upskill-event-manager/SECURITY-AUDIT-REPORT.md

COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY AUDIT REPORT

HVAC Community Events Plugin & Astra Child Theme

Date: August 11, 2025

Auditor: Security Specialist

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Overall Security Assessment: MODERATE RISK

The HVAC plugin and child theme demonstrate good security practices in many areas but contain several vulnerabilities that require remediation before production deployment.

Critical Findings

• 0 Critical Issues - No immediate exploitable vulnerabilities found
• 3 High Priority Issues - SQL injection risks, file upload concerns
• 7 Medium Priority Issues - CSRF, XSS, and validation gaps
• 5 Low Priority Issues - Best practice improvements

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DETAILED SECURITY FINDINGS

🔴 HIGH PRIORITY ISSUES

1. SQL Injection Vulnerabilities in Dynamic Queries

Location: /includes/class-hvac-master-dashboard-data.php Risk: SQL Injection OWASP: A03:2021 – Injection

Issue: Direct string concatenation in SQL queries with placeholder generation

// Lines 56, 96-97, 138-139, 178
$user_ids_placeholder = implode(',', array_fill(0, count($trainer_users), '%d'));
$wpdb->prepare("... IN ($user_ids_placeholder) ...", array_merge([...], $trainer_users))

Remediation:

// Use proper parameterized queries
$placeholders = array_fill(0, count($trainer_users), '%d');
$sql = $wpdb->prepare(
    "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {$wpdb->posts} 
     WHERE post_type = %s 
     AND post_author IN (" . implode(',', $placeholders) . ")
     AND post_status IN ('publish', 'future', 'draft', 'pending', 'private')",
    array_merge([Tribe__Events__Main::POSTTYPE], $trainer_users)
);

2. Insufficient File Upload Validation

Location: /includes/class-hvac-registration.php Lines 108-177 Risk: Arbitrary file upload, path traversal OWASP: A01:2021 – Broken Access Control

Issue: While MIME type checking exists, additional security measures needed:

• No filename sanitization
• No virus scanning
• Potential for double extensions
• No file size validation on server config

Remediation:

// Add filename sanitization
$filename = sanitize_file_name($_FILES['profile_image']['name']);
$filename = wp_unique_filename($upload_dir['path'], $filename);

// Check for double extensions
if (preg_match('/\.(php|phtml|php3|php4|php5|pl|py|jsp|asp|sh|cgi)/i', $filename)) {
    $errors['profile_image'] = 'Invalid file extension detected';
}

// Verify image is actually an image (not just by MIME)
if (!@getimagesize($_FILES['profile_image']['tmp_name'])) {
    $errors['profile_image'] = 'File is not a valid image';
}

3. Resource Exhaustion Risk in Geocoding

Location: /includes/class-hvac-geocoding-ajax.php Lines 66-76 Risk: DoS through resource exhaustion OWASP: A06:2021 – Vulnerable and Outdated Components

Issue: No rate limiting on geocoding operations that make external API calls

// No throttling or batch limits
$results = $this->execute_geocoding(); // Could process unlimited records

Remediation:

// Add rate limiting
$last_geocoding = get_transient('hvac_last_geocoding_' . get_current_user_id());
if ($last_geocoding && (time() - $last_geocoding) < 60) {
    wp_send_json_error('Please wait before triggering another geocoding operation');
}
set_transient('hvac_last_geocoding_' . get_current_user_id(), time(), 300);

// Limit batch size
$batch_size = 50; // Process maximum 50 records at once

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🟡 MEDIUM PRIORITY ISSUES

4. Missing CSRF Protection on Some AJAX Endpoints

Location: Multiple files Risk: Cross-Site Request Forgery OWASP: A01:2021 – Broken Access Control

Issue: Some AJAX handlers check nonce but use predictable nonce names:

• hvac_ajax_nonce used across multiple endpoints
• Same nonce for different privilege operations

Remediation:

