WebAPI/Security/Contacts

Name of API: Contacts API

Reference: https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebAPI/ContactsAPI

Brief purpose of API: Access to users contacts.

General Use Cases:N/A

Inherent threats:

• Read/exfiltrate confidential information,
• Destroy user's contact data
• DoS via filling address book with bogus data

Threat severity: High

Regular web content (unauthenticated)

Use cases for unauthenticated code: Mediated access to specific (user selected) contact information

Authorization model for uninstalled web content: OS mediated (web activities, or trusted UI)
Authorization model for installed web content: OS mediated (web activities, or trusted UI)

Potential mitigations:

• App requests a contact via web activities or trusted UI
• API provides a local identifier instead of the actual contact information

Trusted (authenticated by publisher)

Use cases for authenticated code: Create, read or edit contact information

Authorization model: Explicit

Potential mitigations:

• Let user configure what data is accessible (globally?)
• Have separate permissions read,create or update/delete? (assuming that many apps only want read, and could use web activities to create a contact if necessary?)

Certified (vouched for by trusted 3rd party)

Use cases for certified code: Create, read or edit contact information

Authorization model: Implicit

Potential mitigations: None

see also

• WebAPI
• WebAPI/ContactsAPI