Restrict Access to DWR(Easy Ajax for Java) from URL bar

Question

I am using DWR , which is commonly known as Easy Ajax for Java .

But it can be accessed directly via URL bar like this

http://localhost:8080/myProjectName/dwr/

from here I can execute each and every Ajax Call , which is considered as a threat to Application Security ,

Is there a way to restrict this ?

Answer 1

I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish, but here are some suggestions:

• http://localhost:8080/myProjectName/dwr/ is only available if you have set

   <init-param> <param-name>debug</param-name> <param-value>true</param-value> </init-param> 

in your servlet-declaration in web.xml . Set param-value to false and http://localhost:8080/myProjectName/dwr/ will return a 404 (page not found).

• Even when you disable debug-mode, it is still possible to run your functions. That is why you can restrict which classes and which functions of these classes are available from the web in your drw.xml . For details on dwr.xml check the DWR documentation

• Keep in mind that each and every function that is publicly available should check that the user is permitted to run it. I usually create a function like this:

   private void getLoggedInUser(){ WebContext ctx = WebContextFactory.get(); HttpSession session=ctx.getSession(); if(session.getAttribute("loggedIn")!=null && (Boolean)session.getAttribute("loggedIn")==true){ if(session.getAttribute("user")!=null){ try{ return (Person)session.getAttribute("user"); }catch (ClassCastException ex){ return null; } }else{ return null; } }else{ return null; } } 

then at the beginning of every function that is available through the web, i do something like

    Person user=getLoggedInUser();
    if(user)==null return null;

• Always keep in mind that javascript can be manipulated by the visitor of your site. If you publish a function through dwr, assume that it can be called by anybody. I can't stress this enough: in every function that is published through dwr, first make sure that the user is allowed to run it, then check that any arguments the user may have passed are valid.

• Update: It is also possible to restrict access to a function using filters .