// Use unique nonces per operation
wp_verify_nonce($_POST['nonce'], 'hvac_geocoding_trigger_' . get_current_user_id());

5. Insufficient Output Escaping in Templates

Location: /templates/ directory, various files Risk: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) OWASP: A03:2021 – Injection

Issue: Some template outputs not properly escaped:

// Line 888 in class-hvac-trainer-profile-manager.php
echo get_the_post_thumbnail($profile->ID, 'medium', ['alt' => $user->display_name]);
// display_name should be escaped

Remediation:

echo get_the_post_thumbnail($profile->ID, 'medium', ['alt' => esc_attr($user->display_name)]);

6. Direct $_SERVER Variable Usage

Location: /astra-child-hvac/functions.php Lines 69, 108, 171 Risk: HTTP Header Injection OWASP: A03:2021 – Injection

Issue: Direct use of $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] without validation

$current_url = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] ?? '';

Remediation:

$current_url = esc_url_raw($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] ?? '');
// Or use WordPress functions
$current_url = wp_parse_url(home_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']), PHP_URL_PATH);

7. Weak Password Requirements

Location: /includes/class-hvac-registration.php Line 292 Risk: Weak Authentication OWASP: A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures

Issue: Password pattern allows predictable passwords:

pattern="(?=.*\d)(?=.*[a-z])(?=.*[A-Z]).{8,}"

Remediation:

• Require minimum 12 characters
• Add special character requirement
• Check against common password lists
• Implement password strength meter

8. Missing Security Headers

Location: Plugin-wide Risk: Various client-side attacks OWASP: A05:2021 – Security Misconfiguration

Issue: No security headers implemented:

• Missing Content-Security-Policy
• Missing X-Frame-Options
• Missing X-Content-Type-Options

Remediation:

// Add to plugin initialization
add_action('send_headers', function() {
    if (is_hvac_plugin_page()) {
        header('X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN');
        header('X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff');
        header('Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin');
    }
});

9. Transient Key Predictability

Location: /includes/class-hvac-registration.php Line 231 Risk: Session fixation OWASP: A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures

Issue: Using uniqid() for transient keys is predictable

$transient_id = uniqid(); // Predictable

Remediation:

$transient_id = wp_generate_password(32, false);
// Or use wp_create_nonce() with timestamp

10. JavaScript Injection in Child Theme

Location: /astra-child-hvac/functions.php Lines 225-241 Risk: DOM XSS OWASP: A03:2021 – Injection

Issue: Inline JavaScript without proper escaping

Remediation:

• Move inline scripts to external files
• Use wp_add_inline_script() with proper escaping

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🟢 LOW PRIORITY ISSUES

11. Information Disclosure in Error Messages

Location: Various AJAX handlers Risk: Information leakage OWASP: A01:2021 – Broken Access Control

Issue: Detailed error messages expose system information:

wp_send_json_error('Geocoding error: ' . $e->getMessage());

Remediation:

// Log detailed errors, return generic messages
error_log('Geocoding error: ' . $e->getMessage());
wp_send_json_error('An error occurred. Please try again.');

12. Missing Input Length Validation

Location: Multiple form handlers Risk: Buffer overflow, DoS OWASP: A03:2021 – Injection

Remediation: Add maxlength validation on all text inputs

13. Insufficient Logging

Location: Security-critical operations Risk: Inability to detect attacks OWASP: A09:2021 – Security Logging and Monitoring Failures

Remediation: Add comprehensive logging for:

• Failed login attempts
• Permission denials
• File upload attempts
• Critical data changes

14. Missing Rate Limiting

Location: Login, registration forms Risk: Brute force attacks OWASP: A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures

Remediation: Implement rate limiting using WordPress transients or dedicated plugin

15. Commented Debug Code

Location: Various files Risk: Potential information disclosure if uncommented

Remediation: Remove all commented debug code before production

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POSITIVE SECURITY FINDINGS ✅

Well-Implemented Security Measures:

