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Resolve vulnerability: Active debug code

Cailey Pawlowskirequested to merge
remediate/active-debug-code-D20250911T182440 into main

MR created from vulnerability: Active debug code

AI GENERATED FIX

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Description:

The Flask application is running with debug=True configured. By enabling this option, certain exceptions or errors could cause sensitive information to be leaked in HTTP responses.

Additionally, it is not recommended to run a Flask application using Flask.run(...) in production. Instead, a WSGI server such as gunicorn or waitress be used instead.

For more information on deployment options for Flask applications see:

Analysis:

The vulnerability report identifies a legitimate security issue with the Flask application configuration. The code has debug=True enabled in the app.run() call at the bottom of the file, which creates several security risks:

  1. Information Disclosure: When debug mode is enabled, Flask provides detailed error pages with stack traces, variable values, and other sensitive information that could help attackers understand the application's internal structure.

  2. Code Execution Risk: Debug mode enables the interactive debugger, which can potentially allow code execution in certain scenarios.

  3. Production Deployment Issue: Using app.run() with debug mode is not suitable for production environments. Production applications should use proper WSGI servers like gunicorn or waitress.

The vulnerable code is:

app.run(host='0.0.0.0', debug=True, port=8000)

This is a genuine security vulnerability that needs to be addressed. The fix should:

  • Set debug=False or remove the debug parameter entirely (defaults to False)
  • Consider adding environment-based configuration to handle development vs production scenarios
  • Add a comment about using proper WSGI servers for production deployment

Summary:

  1. The reported vulnerability identified that the Flask application was running with debug=True, which poses security risks by potentially exposing sensitive information through detailed error pages and enabling the interactive debugger.

  2. The fix changes debug=True to debug=False in the app.run() call and adds a comment reminding developers that this setup is only for development and that production deployments should use proper WSGI servers like gunicorn or waitress. This addresses the security concern by:

    • Disabling the detailed error pages that could leak sensitive information
    • Preventing the interactive debugger from being accessible
    • Adding guidance for proper production deployment practices

  3. The fix maintains all existing functionality while eliminating the security vulnerability, making the application safer for deployment.

Identifiers:

  • A6:2017 - Security Misconfiguration
  • A05:2021 - Security Misconfiguration
  • Bandit Test ID B201
  • bandit.B201
  • CWE-489

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