the modified document. If deeper key checks are needed, it can be accomplished by scrutinizing the modifier parameter. Referencing this section of the Meteor documentation can provide more insights on crafting a final solution. I have written this response using generic Javascript to offer flexibility. Feel free to explore extensions like Underscore or other libraries for further enhancements.

Managing document field permissions in a Meteor application: Best practices for restricting which fields can be inserted or updated

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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