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| 1 | +# SIWE Nonce Authentication Implementation |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +## Overview |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +This document describes the implementation of dynamic nonce-based authentication for Sign-In with Ethereum (SIWE) to prevent replay attacks. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +## What is SIWE? |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +Sign-In with Ethereum (SIWE) is an authentication standard that allows users to authenticate with applications using their Ethereum wallet. Users sign a standardized message with their private key, proving ownership of their wallet address. |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +## The Problem: Replay Attacks |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +Without nonce protection, a malicious actor could: |
| 14 | +1. Capture a user's signed SIWE message |
| 15 | +2. Reuse that signature to authenticate as the user |
| 16 | +3. Perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the user |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +## The Solution: Dynamic Nonces |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +Each authentication request includes a unique nonce that: |
| 21 | +- Starts at `1` for new users |
| 22 | +- Increments after each successful authentication |
| 23 | +- Is unique per wallet address |
| 24 | +- Prevents signature reuse |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +## Implementation Details |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +### Database Schema |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +```sql |
| 31 | +-- Migration: 003_add_nonces.sql |
| 32 | +ALTER TABLE profiles ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS login_nonce BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 1; |
| 33 | +``` |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +### API Endpoints |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +#### Get Nonce |
| 38 | +``` |
| 39 | +GET /auth/nonce/:wallet_address |
| 40 | +``` |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +Returns the current nonce for a wallet address: |
| 43 | +```json |
| 44 | +{ |
| 45 | + "nonce": 1, |
| 46 | + "address": "0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc454e4438f44e" |
| 47 | +} |
| 48 | +``` |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +### Authentication Flow |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +1. **Frontend requests nonce** from `/auth/nonce/:address` |
| 53 | +2. **Backend returns current nonce** (starts at 1 for new users) |
| 54 | +3. **Frontend generates SIWE message**: |
| 55 | + ``` |
| 56 | + Sign this message to authenticate with The Guild. |
| 57 | +
|
| 58 | + Nonce: 1 |
| 59 | + ``` |
| 60 | +4. **User signs message** with MetaMask |
| 61 | +5. **Frontend sends signature** to protected endpoint |
| 62 | +6. **Backend verifies signature** against reconstructed message |
| 63 | +7. **Backend increments nonce** for next authentication |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +### Security Benefits |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +- **Replay Attack Prevention**: Each nonce can only be used once |
| 68 | +- **User Isolation**: Each wallet has independent nonce sequence |
| 69 | +- **Fresh Authentication**: No cached nonces - always current |
| 70 | +- **Cryptographic Security**: Uses ethers.js for proper signature verification |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +### Code Structure |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +#### Backend |
| 75 | +- `src/domain/repositories/profile_repository.rs` - Repository interface |
| 76 | +- `src/infrastructure/repositories/postgres_profile_repository.rs` - PostgreSQL implementation |
| 77 | +- `src/application/queries/get_login_nonce.rs` - Application query |
| 78 | +- `src/presentation/handlers.rs` - API handler |
| 79 | +- `src/infrastructure/services/ethereum_address_verification_service.rs` - Signature verification |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +#### Frontend |
| 82 | +- `src/hooks/profiles/use-get-nonce.ts` - Nonce fetching hook |
| 83 | +- `src/lib/utils/siwe.ts` - SIWE message generation |
| 84 | +- `src/components/profiles/action-buttons/` - Updated UI components |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +### Usage Examples |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +#### Creating a Profile |
| 89 | +```typescript |
| 90 | +// 1. Fetch nonce |
| 91 | +const { data: nonceData } = useGetNonce(walletAddress); |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +// 2. Generate SIWE message |
| 94 | +const message = generateSiweMessage(nonceData.nonce); |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +// 3. Sign with wallet |
| 97 | +const signature = await signMessageAsync({ message }); |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +// 4. Create profile |
| 100 | +await createProfile.mutateAsync({ |
| 101 | + input: { name: "John Doe", description: "Developer" }, |
| 102 | + signature |
| 103 | +}); |
| 104 | +``` |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +#### Backend Verification |
| 107 | +```rust |
| 108 | +// Reconstruct expected message |
| 109 | +let expected_message = format!( |
| 110 | + "Sign this message to authenticate with The Guild.\n\nNonce: {}", |
| 111 | + nonce |
| 112 | +); |
| 113 | + |
| 114 | +// Verify signature |
| 115 | +let recovered_address = signature.recover(expected_message)?; |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +// Increment nonce after successful verification |
| 118 | +profile_repository.increment_login_nonce(&wallet_address).await?; |
| 119 | +``` |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +### Testing |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +#### Manual Testing |
| 124 | +1. Start backend: `cargo run --bin guild-backend` |
| 125 | +2. Start frontend: `npm run dev` |
| 126 | +3. Connect MetaMask wallet |
| 127 | +4. Create profile → nonce `1` |
| 128 | +5. Update profile → nonce `2` |
| 129 | +6. Delete profile → nonce `3` |
| 130 | + |
| 131 | +#### Automated Testing |
| 132 | +```bash |
| 133 | +# Backend tests |
| 134 | +cargo test |
| 135 | + |
| 136 | +# Frontend tests |
| 137 | +npm test |
| 138 | +``` |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +### Deployment Checklist |
| 141 | + |
| 142 | +- [ ] Database migration applied |
| 143 | +- [ ] SQLX cache updated (`cargo sqlx prepare`) |
| 144 | +- [ ] Environment variables configured |
| 145 | +- [ ] CORS settings updated for frontend domain |
| 146 | +- [ ] Rate limiting configured (recommended) |
| 147 | + |
| 148 | +### Security Considerations |
| 149 | + |
| 150 | +- **Rate Limiting**: Implement rate limiting on nonce/auth endpoints |
| 151 | +- **Monitoring**: Log authentication failures and nonce patterns |
| 152 | +- **Database Constraints**: Consider adding nonce validation constraints |
| 153 | +- **Audit**: Regular security audits of authentication flow |
| 154 | + |
| 155 | +### Future Enhancements |
| 156 | + |
| 157 | +- **Nonce Expiration**: Add time-based nonce expiration |
| 158 | +- **Concurrent Request Handling**: Database-level atomic nonce operations |
| 159 | +- **Advanced Monitoring**: Authentication metrics and alerts |
| 160 | +- **Multi-device Support**: Handle multiple simultaneous sessions |
| 161 | + |
| 162 | +## Conclusion |
| 163 | + |
| 164 | +This implementation provides robust protection against replay attacks while maintaining a smooth user experience. The dynamic nonce system ensures that each authentication request is unique and cannot be reused, significantly improving the security of the SIWE authentication flow. |
| 165 | + |
| 166 | +For questions or contributions, please refer to the implementation code or create an issue in the repository. |
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