Update/Add security headers

[max-debug022]

This PR improves/updates the HTTP-Headers

TLDR

• Update helmet to 7.2.0 in API and Admin
• Coherent CORS-Policy (Cross-Origin-Ressource-Sharing) for the API -> to Admin & Site
• Coherent CORP/COEP (Cross-Origin-Ressource/Embedder-Policy) for API, Admin & Site
• Strict COOP (Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy) for API, Admin & Site
• Removal of deprecated, redundant, or prohibited headers
• CSP (Content Security Policy) that enforces the JEA (just enough access) principle

This PR implements the "Just-Enough-Access" (JEA) security strategy, ensuring that only necessary privileges are granted while restricting all others. The PR includes a coherent CORS policy so that resources can only be shared within the microservices. Additionally, CORP/COEP have been enforced to control resource access and embedding to authorized origins only. Several Content Security Policy (CSP) errors have been resolved & unnecessary privileges have been removed - Admin has slightly more flexibility than the Site. Reasons for several changes:

• Update helmet to v7.1.0
• CORS uses now a maxAge of 600s as Chromium (prior to v76) caps at 10mins
• CORP only for Same-Site
• Set COOP for same-origin
• Remove the empty exposedHeaders field as it is the default
• Disable unused x-powered-by header
• Disable deprecated X-XSS-Protection Header
• Disable deprecated X-Frame-Options Header
• Enable HSTS with recommended values
• Disable Referrer Policy
• ...

[thomasdax98]

Did you test this in one of our projects in a deployed setting? I fear that there might be some unwanted side-effects relating to different domains in a deployed setting

[max-debug022]

Did you test this in one of our projects in a deployed setting? I fear that there might be some unwanted side-effects relating to different domains in a deployed setting

Yes, I tested it on deployed settings.

[dkarnutsch]

Did you test this in one of our projects in a deployed setting? I fear that there might be some unwanted side-effects relating to different domains in a deployed setting

I would not add this to existing projects without extensive testing. However, the starter can define best practices and hopefully all bugs are discovered during development. So I think it is relatively safe to merge this.

[dkarnutsch]

Some header could possible have a comment, when to extend/change them.

You could also add links to best practices (MDN?), so we can track changes.

[max-debug022]

Some header could possible have a comment, when to extend/change them.

You could also add links to best practices (MDN?), so we can track changes.

Luckily I originally added comments to each Header but removed them since I wasn't sure if comments should be in the code. I could add them again, but I think it would be better to add detailed docs on how to modify each header and what effect each header has. What would you prefer?

[dkarnutsch]

Some header could possible have a comment, when to extend/change them.
You could also add links to best practices (MDN?), so we can track changes.

Luckily I originally added comments to each Header but removed them since I wasn't sure if comments should be in the code. I could add them again, but I think it would be better to add detailed docs on how to modify each header and what effect each header has. What would you prefer?

In code, as documentation can drift away. @johnnyomair?

[johnnyomair]

Some header could possible have a comment, when to extend/change them.
You could also add links to best practices (MDN?), so we can track changes.

Luckily I originally added comments to each Header but removed them since I wasn't sure if comments should be in the code. I could add them again, but I think it would be better to add detailed docs on how to modify each header and what effect each header has. What would you prefer?

In code, as documentation can drift away. @johnnyomair?

Agreed. We could add line comments for each header/item.

[max-debug022]

Agreed. We could add line comments for each header/item.

@johnnyomair what headers should be documented and how? I don't think an explanation is useful since anyone can look headers up and they are fairly well explained. And if you understand the header you probably understand the logic behind their value.

For example. x-xss-protection - the first thing in the MDN docs is that it should not be used, so its value is false.

Edit: My initial documentation was somewhat like this:

app.use(
  helmet({
    contentSecurityPolicy: {
      directives: {
        "default-src": ["'none'"], // No external resources are needed
      },
      useDefaults: false, // Disable all other default CSP rules
    },
    xXssProtection: false, // Disable deprecated header
    xFrameOptions: false, // Disable deprecated header
    crossOriginResourcePolicy: "same-origin", // Do not allow cross-origin requests to access the response
    crossOriginEmbedderPolicy: true, // =no-corp Enable COEP
    crossOriginOpenerPolicy: true, // =same-origin Enable COOP
    strictTransportSecurity: {
      // Enable HSTS
      maxAge: 63072000, // 2 years (recommended if including subdomains)
      includeSubDomains: true, // Include all subdomains
      preload: true, // Enable HSTS preload
    },
    referrerPolicy: {
      policy: "no-referrer", // No referrer information needs to be sent
    },
    xContentTypeOptions: true, // = nosniff
    xDnsPrefetchControl: false, // Disable non-standard header as recommended by MDN
    xDownloadOptions: true, // = noopen (forces IE8+ not to open files in the context of the page but instead download them)
    xPermittedCrossDomainPolicies: true, // = none (prevent the browser from MIME-sniffing)
    originAgentCluster: true, // = false (disables the agent cluster)
  }),
);

[thomasdax98]

Edit: My initial documentation was somewhat like this:

app.use(
  helmet({
    contentSecurityPolicy: {
      directives: {
        "default-src": ["'none'"], // No external resources are needed
      },
      useDefaults: false, // Disable all other default CSP rules
    },
    xXssProtection: false, // Disable deprecated header
    xFrameOptions: false, // Disable deprecated header
    crossOriginResourcePolicy: "same-origin", // Do not allow cross-origin requests to access the response
    crossOriginEmbedderPolicy: true, // =no-corp Enable COEP
    crossOriginOpenerPolicy: true, // =same-origin Enable COOP
    strictTransportSecurity: {
      // Enable HSTS
      maxAge: 63072000, // 2 years (recommended if including subdomains)
      includeSubDomains: true, // Include all subdomains
      preload: true, // Enable HSTS preload
    },
    referrerPolicy: {
      policy: "no-referrer", // No referrer information needs to be sent
    },
    xContentTypeOptions: true, // = nosniff
    xDnsPrefetchControl: false, // Disable non-standard header as recommended by MDN
    xDownloadOptions: true, // = noopen (forces IE8+ not to open files in the context of the page but instead download them)
    xPermittedCrossDomainPolicies: true, // = none (prevent the browser from MIME-sniffing)
    originAgentCluster: true, // = false (disables the agent cluster)
  }),
);

@max-debug022 I like this. During the review I had a hard time wrapping my head around "What does true (or false) mean in this case?"

I think you should add these comments

[max-debug022]

I added the comments: cbc0472

[johnnyomair]

@johnnyomair what headers should be documented and how? I don't think an explanation is useful since anyone can look headers up and they are fairly well explained. And if you understand the header you probably understand the logic behind their value.

I'd add comments for all settings that aren't obvious.

Also, I'd only change the headers if they differ from helmets default value.

[max-debug022]

@thomasdax98 @fraxachun @thomasdax98 @johnnyomair

[johnnyomair]

@dkarnutsch @fraxachun @thomasdax98 please review, this one's been open for way too long 😁

[max-debug022]

I will wait for this PR to be merged: #415

[johnnyomair]

I will wait for this PR to be merged: #415

@max-debug022 the PR has been merged, please update your PR.

[sonarqubecloud]

Quality Gate failed

Failed conditions
0.0% Coverage on New Code (required ≥ 80%)

See analysis details on SonarQube Cloud

[dkarnutsch]

why? this seems unrelated to this PR

[johnnyomair]

Also, this shouldn't be removed.

[johnnyomair]

Please remove this file

[johnnyomair]

Suggested change

//