fix(web_server,whatsapp-bridge): validate Host header against bound interface (#13530)

DNS rebinding attack: a victim browser that has the dashboard (or the
WhatsApp bridge) open could be tricked into fetching from an
attacker-controlled hostname that TTL-flips to 127.0.0.1. Same-origin
and CORS checks don't help — the browser now treats the attacker origin
as same-origin with the local service. Validating the Host header at
the app layer rejects any request whose Host isn't one we bound for.

Changes:

hermes_cli/web_server.py:
- New host_header_middleware runs before auth_middleware. Reads
  app.state.bound_host (set by start_server) and rejects requests
  whose Host header doesn't match the bound interface with HTTP 400.
- Loopback binds accept localhost / 127.0.0.1 / ::1. Non-loopback
  binds require exact match. 0.0.0.0 binds skip the check (explicit
  --insecure opt-in; no app-layer defence possible).
- IPv6 bracket notation parsed correctly: [::1] and [::1]:9119 both
  accepted.

scripts/whatsapp-bridge/bridge.js:
- Express middleware rejects non-loopback Host headers. Bridge
  already binds 127.0.0.1-only, this adds the complementary app-layer
  check for DNS rebinding defence.

Tests: 8 new in tests/hermes_cli/test_web_server_host_header.py
covering loopback/non-loopback/zero-zero binds, IPv6 brackets, case
insensitivity, and end-to-end middleware rejection via TestClient.

Reported in GHSA-ppp5-vxwm-4cf7 by @bupt-Yy-young. Hardening — not
CVE per SECURITY.md §3. The dashboard's main trust boundary is the
loopback bind + session token; DNS rebinding defeats the bind assumption
but not the token (since the rebinding browser still sees a first-party
fetch to 127.0.0.1 with the token-gated API). Host-header validation
adds the missing belt-and-braces layer.
This commit is contained in:
Teknium 2026-04-21 06:26:35 -07:00 committed by GitHub
parent 16accd44bd
commit 244ae6db15
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3 changed files with 268 additions and 0 deletions

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@ -114,6 +114,91 @@ def _require_token(request: Request) -> None:
raise HTTPException(status_code=401, detail="Unauthorized")
# Accepted Host header values for loopback binds. DNS rebinding attacks
# point a victim browser at an attacker-controlled hostname (evil.test)
# which resolves to 127.0.0.1 after a TTL flip — bypassing same-origin
# checks because the browser now considers evil.test and our dashboard
# "same origin". Validating the Host header at the app layer rejects any
# request whose Host isn't one we bound for. See GHSA-ppp5-vxwm-4cf7.
_LOOPBACK_HOST_VALUES: frozenset = frozenset({
"localhost", "127.0.0.1", "::1",
})
def _is_accepted_host(host_header: str, bound_host: str) -> bool:
"""True if the Host header targets the interface we bound to.
Accepts:
- Exact bound host (with or without port suffix)
- Loopback aliases when bound to loopback
- Any host when bound to 0.0.0.0 (explicit opt-in to non-loopback,
no protection possible at this layer)
"""
if not host_header:
return False
# Strip port suffix. IPv6 addresses use bracket notation:
# [::1] — no port
# [::1]:9119 — with port
# Plain hosts/v4:
# localhost:9119
# 127.0.0.1:9119
h = host_header.strip()
if h.startswith("["):
# IPv6 bracketed — port (if any) follows "]:"
close = h.find("]")
if close != -1:
host_only = h[1:close] # strip brackets
else:
host_only = h.strip("[]")
else:
host_only = h.rsplit(":", 1)[0] if ":" in h else h
host_only = host_only.lower()
# 0.0.0.0 bind means operator explicitly opted into all-interfaces
# (requires --insecure per web_server.start_server). No Host-layer
# defence can protect that mode; rely on operator network controls.
if bound_host in ("0.0.0.0", "::"):
return True
# Loopback bind: accept the loopback names
bound_lc = bound_host.lower()
if bound_lc in _LOOPBACK_HOST_VALUES:
return host_only in _LOOPBACK_HOST_VALUES
# Explicit non-loopback bind: require exact host match
return host_only == bound_lc
@app.middleware("http")
async def host_header_middleware(request: Request, call_next):
"""Reject requests whose Host header doesn't match the bound interface.
Defends against DNS rebinding: a victim browser on a localhost
dashboard is tricked into fetching from an attacker hostname that
TTL-flips to 127.0.0.1. CORS and same-origin checks don't help —
the browser now treats the attacker origin as same-origin with the
dashboard. Host-header validation at the app layer catches it.
See GHSA-ppp5-vxwm-4cf7.
"""
# Store the bound host on app.state so this middleware can read it —
# set by start_server() at listen time.
bound_host = getattr(app.state, "bound_host", None)
if bound_host:
host_header = request.headers.get("host", "")
if not _is_accepted_host(host_header, bound_host):
return JSONResponse(
status_code=400,
content={
"detail": (
"Invalid Host header. Dashboard requests must use "
"the hostname the server was bound to."
),
},
)
return await call_next(request)
@app.middleware("http")
async def auth_middleware(request: Request, call_next):
"""Require the session token on all /api/ routes except the public list."""
@ -2323,6 +2408,10 @@ def start_server(
"authentication. Only use on trusted networks.", host,
)
# Record the bound host so host_header_middleware can validate incoming
# Host headers against it. Defends against DNS rebinding (GHSA-ppp5-vxwm-4cf7).
app.state.bound_host = host
if open_browser:
import webbrowser