Arp Spoofing in Feathersjs with Cockroachdb

Arp Spoofing is a Layer 2 attack where an attacker sends falsified ARP messages to associate their MAC address with the IP of a legitimate host, such as your Cockroachdb node. In a Feathersjs service stack, this can occur when services communicate directly with a Cockroachdb cluster over the network without enforcing transport integrity. Feathersjs applications often expose REST or socket endpoints that internally perform database calls; if an attacker spoofs the ARP table between the Feathersjs host and the Cockroachdb nodes, they can intercept or modify unencrypted traffic, including SQL statements and result sets.

When Cockroachdb is deployed in a non-encrypted mode or with weak certificate validation, Feathersjs services that use standard drivers may inadvertently send credentials, query strings, or session tokens across the spoofed link. Because Feathersjs typically manages database connections via configuration objects (e.g., host, port, SSL flags), a spoofed environment can redirect these connections without the application logic changing. This is especially risky in clustered or containerized deployments where service discovery relies on IP-to-MAC mappings that ARP Spoofing can manipulate.

The exposure is not inherent to Feathersjs itself but arises from the integration pattern: Feathersjs services maintain long-lived database connections to Cockroachdb, and if those connections traverse a network segment vulnerable to ARP Spoofing, an attacker can perform session hijacking or injection. For example, an attacker could intercept an unencrypted connection and inject malicious statements into ongoing transactions. Because Cockroachdb supports distributed SQL, the spoofed node might participate in consensus if the cluster does not enforce strict mTLS and certificate pinning, allowing the attacker to influence replication decisions or read sensitive data.

Real-world attack patterns mirror CVE-2020-26245 (PostgreSQL ARP cache poisoning) and the broader OWASP API Security Top 10 category on security misconfiguration. In this context, missing transport-layer protections in the Feathersjs-to-Cockroachdb path create a window for data exposure, even when the API endpoints themselves are properly authenticated. The risk is compounded when the Feathersjs application uses unauthenticated or misconfigured SSL settings, allowing spoofed packets to be accepted as valid.

Remediation centers on enforcing encrypted transport and strict certificate validation between Feathersjs and Cockroachdb. Below are concrete, working examples using the pg client (which Cockroachdb supports) within a Feathersjs service hook or adapter.

1. Configure SSL/TLS in Feathersjs database connection

Ensure your Feathersjs service uses SSL with server certificate verification. This prevents acceptance of connections from spoofed nodes that cannot present a valid certificate.

// src/app.js or database connection module
const { Sequelize } = require('sequelize');
const fs = require('fs');

const sequelize = new Sequelize({
  dialect: 'postgres',
  host: process.env.COCKROACHDB_HOST || 'localhost',
  port: process.env.COCKROACHDB_PORT || 26257,
  database: process.env.COCKROACHDB_DB || 'mydb',
  username: process.env.COCKROACHDB_USER || 'root',
  password: process.env.COCKROACHDB_PASSWORD || '',
  ssl: {
    ca: fs.readFileSync('/path/to/ca.crt').toString(),
    key: fs.readFileSync('/path/to/client.key').toString(),
    cert: fs.readFileSync('/path/to/client.crt').toString(),
    rejectUnauthorized: true // Critical: reject certs not signed by CA
  }
});

module.exports = sequelize;

2. Use secure connection string with certificate verification

For Cockroachdb Serverless or clusters, prefer connection strings that mandate TLS and pin certificates.

// In Feathersjs service configuration
const connectionString = 'postgresql://[email protected]:26257/defaultdb?sslmode=verify-full&sslcert=/etc/secrets/client.crt&sslkey=/etc/secrets/client.key&sslrootcert=/etc/secrets/ca.crt';

const sequelize = new Sequelize(connectionString, {
  dialect: 'postgres',
  logging: false,
  define: {
    timestamps: true
  }
});

3. Apply network-level mitigations via hooks

Add a Feathersjs before hook to validate the underlying connection integrity and log anomalies that may indicate ARP manipulation.

// src/hooks/secure-db-connection.js
module.exports = function secureDbConnection(options = {}) {
  return async context => {
    const { app } = context;
    // Example: verify active connection uses expected certificate
    const sslContext = app.get('db').options.ssl;
    if (!sslContext || !sslContext.rejectUnauthorized) {
      throw new Error('Database connection must enforce SSL certificate validation to prevent ARP spoofing');
    }
    // Optionally log connection metadata for audit
    context.params.meta = context.params.meta || {};
    context.params.meta.tlsVerified = true;
    return context;
  };
};

4. Enforce mTLS and disable insecure protocols

Ensure Cockroachdb is configured to require TLS for all connections and that Feathersjs never falls back to non-SSL modes.

// Cockroachdb cluster setting (admin SQL executed via secure client)
-- This is illustrative; actual execution happens in Cockroachdb console
ALTER DATABASE mydb CONFIGURE ZONE USING num_replicas = 3, constraints = '["+region=us-east1"]';

In Feathersjs, explicitly reject unencrypted connections by setting sslmode=verify-full and ensuring the driver does not allow fallback.