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security: remove NIP-98 signed event cache (replay prevention)#18

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JavaScriptSolidServer:mainfrom
jjohare:security/remove-nip98-cache
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security: remove NIP-98 signed event cache (replay prevention)#18
jjohare wants to merge 1 commit into
JavaScriptSolidServer:mainfrom
jjohare:security/remove-nip98-cache

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@jjohare

@jjohare jjohare commented May 12, 2026

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Summary

  • Severity: HIGH-04 (NIP-98 event replay vulnerability)
  • Remove the nip98Cache Map and all associated caching logic from src/background.js
  • The cache reused signed NIP-98 events for identical URL+method+bodyHash within 60 seconds, causing the same event ID to be sent multiple times
  • Servers with replay protection reject duplicate event IDs, breaking authentication on subsequent requests
  • Predictable cache keys (url:method:bodyHash) create an additional attack surface
  • NIP-98 event creation is computationally cheap (~1ms with noble/secp256k1), so caching provides no meaningful performance benefit
  • Each request now gets a fresh signed event with a unique event ID and current timestamp

Test plan

  • Verify NIP-98 auto-auth still works for Solid server requests
  • Make two rapid identical requests and verify both get unique Authorization headers
  • Verify no performance regression on repeated requests
  • Check that servers with replay protection accept all requests (no more rejected duplicates)

Co-Authored-By: claude-flow ruv@ruv.net

Remove the nip98Cache Map and all caching logic. The cache reused signed
events for identical URL+method+bodyHash within 60 seconds, causing the
same event ID to be sent multiple times. Servers with replay protection
reject duplicate event IDs, and the predictable cache keys create an
additional attack surface. NIP-98 event creation is computationally cheap
(~1ms with noble/secp256k1), so caching provides no meaningful benefit.

Co-Authored-By: claude-flow <ruv@ruv.net>
@jjohare

jjohare commented Jun 14, 2026

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Folded into #22 — a single CI-green, adversarially-reviewed PR that consolidates this branch with the other security fixes plus NIP-44 and residual gap-fixes (exact-host trust, NIP-98 nonce, signEvent self-verify, honest provider surface, auto-sign default OFF). Suggest reviewing/merging #22; this can be closed in its favour.

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jjohare added a commit that referenced this pull request Jun 15, 2026
Consolidated hardening of the Podkey key-holding signer: brings seven in-flight security/feature branches plus residual gap-fills, a polished CSP-clean UI, a CI build/test/lint gate, and a 133-test suite into one reviewable PR. The fix set was independently re-derived from a full audit of the extension and every item below was verified fixed *in the final tree* by an adversarial review pass (not just claimed).

**Supersedes** (folded in here; safe to close in favour of this PR): #12, #14, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21.

## Security posture — before → after

| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Consent | Auto-approve everything (`showPermissionPrompt` hard-returned `true`) | **Explicit per-origin consent** popup that blocks on the user's decision; closing or 60s timeout denies |
| Key at rest | `storage.local` (persisted plaintext) | **`storage.session` only** (in-memory, cleared on browser close); raw key never crosses to the page |
| Crypto | A fake `crypto-browser.js` in the tree (`pubkey = sha256(privkey)`) | Deleted; **real `@noble` crypto** only, with `signEvent` schnorr self-verify before return |
| NIP-98 | Signed-event cache → byte-identical id → replayable | **Fresh per-token 16-byte nonce**, redirect-aware `u` tag, page-side body-hash binding |
| Solid-host trust | Substring match (`inrupt.net.evil.com` accepted) | **Exact-host match**, case-insensitive; lookalikes rejected |
| Interception | Double fetch/XHR interception + double 401-retry | **Single interception path**, one retry |
| Message channel | Page could inject arbitrary fields / origin / `privateKey` | Content script **whitelists 4 message types, forwards only safe fields, enforces the real origin** |
| Provider surface | Advertised `nip04`/`getRelays` that throw / return `{}` | **Honest**: `getPublicKey`, `signEvent`, `nip44.{encrypt,decrypt}` only |
| UI | Inline scripts + `innerHTML` XSS sinks | **CSP `script-src 'self'`**; all DOM via `textContent`/`createElement` |
| Auto-sign | Defaulted **ON** (first-run silent trust + NIP-98 mint) | Defaults **OFF** — silent trusted-origin Solid signing and NIP-98 auto-trust are strictly opt-in |

## Notes for review

- **Consent timeout:** `approve.js` actively sends `approved:false` + closes at the 60s mark (one-shot `decisionSent` guard) so the visible countdown is truthful; the background `chrome.windows` 60s timer remains a backstop. If you'd prefer the popup stay passive and let the background own the timeout, that is the single behavioural line to reconsider — everything else on the UI is restyling.
- The page-context `nip98-interceptor.js` still duplicates a couple of `auth-header-utils.js` helpers because page context can't ESM-import the module; intentional, tracked separately.

## Verification

- `npm run build` ✓ · `npm test` → **133 pass / 0 fail** ✓ · `npm run lint` → **0 errors** (now `no-unused-vars: error`) ✓
- New `.github/workflows/ci.yml` runs build → test → lint on every PR and push to `main`.

🤖 Generated by Claude Code
@jjohare

jjohare commented Jun 15, 2026

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Superseded by #22 (merged as 384918d), which consolidates this branch's fixes into one reviewed, CI-green change. Closing in favour of that.

@jjohare jjohare closed this Jun 15, 2026
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