Add GSoC 2024 VulnTotal Browser Extension Project Report (#146)

Add GSoC 2024 VulnTotal Browser Extension Project Report

Signed-off-by: Michael Ehab <[email protected]>

docs/source/archive/gsoc-toc.rst

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ GSoC 2024
 
    gsoc/reports/2024/scancode_toolkit_swastkk
    gsoc/reports/2024/scancodeio_scorecode_pranay
+   gsoc/reports/2024/vulntotal_extension_michael
 
 GSoC 2022
 ---------

docs/source/archive/gsoc/reports/2024/vulntotal_extension_michael.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,289 @@
+VulnTotal Browser Extension: Cross-validating vulnerability right within the browser
+====================================================================================
+
+Organization - `AboutCode <https://www.aboutcode.org>`_
+-----------------------------------------------------------
+| **Michael Ehab Mikhail**
+| GitHub: `michaelehab <https://github.com/michaelehab>`_
+| LinkedIn: `@michaelehab16 <https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelehab16/>`_
+| Project: `VulnTotal Browser Extension <https://github.com/aboutcode-org/vulntotal-extension>`_
+| Official GSoC project page: `Project Link <https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/programs/2024/projects/26FZNTGx>`_
+| GSoC Proposal: `Proposal Link <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K7oGBlfHxbrxah3TJW1PcUGgaLMR6q0ctK7_Y10hpVY/edit?usp=sharing>`_
+
+Overview
+--------
+
+This project aims to simplify the process of vulnerability analysis by
+developing a browser extension for Chrome-based browsers (Google Chrome,
+Firefox, Arc, etc.). The extension leverages the power of `VulnTotal
+<https://aboutcode.readthedocs.io/en/latest/archive/gsoc/reports/2022/vulnerablecode_vulntotal_keshav.html>`_,
+a Python-based tool that queries multiple vulnerability data sources, such
+as OSV and Snyk, to provide comprehensive security assessments of software
+packages. The key innovation in this project is the use of Pyodide, a port
+of CPython to WebAssembly/Emscripten, which enables Python code to run
+natively in the browser.
+
+By integrating Pyodide with VulnTotal, the extension can perform
+vulnerability analysis directly within the browser environment,
+eliminating the need for server-side components or external applications.
+The extension provides a user-friendly interface that displays the results
+of vulnerability analyses in a clear and interpretable table format. The
+table allows users to quickly assess the security status of the software
+packages they are examining.
+
+This project not only enhances the functionality and reach of VulnTotal but
+also provides a valuable tool for developers and security professionals who
+seek to ensure the safety of their software directly from their browsers.
+By simplifying and streamlining the vulnerability-checking process, this
+extension contributes to safer and more secure software development practices.
+
+Extension Preview
+-----------------
+
+.. figure:: https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/07966663-9f89-4b80-9db3-0840e246d2c5
+   :alt: Extension Preview
+   :align: center
+   :width: 70%
+
+   VulnTotal Extension takes PURL and displays vulnerability data from
+   various data sources. By default, vulnerability data is grouped by CVE.
+
+.. note::
+   A PURL is a URL string used to identify and locate a software package
+   in a mostly universal and uniform way across programming languages,
+   package managers, packaging conventions, tools, APIs, and databases.
+   `more on PURL <https://github.com/package-url>`_
+
+Project Design and Architecture
+-------------------------------
+
+The design of this project revolves around the integration of VulnTotal
+with a browser environment, enabling seamless vulnerability analysis
+without the need for server-side processing. This is achieved by leveraging
+Pyodide, which runs Python code directly in the browser through WebAssembly.
+Below, we discuss the core components of the project and how they interact
+to deliver a functional and user-friendly extension.
+
+Pyodide Integration
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Pyodide is a critical component of this project, allowing the VulnTotal
+Python library to be executed within the browser. Pyodide converts CPython
+to WebAssembly, enabling Python code to run natively in a web environment.
+This setup eliminates the need for external servers or backend
+infrastructure, making the extension self-contained and easy to deploy.
+
+.. figure:: https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2bf61204-e26b-4322-8403-f126b3d44748
+   :alt: Pyodide integration within the browser
+   :align: center
+   :width: 70%
+
+   In the context of this extension, Pyodide serves as the bridge between
