Broken Authentication in Adonisjs with Mongodb

Broken Authentication occurs when application functions related to authentication and session management are not implemented correctly, allowing attackers to compromise passwords, tokens, or session identifiers. The combination of AdonisJS and MongoDB can introduce specific risks if security controls are not explicitly configured, particularly around credential storage, token handling, and session validation.

AdonisJS relies on its authentication package ecosystem (e.g., @adonisjs/auth) to manage guards and providers. By default, the lucid-based User model is common, but when MongoDB is used, developers often switch to an ODM like Mongoose or the native MongoDB driver without adjusting authentication logic accordingly. If the User model does not correctly hash passwords before storing them in MongoDB, credentials may be stored in plaintext or with a weak hashing algorithm, directly enabling credential theft.

Another vulnerability vector is insecure direct object references (IDOR) in authentication-related endpoints. For example, an endpoint like PUT /users/:id that modifies user roles or MFA settings may rely on route parameters without verifying that the authenticated user is authorized to modify that specific record in MongoDB. Because MongoDB does not enforce schema-level permissions the way SQL databases might, it is easy to inadvertently expose update paths that allow privilege escalation.

Session management also plays a critical role. If JWTs or session cookies issued by AdonisJS do not include proper expiration constraints or are not validated against a revocation mechanism stored in MongoDB, an attacker who steals a token can maintain access indefinitely. Additionally, MongoDB collections used to store refresh tokens or device records must enforce strict uniqueness and TTL policies; missing indexes or TTL settings can lead to token replay or token accumulation, increasing the attack surface.

Finally, improper error handling in authentication flows can leak information about whether a user exists in MongoDB. Generic error messages are essential to prevent attackers from enumerating valid users. Without consistent response patterns, attackers can use timing differences or error responses to infer valid credentials, making broken authentication more likely in this stack.

To secure authentication when using AdonisJS with MongoDB, implement explicit hashing, strict schema validation, and secure session handling. Below are concrete code examples that demonstrate these fixes.

1. Secure Password Hashing with Mongoose and MongoDB

Ensure passwords are hashed before being persisted to MongoDB using a strong algorithm such as bcrypt. Define a Mongoose schema (or equivalent ODM pattern) that hashes the password in a pre-save hook.

const mongoose = require('mongoose');
const bcrypt = require('bcryptjs');

const userSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
  email: { type: String, required: true, unique: true },
  password: { type: String, required: true },
  role: { type: String, enum: ['user', 'admin'], default: 'user' }
});

userSchema.pre('save', async function (next) {
  if (!this.isModified('password')) return next();
  const salt = await bcrypt.genSalt(10);
  this.password = await bcrypt.hash(this.password, salt);
  next();
});

const User = mongoose.model('User', userSchema);
module.exports = User;

2. Authorization Guard in AdonisJS Routes

Use AdonisJS route-level middleware to ensure that users can only modify their own records in MongoDB. Validate the authenticated user’s ID against the document’s owner ID before applying updates.

// In start/routes.ts
Route.put('/users/:id', async (ctx) => {
  const { id } = ctx.params;
  const user = await User.findById(id);
  if (!user) { return ctx.response.status(404).send({ error: 'Not found' }); }
  if (user._id.toString() !== ctx.auth.user.id) {
    return ctx.response.status(403).send({ error: 'Forbidden' });
  }
  const updated = await User.findByIdAndUpdate(id, ctx.request.body(), { new: true });
  return updated;
});

3. Enforce Uniqueness and TTL in MongoDB Collections

For refresh tokens or sensitive collections, enforce uniqueness and time-to-live directly in MongoDB. This prevents duplicate tokens and automatically removes stale data.

const tokenSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
  userId: { type: mongoose.Schema.Types.ObjectId, required: true },
  token: { type: String, required: true, unique: true },
  expiresAt: { type: Date, required: true }
});

tokenSchema.index({ expiresAt: 1 }, { expireAfterSeconds: 0 });
const Token = mongoose.model('Token', tokenSchema);

4. Consistent Error Handling to Prevent User Enumeration

Return the same generic message regardless of whether a user exists. This prevents attackers from distinguishing valid users via timing or error differences in MongoDB queries.

app.use(async (error, ctx, next) => {
  if (error.name === 'MongoError && error.code === 11000) {
    ctx.response.status(400).send({ message: 'Invalid credentials' });
    return;
  }
  await next();
});

5. Secure JWT Configuration and Storage

Set short expiration times for access tokens and store refresh tokens securely in MongoDB with strict validation. Rotate secrets and use HTTP-only, Secure cookies for session persistence where possible.

const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');
const accessToken = jwt.sign({ sub: user._id }, process.env.JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '15m' });
const refreshToken = jwt.sign({ sub: user._id }, process.env.REFRESH_SECRET, { expiresIn: '7d' });
// Store refreshToken in MongoDB with associated userId and revoke on logout