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docs: move ADRs to project root, remove boilerplate README
Move `doc/adr/` to `adr/` for discoverability. Remove the generic ADR README — `ls adr/` serves the same purpose. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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adr/001-path-traversal-protection.md
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adr/001-path-traversal-protection.md
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# ADR-001: Path Traversal Protection for Cheatsheet Names
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Date: 2025-01-21
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## Status
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Accepted
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## Context
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The `cheat` tool allows users to create, edit, and remove cheatsheets using commands like:
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- `cheat --edit <name>`
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- `cheat --rm <name>`
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Without validation, a user could potentially provide malicious names like:
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- `../../../etc/passwd` (directory traversal)
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- `/etc/passwd` (absolute path)
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- `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` (home directory expansion)
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While `cheat` is a local tool run by the user themselves (not a network service), path traversal could still lead to:
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1. Accidental file overwrites outside cheatsheet directories
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2. Confusion about where files are being created
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3. Potential security issues in shared environments
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## Decision
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We implemented input validation for cheatsheet names to prevent directory traversal attacks. The validation rejects names that:
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1. Contain `..` (parent directory references)
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2. Are absolute paths (start with `/` on Unix)
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3. Start with `~` (home directory expansion)
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4. Are empty
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5. Start with `.` (hidden files - these are not displayed by cheat)
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The validation is performed at the application layer before any file operations occur.
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## Implementation Details
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### Validation Function
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The validation is implemented in `internal/cheatpath/validate.go`:
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```go
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func ValidateSheetName(name string) error {
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// Reject empty names
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if name == "" {
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return fmt.Errorf("cheatsheet name cannot be empty")
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}
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// Reject names containing directory traversal
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if strings.Contains(name, "..") {
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return fmt.Errorf("cheatsheet name cannot contain '..'")
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}
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// Reject absolute paths
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if filepath.IsAbs(name) {
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return fmt.Errorf("cheatsheet name cannot be an absolute path")
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}
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// Reject names that start with ~ (home directory expansion)
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if strings.HasPrefix(name, "~") {
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return fmt.Errorf("cheatsheet name cannot start with '~'")
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}
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// Reject hidden files (files that start with a dot)
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filename := filepath.Base(name)
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if strings.HasPrefix(filename, ".") {
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return fmt.Errorf("cheatsheet name cannot start with '.' (hidden files are not supported)")
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}
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return nil
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}
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```
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### Integration Points
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The validation is called in:
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- `cmd/cheat/cmd_edit.go` - before creating or editing a cheatsheet
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- `cmd/cheat/cmd_remove.go` - before removing a cheatsheet
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### Allowed Patterns
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The following patterns are explicitly allowed:
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- Simple names: `docker`, `git`
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- Nested paths: `docker/compose`, `lang/go/slice`
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- Current directory references: `./mysheet`
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## Consequences
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### Positive
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1. **Safety**: Prevents accidental or intentional file operations outside cheatsheet directories
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2. **Simplicity**: Validation happens early, before any file operations
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3. **User-friendly**: Clear error messages explain why a name was rejected
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4. **Performance**: Minimal overhead - simple string checks
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5. **Compatibility**: Doesn't break existing valid cheatsheet names
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### Negative
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1. **Limitation**: Users cannot use `..` in cheatsheet names even if legitimate
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2. **No symlink support**: Cannot create cheatsheets through symlinks outside the cheatpath
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### Neutral
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1. Uses Go's `filepath.IsAbs()` which handles platform differences (Windows vs Unix)
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2. No attempt to resolve or canonicalize paths - validation is purely syntactic
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## Security Considerations
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### Threat Model
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`cheat` is a local command-line tool, not a network service. The primary threats are:
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- User error (accidentally overwriting important files)
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- Malicious scripts that invoke `cheat` with crafted arguments
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- Shared system scenarios where cheatsheets might be shared
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### What This Protects Against
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- Directory traversal using `../`
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- Absolute path access to system files
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- Shell expansion of `~` to home directory
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- Empty names that might cause unexpected behavior
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- Hidden files that wouldn't be displayed anyway
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### What This Does NOT Protect Against
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- Users with filesystem permissions can still directly edit any file
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- Symbolic links within the cheatpath pointing outside
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- Race conditions (TOCTOU) - though minimal risk for a local tool
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- Malicious content within cheatsheets themselves
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## Testing
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Comprehensive tests ensure the validation works correctly:
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1. **Unit tests** (`internal/cheatpath/validate_test.go`) verify the validation logic
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2. **Integration tests** verify the actual binary blocks malicious inputs
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3. **No system files are accessed** during testing - all tests use isolated directories
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Example test cases:
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```bash
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# These are blocked:
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cheat --edit "../../../etc/passwd"
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cheat --edit "/etc/passwd"
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cheat --edit "~/.ssh/config"
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cheat --rm ".."
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# These are allowed:
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cheat --edit "docker"
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cheat --edit "docker/compose"
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cheat --edit "./local"
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```
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## Alternative Approaches Considered
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1. **Path resolution and verification**: Resolve the final path and check if it's within the cheatpath
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- Rejected: More complex, potential race conditions, platform-specific edge cases
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2. **Chroot/sandbox**: Run file operations in a restricted environment
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- Rejected: Overkill for a local tool, platform compatibility issues
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3. **Filename allowlist**: Only allow alphanumeric characters and specific symbols
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- Rejected: Too restrictive, would break existing cheatsheets with valid special characters
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## References
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- OWASP Path Traversal: https://owasp.org/www-community/attacks/Path_Traversal
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- CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
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- Go filepath package documentation: https://pkg.go.dev/path/filepath
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