+   the browser's JavaScript environment and the Python-based VulnTotal tool.
+   The extension uses Pyodide to load the VulnTotal code, perform
+   vulnerability checks, and return the results to the user interface,
+   where they are displayed in a structured format.
+
+Implementation
+--------------
+
+The implementation of the browser extension involved several key steps,
+each crucial to ensuring the extension's functionality and integration
+with VulnTotal. The process began with designing the frontend and progressed
+through setting up Pyodide, creating core classes, and integrating all
+components. Below is a detailed account of the implementation process.
+
+Frontend Design
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The initial phase of development focused on designing the frontend of the
+extension. To maintain a consistent user experience, I adopted a design
+approach similar to that used in VulnerableCode. This design choice aimed
+to provide users with a familiar and intuitive interface for vulnerability
+analysis.
+
+I created a full demo using JavaScript to simulate how the extension should
+function. This demo utilized a JSON response from the VulnTotal Python
+package, allowing me to test and validate the user interface and interaction
+flow before integrating with Pyodide.
+
+Pyodide Integration
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The most challenging part of the project was integrating the Pyodide Python
+package into the browser environment. Pyodide allows Python code to run
+within the browser using WebAssembly. To achieve this, I performed the
+following steps:
+
+* Setting Up Pyodide: I configured Pyodide, ensuring that the environment
+  was properly set up to run Python code. This included loading the
+  necessary Python packages into the environment.
+* Using Python Code in JavaScript: I wrote the VulnTotalWorker.js class to
+  manage the interaction between the Python environment and the browser.
+  This class handles various tasks:
+
+  * Environment Initialization: It ensures that the Pyodide environment
+    is correctly initialized and ready for executing Python code.
+  * Communication with UI: It updates the user interface with loading
+    progress and other relevant information.
+  * API Key Management: It manages API keys required for VulnTotal
+    operations within the Python environment.
+  * Request Handling: It processes scan requests, which include the
+    Package URL (PURL) and the enabled or disabled data sources, and
+    returns the analysis results.
+
+Web Worker Integration
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The VulnTotalWorker class operates within a web worker to handle the actual
+requests for vulnerability analysis. The web worker allows the extension to
+perform background tasks without blocking the main thread, ensuring a
+smooth user experience. It processes requests and communicates with the
+VulnTotalWorker class to fetch and return results.
+
+Background Script
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The background script is responsible for managing user settings and API keys.
+It stores these preferences and ensures that they are accessible to other
+components of the extension. This worker plays a crucial role in maintaining
+user-specific configurations and providing a seamless experience.
+
+Content Script
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The content script acts as the glue between different components of the
+extension. It facilitates communication between the background script, web
+worker, and user interface. The content script ensures that all components
+work together effectively, coordinating the flow of data and requests to
+deliver the desired functionality.
+
+Build Script
+^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The final part was adding a script to build the extension. This script uses
+an installed chrome-based browser to bundle all the necessary files,
+including the Pyodide core package and the VulnTotal Python code, into a
+single extension package. This package can then be installed in the browser
+to enable vulnerability analysis directly within the browser environment.
+
+.. figure:: https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8f13128e-a32c-46f9-af47-4ec18c7e84d4
+   :alt: Extension Architecture
+   :align: center
+   :width: 70%
+
+   The architecture of the extension consists of multiple components that
+   work together to provide vulnerability analysis within the browser. The
+   frontend interacts with the content script, which coordinates requests
+   and data flow between the background script, web worker, and Pyodide
+   environment. This setup ensures a seamless and efficient user experience.
+
+Challenges and Solutions
+------------------------
+
