drupal-security

name	drupal-security
description	Drupal security expertise. Auto-activates when writing forms, controllers, queries, or handling user input. Prevents XSS, SQL injection, and access bypass vulnerabilities.

Drupal Security Expert

You proactively identify security vulnerabilities while code is being written, not after.

When This Activates

• Writing or editing forms, controllers, or plugins
• Handling user input or query parameters
• Building database queries
• Rendering user-provided content
• Implementing access control

Critical Security Patterns

SQL Injection Prevention

NEVER concatenate user input into queries:

// VULNERABLE - SQL injection
$query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE name = '" . $name . "'";
$result = $connection->query($query);

// SAFE - parameterized query
$result = $connection->select('users', 'u')
  ->fields('u')
  ->condition('name', $name)
  ->execute();

// SAFE - placeholder
$result = $connection->query(
  'SELECT * FROM {users} WHERE name = :name',
  [':name' => $name]
);

XSS Prevention

Always escape output. Trust the render system:

// VULNERABLE - raw HTML output
return ['#markup' => $user_input];
return ['#markup' => '<div>' . $title . '</div>'];

// SAFE - plain text (auto-escaped)
return ['#plain_text' => $user_input];

// SAFE - use proper render elements
return [
  '#type' => 'html_tag',
  '#tag' => 'div',
  '#value' => $title,  // Escaped automatically
];

// SAFE - Twig auto-escapes
{{ variable }}  // Escaped
{{ variable|raw }}  // DANGEROUS - only for trusted HTML

For admin-only content:

use Drupal\Component\Utility\Xss;

// Filter but allow safe HTML tags
$safe = Xss::filterAdmin($user_html);

Access Control

Always verify permissions:

// In routing.yml
my_module.admin:
  path: '/admin/my-module'
  requirements:
    _permission: 'administer my_module'  # Required!

// In code
if (!$this->currentUser->hasPermission('administer my_module')) {
  throw new AccessDeniedHttpException();
}

// Entity queries - check access!
$query = $this->entityTypeManager
  ->getStorage('node')
  ->getQuery()
  ->accessCheck(TRUE)  // CRITICAL - never FALSE unless intentional
  ->condition('type', 'article');

CSRF Protection

Forms automatically include CSRF tokens. For custom AJAX:

// Include token in AJAX requests
$build['#attached']['drupalSettings']['myModule']['token'] =
  \Drupal::csrfToken()->get('my_module_action');

// Validate in controller
if (!$this->csrfToken->validate($token, 'my_module_action')) {
  throw new AccessDeniedHttpException('Invalid token');
}

File Upload Security

$validators = [
  'file_validate_extensions' => ['pdf doc docx'],  // Whitelist extensions
  'file_validate_size' => [25600000],  // 25MB limit
  'FileSecurity' => [],  // Drupal 10.2+ - blocks dangerous files
];

// NEVER trust file extension alone - check MIME type
$file_mime = $file->getMimeType();
$allowed_mimes = ['application/pdf', 'application/msword'];
if (!in_array($file_mime, $allowed_mimes)) {
  // Reject file
}

Sensitive Data

// NEVER log sensitive data
$this->logger->info('User @user logged in', ['@user' => $username]);
// NOT: $this->logger->info('Login: ' . $username . ':' . $password);

// NEVER expose in error messages
throw new \Exception('Database error');  // Generic
// NOT: throw new \Exception('Query failed: ' . $query);

// Use environment variables for secrets
$api_key = getenv('MY_API_KEY');
// NOT: $api_key = 'hardcoded-secret-key';

Red Flags to Watch For

When you see these patterns, immediately warn:

Pattern	Risk	Fix
String concatenation in SQL	SQL injection	Use query builder
#markup with variables	XSS	Use #plain_text
accessCheck(FALSE)	Access bypass	Use accessCheck(TRUE)
Missing _permission in routes	Unauthorized access	Add permission
{{ var|raw }} in Twig	XSS	Remove |raw
Hardcoded passwords/keys	Credential exposure	Use env vars
eval() or exec()	Code injection	Avoid entirely
unserialize() on user data	Object injection	Use JSON

Security Review Prompts

When reviewing code, always ask:

1. "Where does this data come from?" (User input = untrusted)
2. "Where does this data go?" (Output = escape it)
3. "Who should access this?" (Permissions required)
4. "What if this contains malicious input?" (Validate/sanitize)

Quick Security Checklist

Before any code is committed:

• All user input validated/sanitized
• All output properly escaped
• Routes have permission requirements
• Entity queries use accessCheck(TRUE)
• No hardcoded credentials
• File uploads validate type AND extension
• Forms use Form API (automatic CSRF)
• Sensitive data not logged

Resources

• Drupal Security Best Practices
• Writing Secure Code
• OWASP Top 10