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Why it Matters

Some extensions sit on “high-risk surfaces” (checkout, payments, authentication, admin routes, file uploads, webhooks). A bug in these areas can lead to data theft, payment fraud, or full admin takeover.

Marking these modules as high-risk focuses reviews and updates where they matter most. It helps prioritize patches, add runtime safeguards, and apply extra monitoring to modules that can cause the biggest impact if compromised.

Verification Steps

# List installed modules (Composer + Magento)
composer show --direct
bin/magento module:status

# Classify modules touching risky surfaces:
# - payment/checkout
# - customer auth / admin controllers
# - file upload or deserialization
# - webhook/integration endpoints
# - custom remote calls (HTTP clients)

# Quick pattern search
grep -R "Controller/Adminhtml" app/code vendor/
grep -R "Uploader|moveUploadedFile" app/code vendor/
grep -R "unserialize|Serializer\\Php" app/code vendor/
grep -R "Http\\Client|curl|Guzzle" app/code vendor/

Remediation / Fix Guidance

1. Create a “high-risk” list and maintain it in your repo (e.g., SECURITY_HIGH_RISK.md).
2. For modules on this list:
   • Prioritize upgrades when advisories appear (see R049–R051).
   • Add stricter config: reduced ACL permissions, input validation, CSRF protection.
   • Enable extra logging/alerts on their routes and exceptions.
   • Run focused security tests (authZ, file upload limits, SSRF, injection).
3. Remove or replace modules that remain unmaintained or repeatedly vulnerable.

Examples

# Payment gateway and admin SSO modules treated like normal
# No special monitoring; updates applied late → Increased breach risk

# High-risk list maintained and reviewed monthly
# Payment, SSO, upload modules patched first; extra alerts on their routes

References

• OWASP Top 10 — A06: Vulnerable & Outdated Components
• OWASP — Insecure Deserialization