+1. WebAssembly and Project Scale
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The first significant challenge was utilizing WebAssembly (Wasm) for a
+project of this scale. While most tutorials and available content
+demonstrate running simple scripts in the browser, this project involved a
+more complex scenario. Integrating the VulnTotal tool, which has multiple
+dependencies and a larger codebase, required careful optimization and
+adaptation to ensure it ran smoothly within the browser environment.
+Overcoming this challenge involved extensive testing and tweaking of the
+Pyodide setup to ensure compatibility and performance.
+
+2. Browser Context Incompatibilities
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Running Python scripts in a browser context introduces restrictions that do
+not exist when running the same scripts in a standard Python environment.
+One of the key challenges was handling HTTP requests. Certain requests that
+work seamlessly in a Python script faced issues in the browser due to the
+lack of request origin, which is a crucial aspect of web security.
+
+To address this, running requests directly in the content script was not
+feasible. The solution was to leverage Web Workers, which allowed for more
+flexible request handling within the browser. This approach is recommended
+by Google and provides a way to bypass some of the restrictions imposed by
+the browser environment.
+
+3. GitLab Data Source Integration
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Another challenge was integrating the GitLab data source into the extension.
+The original VulnTotal tool had specific configurations and data retrieval
+methods for GitLab that required adaptation for the browser environment.
+Ensuring proper data retrieval and presentation from GitLab required
+modifying the existing VulnTotal code and handling data fetching and
+parsing within the browser constraints.
+
+4. Extension Size Optimization
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The size of the Pyodide release posed a practical challenge. The compressed
+release size for Pyodide version 0.26.1 was approximately 281MB, which is
+impractical to include within the extension files. Additionally, relying on
+a CDN for such a large package would be challenging due to browser
+limitations and potential issues with internet consumption.
+
+To solve this, I opted to use only the Pyodide core package, which has a
+much smaller compressed size of 5.31MB. I then bundled only the necessary
+wheels for the required packages, reducing the overall extension size to
+about 20MB. This made the extension more efficient and practical for users
+to install and use.
+
+5. Patching the Requests Module
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Another challenge involved patching the Python requests module to work
+seamlessly within the browser environment. Pyodide provides a patch that
+allows requests to use XHR for non-streaming requests and the Fetch API for
+streaming requests. However, this patch only worked correctly for the
+initial VulnTotal request. To ensure consistent and correct results, I
+implemented a mechanism to apply this patch every time the Python code was
+executed. This ensured that all requests were handled appropriately,
+maintaining the functionality of the extension.
+
+Linked Pull Requests
+--------------------
+
+.. list-table::
+   :widths: 10 40 20 30
+   :header-rows: 1
+
+   * - Sr. no
+     - Name
+     - Link
+     - Status
+   * - 1
+     - Frontend Demo
+     - `aboutcode-org/vulntotal-extension#5 <https://github.com/aboutcode-org/vulntotal-extension/pull/5>`_
+     - Merged
+   * - 2
+     - Gitlab Change
+     - `aboutcode-org/vulnerablecode#1524 <https://github.com/aboutcode-org/vulnerablecode/pull/1524>`_
+     - Merged
+   * - 3
+     - Backend Integration
+     - `aboutcode-org/vulntotal-extension#6 <https://github.com/aboutcode-org/vulntotal-extension/pull/6>`_
+     - Merged
+   * - 4
+     - Build Scripts and Readme
+     - `aboutcode-org/vulntotal-extension#9 <https://github.com/aboutcode-org/vulntotal-extension/pull/9>`_
+     - Merged
+
+Closing Thoughts
+-------------------
+
+I really enjoyed working on such a challenging project. I loved exploring
+the new technologies I used, like WebAssembly, and getting it running in a
+complex project with packages and multiple files like VulnTotal.
+
+I appreciated the weekly status calls and the feedback I received from my
+mentors and the amazing team. They were really helpful and supportive.
+- `Philippe Ombredanne <https://github.com/pombredanne>`_
+- `Ayan Sinha Mahapatra <https://github.com/AyanSinhaMahapatra>`_
+- `Ziad Hany <https://github.com/ziadhany>`_
+- `Keshav Priyadarshi <https://github.com/keshav-space>`_
+- `Omkar Phansopkar <https://github.com/OmkarPh>`_