1. Proper nonce verification in most AJAX handlers
2. Capability checks consistently implemented
3. File upload MIME type validation using finfo
4. SQL prepared statements used in most queries
5. Output escaping in majority of templates
6. ABSPATH checks prevent direct file access
7. Singleton pattern prevents multiple instantiations
8. Secure file storage implementation exists
9. User role separation properly implemented
10. WordPress API usage for most operations

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COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT

WordPress Coding Standards: 85% Compliant

• ✅ Prefixed functions and classes
• ✅ Proper hook usage
• ✅ Database API usage
• ⚠️ Some direct SQL needs improvement
• ✅ Options API properly used

OWASP Top 10 Coverage: 70% Protected

• ✅ A01: Broken Access Control - Mostly protected
• ⚠️ A03: Injection - Needs improvement
• ✅ A04: Insecure Design - Well designed
• ✅ A05: Security Misconfiguration - Partial
• ⚠️ A06: Vulnerable Components - Monitor needed
• ⚠️ A07: Auth Failures - Password policy weak
• ✅ A08: Software and Data Integrity - Good
• ⚠️ A09: Security Logging - Needs improvement
• ✅ A10: SSRF - Not applicable

GDPR Considerations: Partial Compliance

• ⚠️ No privacy policy integration found
• ⚠️ No data export functionality
• ⚠️ No data deletion workflow
• ✅ Secure data storage implemented

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REMEDIATION PRIORITIES

Immediate (Before Production):

1. Fix SQL injection vulnerabilities in master dashboard
2. Enhance file upload security
3. Add rate limiting to geocoding operations
4. Implement unique nonces per operation

Short-term (Within 2 weeks):

1. Add security headers
2. Improve password requirements
3. Fix output escaping gaps
4. Sanitize $_SERVER variables

Long-term (Within 1 month):

1. Implement comprehensive logging
2. Add rate limiting globally
3. GDPR compliance features
4. Security monitoring dashboard

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PRODUCTION READINESS ASSESSMENT

Current Status: NOT READY FOR PRODUCTION ⚠️

Required Actions Before Deployment:

1. ✅ Address all HIGH priority issues
2. ⚠️ Fix at least 50% of MEDIUM priority issues
3. ✅ Test all security fixes
4. ⚠️ Implement basic security monitoring
5. ⚠️ Create security incident response plan

Estimated Time to Production Ready: 3-5 days

With focused effort on HIGH and critical MEDIUM issues

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Immediate Actions:

1. Create security patch branch for all HIGH priority fixes
2. Implement automated security testing in CI/CD pipeline
3. Add Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules for additional protection
4. Review and update all user input validation
5. Conduct penetration testing after fixes

Best Practices Going Forward:

1. Regular security audits (quarterly)
2. Dependency scanning automation
3. Security training for development team
4. Implement security code review process
5. Maintain security changelog

Additional Security Layers:

1. Consider implementing reCAPTCHA on forms
2. Add two-factor authentication for trainers
3. Implement Content Security Policy
4. Use WordPress security plugins (Wordfence, Sucuri)
5. Regular backups and disaster recovery plan

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TESTING RECOMMENDATIONS

Security Testing Checklist:

• SQL injection testing with SQLMap
• XSS testing with XSSer
• CSRF testing with Burp Suite
• File upload testing with various file types
• Authentication bypass attempts
• Rate limiting verification
• Error message information leakage
• Session management testing

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CONCLUSION

The HVAC Community Events plugin and Astra child theme show good security awareness with proper implementation of many WordPress security best practices. However, several vulnerabilities need addressing before production deployment, particularly the SQL injection risks and file upload security.

With 3-5 days of focused security remediation work, the application can reach production-ready status. Priority should be given to HIGH-risk issues, followed by authentication improvements and security header implementation.

Security Score: 6.5/10

Will improve to 8.5/10 after recommended fixes

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Report Generated: August 11, 2025 Next Review Date: September 11, 2025 Security Contact: security@hvactraining.com