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42 lines
2.0 KiB
42 lines
2.0 KiB
== Password Erasure |
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After successful authentication, it is a security best practice to erase credentials from memory to prevent them from being exposed to potential memory dump attacks. |
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`ProviderManager` in Spring Security supports this practice through the `eraseCredentials` method, which should be invoked after the authentication process is complete. |
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=== Best Practices |
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* *Immediate Erasure*: Credentials should be erased immediately after they are no longer needed, which minimizes the window during which the credentials are exposed in memory. |
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* *Automatic Erasure*: Configure `ProviderManager` to automatically erase credentials post-authentication by setting `eraseCredentialsAfterAuthentication` to `true` (the default). |
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* *Custom Erasure Strategies*: Implement custom erasure strategies in custom `AuthenticationManager` implementations if the default erasure behavior does not meet specific security requirements. |
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=== Risk Assessment |
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Failure to properly erase credentials can lead to several risks: |
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* *Memory Access Attacks*: Attackers can access raw credentials from memory through exploits like buffer overflow attacks or memory dumps. |
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* *Insider Threats*: Malicious insiders with access to systems could potentially extract credentials from application memory. |
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* *Accidental Exposure*: In multi-tenant environments, lingering credentials in memory could accidentally be exposed to other tenants. |
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=== Implementation |
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[source,java] |
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public class CustomAuthenticationManager implements AuthenticationManager { |
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@Override |
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public Authentication authenticate(Authentication authenticationRequest) |
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throws AuthenticationException { |
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Authentication authenticationResult; |
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// TODO: Perform authentication checks... |
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// Erase credentials post-check |
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if (authenticationResult instanceof CredentialsContainer container) { |
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container.eraseCredentials(); |
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} |
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} |
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} |
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---- |
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By implementing these practices, organizations can significantly enhance the security of their authentication systems by ensuring that credentials are not left exposed in system memory.
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