Injection is #1 on the 2013 OWASP Top Ten web security risks. SQL injection is when a user is able to manipulate a value which is used unsafely inside a SQL query. This can lead to data leaks, data loss, elevation of privilege, and other unpleasant outcomes.

Brakeman focuses on ActiveRecord methods dealing with building SQL statements.

A basic (Rails 2.x) example looks like this:

User.first(:conditions => "username = '#{params[:username]}'")

Brakeman would produce a warning like this:

Possible SQL injection near line 30: User.first(:conditions => ("username = '#{params[:username]}'"))

The safe way to do this query is to use a parameterized query:

User.first(:conditions => ["username = ?", params[:username]])

Brakeman also understands the new Rails 3.x way of doing things (and local variables and concatenation):

username = params[:user][:name].downcase
password = params[:user][:password]

User.first.where("username = '" + username + "' AND password = '" + password + "'")

This results in this kind of warning:

Possible SQL injection near line 37:
User.first.where((((("username = '" + params[:user][:name].downcase) + "' AND password = '") + params[:user][:password]) + "'"))

See the Ruby Security Guide for more information and Rails-SQLi.org for many examples of SQL injection in Rails.

Injection is #1 on the 2013 OWASP Top Ten web security risks. SQL injection is when a user is able to manipulate a value which is used unsafely inside a SQL query. This can lead to data leaks, data loss, elevation of privilege, and other unpleasant outcomes.

Brakeman focuses on ActiveRecord methods dealing with building SQL statements.

A basic (Rails 2.x) example looks like this:

User.first(:conditions => "username = '#{params[:username]}'")

Brakeman would produce a warning like this:

Possible SQL injection near line 30: User.first(:conditions => ("username = '#{params[:username]}'"))

The safe way to do this query is to use a parameterized query:

User.first(:conditions => ["username = ?", params[:username]])

Brakeman also understands the new Rails 3.x way of doing things (and local variables and concatenation):

username = params[:user][:name].downcase
password = params[:user][:password]

User.first.where("username = '" + username + "' AND password = '" + password + "'")

This results in this kind of warning:

Possible SQL injection near line 37:
User.first.where((((("username = '" + params[:user][:name].downcase) + "' AND password = '") + params[:user][:password]) + "'"))

See the Ruby Security Guide for more information and Rails-SQLi.org for many examples of SQL injection in Rails.

This cop checks that the ABC size of methods is not higher than the configured maximum. The ABC size is based on assignments, branches (method calls), and conditions. See http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?AbcMetric

This cop checks if the length of a method exceeds some maximum value. Comment lines can optionally be ignored. The maximum allowed length is configurable.

This cop checks that the cyclomatic complexity of methods is not higher than the configured maximum. The cyclomatic complexity is the number of linearly independent paths through a method. The algorithm counts decision points and adds one.

An if statement (or unless or ?:) increases the complexity by one. An else branch does not, since it doesn't add a decision point. The && operator (or keyword and) can be converted to a nested if statement, and ||/or is shorthand for a sequence of ifs, so they also add one. Loops can be said to have an exit condition, so they add one.

This cop tries to produce a complexity score that's a measure of the complexity the reader experiences when looking at a method. For that reason it considers when nodes as something that doesn't add as much complexity as an if or a &&. Except if it's one of those special case/when constructs where there's no expression after case. Then the cop treats it as an if/elsif/elsif... and lets all the when nodes count. In contrast to the CyclomaticComplexity cop, this cop considers else nodes as adding complexity.

Example:

def my_method                   # 1
  if cond                       # 1
    case var                    # 2 (0.8 + 4 * 0.2, rounded)
    when 1 then func_one
    when 2 then func_two
    when 3 then func_three
    when 4..10 then func_other
    end
  else                          # 1
    do_something until a && b   # 2
  end                           # ===
end                             # 7 complexity points

Cognitive Complexity

Cognitive Complexity is a measure of how difficult a unit of code is to intuitively understand. Unlike Cyclomatic Complexity, which determines how difficult your code will be to test, Cognitive Complexity tells you how difficult your code will be to read and comprehend.

A method's cognitive complexity is based on a few simple rules:

• Code is not considered more complex when it uses shorthand that the language provides for collapsing multiple statements into one
• Code is considered more complex for each "break in the linear flow of the code"
• Code is considered more complex when "flow breaking structures are nested"

Further reading

• Cognitive Complexity docs
• Cognitive Complexity: A new way of measuring understandability

This cop checks for missing top-level documentation of classes and modules. Classes with no body are exempt from the check and so are namespace modules - modules that have nothing in their bodies except classes, other modules, or constant definitions.

