paul
2b5b875dfe
BREAKING CHANGE: Server now requires JWT_SECRET environment variable to be set Security fixes: - Remove hardcoded JWT secret fallback 'your-secret-key' from protectedImages.js - Add startup validation to ensure JWT_SECRET is properly configured - Reject insecure default values and short secrets - Server will refuse to start without proper JWT_SECRET This fixes a critical vulnerability where the application would use a publicly known secret if JWT_SECRET was not set, completely compromising authentication. Migration guide: docs/JWT_SECRET_MIGRATION.md 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
109 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
109 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
# JWT_SECRET Security Fix - Migration Guide
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## Overview
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A critical security vulnerability has been fixed where the application would fall back to a hardcoded JWT secret (`'your-secret-key'`) if the `JWT_SECRET` environment variable was not set. This has been addressed by:
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1. Adding startup validation that requires `JWT_SECRET` to be set
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2. Removing all hardcoded fallback values
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3. Ensuring the secret meets minimum security requirements
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## Changes Made
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### 1. Added Environment Validation (`backend/src/config/validateEnv.js`)
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- The server now validates critical environment variables at startup
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- If `JWT_SECRET` is missing or set to the insecure default, the server will refuse to start
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- Warns if `JWT_SECRET` is less than 32 characters (recommended minimum)
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### 2. Updated Server Startup (`backend/server.js`)
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- Added validation call immediately after loading environment variables
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- Ensures all routes and middleware have access to validated configuration
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### 3. Removed Hardcoded Fallbacks (`backend/src/routes/protectedImages.js`)
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- Removed `|| 'your-secret-key'` fallback from lines 15 and 27
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- Functions now rely on the validated `JWT_SECRET` from environment
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## Migration Steps for Production
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### Before Deployment
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1. **Verify JWT_SECRET is set in production**:
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```bash
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# Check if JWT_SECRET is set
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echo $JWT_SECRET
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```
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2. **Ensure JWT_SECRET is secure**:
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- Must NOT be `'your-secret-key'`
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- Should be at least 32 characters long
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- Should be randomly generated
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3. **Generate a secure JWT_SECRET if needed**:
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```bash
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# Generate a secure 64-character secret
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openssl rand -hex 32
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```
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### Deployment Process
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1. **Update environment variables** (if needed):
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```bash
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# Example for .env file
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JWT_SECRET=your-secure-64-character-random-string-here
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```
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2. **Deploy the updated code**
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3. **Monitor startup logs** to ensure no validation errors:
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```
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✓ Environment validation passed
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✓ Server running on port 3000
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```
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### Rollback Plan
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If the deployment fails due to missing `JWT_SECRET`:
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1. **Quick Fix** (temporary):
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- Set `JWT_SECRET` environment variable to a secure value
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- Restart the application
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2. **Full Rollback** (if needed):
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- Revert to previous version
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- Set `JWT_SECRET` properly before attempting deployment again
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## Verification
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After deployment, verify the fix is working:
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1. **Check server logs** for successful startup
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2. **Test authentication** to ensure JWT tokens are working
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3. **Verify image protection** routes are functioning
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## Security Considerations
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- **Never** commit JWT_SECRET to version control
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- **Rotate** JWT_SECRET periodically
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- **Use different** secrets for different environments (dev, staging, production)
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- **Monitor** for authentication failures that might indicate token issues
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## Troubleshooting
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### Server won't start
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- **Error**: "Missing required environment variable: JWT_SECRET"
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- **Solution**: Set the JWT_SECRET environment variable
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### JWT_SECRET rejection
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- **Error**: "JWT_SECRET is set to the insecure default value"
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- **Solution**: Change JWT_SECRET from 'your-secret-key' to a secure value
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### Authentication failures after deployment
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- **Cause**: Existing tokens were signed with old secret
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- **Solution**: Users will need to re-authenticate to get new tokens
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## Support
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If you encounter issues during migration:
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1. Check the server logs for specific error messages
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2. Verify environment variables are properly set
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3. Ensure the JWT_SECRET value doesn't contain special characters that might need escaping |