Improper Access Control
The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.
Access control involves determining which subjects can access which objects. When access control is implemented incorrectly, it can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionality.
How to fix this vulnerability
Prevention strategies for Improper Access Control based on 4 Shoulder detection rules.
Validate tool inputs against strict schemas and use an allowlist for permitted tools
- func handleToolCall(toolCall ToolCall) (interface{}, error) { - return tools[toolCall.Name](toolCall.Arguments) + var toolRegistry = map[string]ToolConfig{ + "search": {Handler: searchHandler, Validator: validateSearch, Permission: "read"}, + "weather": {Handler: weatherHandler, Validator: validateWeather, Permission: "read"}, + } + + func handleToolCall(userPerms map[string]bool, toolCall ToolCall) (interface{}, error) { + config, ok := toolRegistry[toolCall.Name] + if !ok { + return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown tool: %s", toolCall.Name) + } + if !userPerms[config.Permission] { + return nil, fmt.Errorf("permission denied for tool: %s", toolCall.Name) + } + args, err := config.Validator(toolCall.Arguments) + if err != nil { + return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid arguments: %w", err) + } + return config.Handler(args) }
Validate tool inputs against schemas and use allowlists for permitted tools
- for (const toolCall of response.tool_calls) { - const fn = tools[toolCall.function.name]; - const result = await fn(JSON.parse(toolCall.function.arguments)); + const allowedTools = new Set(['search', 'calculate', 'getWeather']); + + for (const toolCall of response.tool_calls) { + if (!allowedTools.has(toolCall.function.name)) { + throw new Error('Unknown tool'); + } + const validate = ajv.compile(toolSchemas[toolCall.function.name]); + const args = JSON.parse(toolCall.function.arguments); + if (!validate(args)) throw new Error('Invalid arguments'); + await tools[toolCall.function.name](args); }
Define NetworkPolicy resources to restrict pod-to-pod traffic and enforce network segmentation
- apiVersion: apps/v1 - kind: Deployment - metadata: - name: web - spec: - replicas: 3 - template: - spec: - containers: - - name: web - image: nginx:1.25 + apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1 + kind: NetworkPolicy + metadata: + name: web-policy + spec: + podSelector: + matchLabels: + app: web + policyTypes: + - Ingress + ingress: + - from: + - podSelector: + matchLabels: + role: frontend + ports: + - port: 80
Use Pydantic for tool input validation and maintain a strict allowlist for permitted tools
- def handle_tool_call(tool_call): - name = tool_call.function.name - args = json.loads(tool_call.function.arguments) - return tools[name](args) + from pydantic import BaseModel, Field + + class SearchArgs(BaseModel): + query: str = Field(max_length=100, pattern=r'^[a-zA-Z0-9\s]+$') + + ALLOWED_TOOLS = {'search_products': SearchArgs, 'get_weather': WeatherArgs} + + def handle_tool_call(tool_call): + name = tool_call.function.name + if name not in ALLOWED_TOOLS: + raise ValueError(f'Unknown tool: {name}') + schema = ALLOWED_TOOLS[name] + args = schema.parse_raw(tool_call.function.arguments) + return handlers[name](args)
Find vulnerabilities in your code
Use Shoulder to scan your codebase for Improper Access Control patterns. 4 rules.
# Scan with Shoulder CLI npx @shoulderdev/cli trust --cwe=284 # Or scan entire project npx @shoulderdev/cli trust .
Detection Rules (4)
What to watch for in code reviews
These patterns indicate potential Improper Access Control vulnerabilities. Look for these during code reviews and security audits.
Scan your codebase for Improper Access Control
Shoulder CLI finds vulnerable patterns across your entire codebase.