CMS Made Simple™ Developer Resources
Module Security
Security is not optional. Every module that accepts user input, displays data, or interacts with the database must implement proper security measures. A single vulnerability in one module can compromise an entire CMSMS installation.
This chapter covers the security mechanisms CMSMS provides and how to use them correctly in your modules.
In This Chapter
- Checking Permissions — Control who can access your module's admin actions using the CMSMS permission system.
- Data Validation — Verify that data meets your expectations before processing it.
- Nonces (CSRF Protection) — Protect forms and actions against cross-site request forgery attacks.
- Securing (Escaping) Output — Prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) by escaping data before displaying it.
- Securing (Sanitizing) Input — Clean and sanitize all input before using it in your module.
The Golden Rules
- Never trust user input. All data from forms, URLs, cookies, and HTTP headers must be validated and sanitized.
- Escape all output. Any data displayed in HTML, JavaScript, or SQL must be properly escaped for its context.
- Check permissions on every admin action. Do not rely on navigation visibility alone.
- Use parameterized queries. Never concatenate user input into SQL strings.
- Protect forms with CSRF tokens. Use the built-in Smarty form plugins that handle this automatically.