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articles/catch-missed-authorization-checks-during-software-development.md

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+# Catch missed authorization checks during software development
+
+<div class="video-container" style="position: relative; width: 100%; padding-bottom: 56.25%; margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 40px;">
+	<iframe class="video" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jbkPLQpzPtc?si=k1BUb98QWRT1V8fZ" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+</div>
+
+Authorization is giving permission to a user to do an action on the server. As developers, we must ensure that users are only allowed to do what they are authorized.
+
+One way to ensure that authorization has happened is to loudly flag when it hasn’t. This is how we do it at [Fleet Device Management](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fleetdm/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_pulse_read%3BCaXkx0wxSNeQ8WfF5SZ17g%3D%3D).
+
+In our code base, we use the [go-kit library](https://github.com/go-kit/kit). Most of the general endpoints are created in the handler.go file. For example:
+```
+// user-authenticated endpoints
+ue := newUserAuthenticatedEndpointer(svc, opts, r, apiVersions...)
+
+ue.POST("/api/_version_/fleet/trigger", triggerEndpoint, triggerRequest{})
+```
+
+Every endpoint calls **kithttp.NewServer** and wraps the endpoint with our **AuthzCheck**. From [handler.go](https://github.com/fleetdm/fleet/blob/36421bd5055d37a4c39a04e0f9bd96ad47951131/server/service/handler.go#L729):
+```
+e = authzcheck.NewMiddleware().AuthzCheck()(e)
+return kithttp.NewServer(e, decodeFn, encodeResponse, opts...)
+```
+![Example check](../website/assets/images/articles/catch-missed-authorization-checks-during-software-development-720x179@2x.jpg
+"Example check")
+
+This means that after the business logic is processed, the AuthzCheck is called. This check ensures that authorization was checked. Otherwise, an error is returned. From [authzcheck.go](https://github.com/fleetdm/fleet/blob/36421bd5055d37a4c39a04e0f9bd96ad47951131/server/service/middleware/authzcheck/authzcheck.go#L51):
+```
+// If authorization was not checked, return a response that will
+// marshal to a generic error and log that the check was missed.
+if !authzctx.Checked() {
+	// Getting to here means there is an authorization-related bug in our code.
+	return nil, authz.CheckMissingWithResponse(response)
+}
+```
+
+This additional check is useful during our development and QA process, to ensure that authorization always happens in our business logic.
+
+
+<meta name="articleTitle" value="Catch missed authorization checks during software development">
+<meta name="authorFullName" value="Victor Lyuboslavsky">
+<meta name="authorGitHubUsername" value="getvictor">
+<meta name="category" value="guides">
+<meta name="publishedOn" value="2023-12-04">
+<meta name="description" value="How to perform authorization checks in a golang codebase for cybersecurity">