Fix Improper Error Handling in Chi
Verbose error responses are a goldmine for reconnaissance. In Go's Chi framework, dumping raw error objects directly to the ResponseWriter exposes database schemas, internal file paths, and logic flaws. To secure a Chi-based API, you must decouple internal error telemetry from external client responses.
The Vulnerable Pattern
r.Get("/user/{id}", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
id := chi.URLParam(r, "id")
user, err := db.QueryUser(id)
if err != nil {
// VULNERABLE: Directly leaking database driver errors to the client
http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError)
return
}
render.JSON(w, r, user)
})The Secure Implementation
The fix enforces a strict separation between logging and signaling. By using a centralized 'RespondError' helper, we log the raw, sensitive error string (containing potential SQL fragments or stack traces) to a secure internal sink while returning a generic JSON object and a Request ID to the client. This denies the attacker technical insights while providing the developer with a correlation ID to find the real error in the logs.
func RespondError(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, err error, status int) { // Log the actual error for internal debugging log.Printf("[ERROR] [%s] %v", middleware.GetReqID(r.Context()), err)// Return a sanitized, generic message to the attacker w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json") w.WriteHeader(status) w.Write([]byte(`{"error": "Internal Server Error", "request_id": "` + middleware.GetReqID(r.Context()) + `"}`))}
// Usage in handler r.Get(“/user/{id}”, func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { id := chi.URLParam(r, “id”) user, err := db.QueryUser(id) if err != nil { RespondError(w, r, err, 500) return } render.JSON(w, r, user) })
Your Chi API
might be exposed to Improper Error Handling
74% of Chi apps fail this check. Hackers use automated scanners to find this specific flaw. Check your codebase before they do.
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