Summary
We should refactor the proxy request handling to use the type system to ensure all requests passed to upstream servers have been validated by the RuleEngine, making it impossible at compile time to accidentally bypass security checks.
Background
While fixing the Host header bypass vulnerability (#57), we added runtime validation to ensure the Host header matches the URI. However, this and similar security checks could be better enforced through the type system.
Proposed Solution
Introduce type-safe request handling that guarantees validation:
// Example approachstructValidatedRequest{// Can only be constructed after passing RuleEngine validationinner:Request<BoxBody<Bytes,HyperError>>,}implValidatedRequest{// Private constructor - only RuleEngine can create thesefnnew(request:Request,validation_result:RuleEvaluation) -> Result<Self>{// Ensure all headers match validated URL// Apply any security transformations}}// Upstream client only accepts ValidatedRequestfnsend_to_upstream(request:ValidatedRequest) -> Result<Response>{// Impossible to send unvalidated requests}Benefits
- Compile-time safety - Makes it impossible to accidentally forward unvalidated or modified requests
- Clear security boundaries - Type system enforces that all upstream requests go through validation
- Prevents regression - New code can't accidentally bypass security checks
- Self-documenting - Types make security requirements explicit
Summary
We should refactor the proxy request handling to use the type system to ensure all requests passed to upstream servers have been validated by the RuleEngine, making it impossible at compile time to accidentally bypass security checks.
Background
While fixing the Host header bypass vulnerability (#57), we added runtime validation to ensure the Host header matches the URI. However, this and similar security checks could be better enforced through the type system.
Proposed Solution
Introduce type-safe request handling that guarantees validation:
Benefits