The documentation requirement is annulled if the class or module has a "#:nodoc:" comment next to it. Likewise, "#:nodoc: all" does the same for all its children.

Example:

# bad
class Person
  # ...
end

# good
# Description/Explanation of Person class
class Person
  # ...
end

This cop checks the style of children definitions at classes and modules. Basically there are two different styles:

Example: EnforcedStyle: nested (default)

# good
# have each child on its own line
class Foo
  class Bar
  end
end

Example: EnforcedStyle: compact

# good
# combine definitions as much as possible
class Foo::Bar
end

The compact style is only forced for classes/modules with one child.

This cops checks the indentation of the first key in a hash literal where the opening brace and the first key are on separate lines. The other keys' indentations are handled by the AlignHash cop.

By default, Hash literals that are arguments in a method call with parentheses, and where the opening curly brace of the hash is on the same line as the opening parenthesis of the method call, shall have their first key indented one step (two spaces) more than the position inside the opening parenthesis.

Other hash literals shall have their first key indented one step more than the start of the line where the opening curly brace is.

This default style is called 'specialinsideparentheses'. Alternative styles are 'consistent' and 'align_braces'. Here are examples:

Example: EnforcedStyle: specialinsideparentheses (default)

# The `special_inside_parentheses` style enforces that the first key
# in a hash literal where the opening brace and the first key are on
# separate lines is indented one step (two spaces) more than the
# position inside the opening parentheses.

# bad
hash = {
  key: :value
}
and_in_a_method_call({
  no: :difference
                     })

# good
special_inside_parentheses
hash = {
  key: :value
}
but_in_a_method_call({
                       its_like: :this
                     })

Example: EnforcedStyle: consistent

# The `consistent` style enforces that the first key in a hash
# literal where the opening brace and the first key are on
# seprate lines is indented the same as a hash literal which is not
# defined inside a method call.

# bad
hash = {
  key: :value
}
but_in_a_method_call({
                       its_like: :this
                      })

# good
hash = {
  key: :value
}
and_in_a_method_call({
  no: :difference
})

Example: EnforcedStyle: align_braces

# The `align_brackets` style enforces that the opening and closing
# braces are indented to the same position.

# bad
and_now_for_something = {
                          completely: :different
}

# good
and_now_for_something = {
                          completely: :different
                        }

Use next to skip iteration instead of a condition at the end.

Example: EnforcedStyle: skipmodifierifs (default)

# bad
[1, 2].each do |a|
  if a == 1
    puts a
  end
end

# good
[1, 2].each do |a|
  next unless a == 1
  puts a
end

# good
[1, 2].each do |o|
  puts o unless o == 1
end

Example: EnforcedStyle: always

# With `always` all conditions at the end of an iteration needs to be
# replaced by next - with `skip_modifier_ifs` the modifier if like
# this one are ignored: `[1, 2].each { |a| return 'yes' if a == 1 }`

# bad
[1, 2].each do |o|
  puts o unless o == 1
end

# bad
[1, 2].each do |a|
  if a == 1
    puts a
  end
end

# good
[1, 2].each do |a|
  next unless a == 1
  puts a
end

This cop checks for the formatting of empty method definitions. By default it enforces empty method definitions to go on a single line (compact style), but it can be configured to enforce the end to go on its own line (expanded style).

Note: A method definition is not considered empty if it contains comments.

Example: EnforcedStyle: compact (default)

# bad
def foo(bar)
end

def self.foo(bar)
end

# good
def foo(bar); end

def foo(bar)
  # baz
end

def self.foo(bar); end

Example: EnforcedStyle: expanded

# bad
def foo(bar); end

def self.foo(bar); end

# good
def foo(bar)
end

def self.foo(bar)
end

This cop checks for uses of rescue in its modifier form.

Example:

# bad
some_method rescue handle_error

# good
begin
  some_method
rescue
  handle_error
end

This cop checks whether some constant value isn't a mutable literal (e.g. array or hash).

Example:

# bad
CONST = [1, 2, 3]

# good
CONST = [1, 2, 3].freeze

Use symbols as procs when possible.

Example:

# bad
something.map { |s| s.upcase }

# good
something.map(&:upcase)

Checks for if and unless statements that would fit on one line if written as a modifier if/unless. The maximum line length is configured in the Metrics/LineLength cop.

Example:

# bad
if condition
  do_stuff(bar)
end

unless qux.empty?
  Foo.do_something
end

# good
do_stuff(bar) if condition
Foo.do_something unless qux.empty?