Security: Unauthenticated API Endpoints Expose and Allow Modification of Sensitive Configuration

[maptoan]

Problem

The /config GET and POST endpoints in src/api/server.py allow any unauthenticated client to read and modify the application's config.yaml file. This file contains highly sensitive information such as api_keys (e.g., GEMINI_API_KEY) and critical file paths (input.novel_path, output.output_path, ocr.tesseract_cmd, ocr.poppler_path).

An attacker can exploit this to:

1. Retrieve API keys: Gain unauthorized access to external services.
2. Alter application behavior: Modify any configuration setting, potentially disrupting service or enabling other attacks.
3. Command Injection: If ocr.tesseract_cmd or ocr.poppler_path are modified to point to a malicious executable or contain injected commands, and the application later executes these, it could lead to arbitrary code execution on the server.
4. Path Traversal: If file paths like input.novel_path or output.output_path are modified to point outside intended directories (e.g., /etc/passwd or /tmp/malicious.sh), the application could be tricked into reading or writing to arbitrary locations on the filesystem.

The tasks/todo_create_web_ui_20260225_1900.md explicitly mentions "ConfigForm: Linh hoạt cho phép sửa API Keys, Model, Paths," confirming the intent to expose these, but without mentioning authentication.

Severity: critical
File: src/api/server.py

Solution

Implement robust authentication and authorization mechanisms (e.g., API keys, OAuth2, session-based authentication) for all sensitive API endpoints, especially /config. Only authorized users should be able to access or modify configuration.

Example (conceptual, requires full auth implementation):

Changes

• src/api/server.py (modified)

Testing

• Existing tests pass
• Manual review completed
• No new warnings/errors introduced