deer-flow/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/agents/middlewares/input_sanitization_middleware.py
Yi Deng b36d7194d9
fix(security): neutralize prompt-injection tags in remote tool results (#4002)
* fix(security): neutralize prompt-injection tags in remote tool results

User input is already neutralized for framework/injection tags, but tool
results are not. Remote content fetched by web_fetch/web_search is equally
untrusted and can carry a forged <system-reminder> block that reaches the
model verbatim as authoritative context.

Extract a shared neutralize_untrusted_tags() primitive from
InputSanitizationMiddleware and apply it to remote-content tool results
(web_fetch/web_search/image_search) via a new ToolResultSanitizationMiddleware.
Local tool output (bash/read_file) is left untouched so legitimate code/file
content is never mangled.

* test: update subagent middleware count for tool-result sanitizer

The new ToolResultSanitizationMiddleware adds one entry to the shared runtime
chain (11 -> 12). Update the subagent count assertion, use a lazy import for
neutralize_untrusted_tags so the module loads even when tests stub the
input-sanitization module, and document the new middleware in AGENTS.md.

* fix(security): address review — sanitize bare str list items; document MCP scope

- Neutralize bare str elements inside a ToolMessage content list (previously
  only {type:text} dict blocks were rewritten), matching the str-in-list shape
  ToolOutputBudgetMiddleware._message_text already anticipates.
- Document the name-based allowlist limitation: MCP remote-content tools
  registered under arbitrary names (e.g. fetch_url) are not covered; a name
  heuristic is avoided to prevent mangling local tool output, with metadata
  tagging tracked as a follow-up. Add a regression test pinning this boundary.
2026-07-09 14:45:25 +08:00

320 lines
13 KiB
Python

"""Input guardrail middleware for prompt-injection defense (issue #3630).
Escapes blocked XML-like tags in the last genuine user message (e.g.
``<system>`` → ``&lt;system&gt;``) so they render as literal text instead
of structured-context markers. This preserves the user's intent ("how do
I use DeerFlow's <think> tag?") while neutralizing injection attempts —
the same de-identify-don't-reject strategy as AWS Bedrock's PII ANONYMIZE.
Blocked: system-reserved tags (memory, analysis, etc.) + common injection
tags (system, instruction, role, etc.). Normal HTML/XML tags (<div>,
<span>) are NOT escaped.
Clean input is wrapped in plain-text boundary markers as a secondary
semantic defense (OWASP structured-prompt guidance).
"""
from __future__ import annotations
import logging
import re
from collections.abc import Awaitable, Callable
from typing import override
from langchain.agents import AgentState
from langchain.agents.middleware import AgentMiddleware
from langchain.agents.middleware.types import (
ModelCallResult,
ModelRequest,
ModelResponse,
)
from langchain_core.messages import HumanMessage
from langgraph.errors import GraphBubbleUp
from deerflow.agents.human_input import read_human_input_response
from deerflow.utils.messages import ORIGINAL_USER_CONTENT_KEY, message_content_to_text
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
_SUMMARY_MESSAGE_NAME = "summary"
# Finite set of blocked tag names: system-reserved + common injection patterns.
_BLOCKED_TAG_NAMES: frozenset[str] = frozenset(
{
# System-reserved tags (used by the agent framework for structured context)
"system-reminder",
"memory",
"current_date",
"think",
"analysis",
"subagent_system",
"skill_system",
"uploaded_files",
"todo_list_system",
# Common prompt-injection tag patterns
"system",
"instruction",
"role",
"important",
"override",
"ignore",
"prompt",
}
)
# Matches a full blocked tag: <tag>, </tag>, <tag attrs>, <tag/>, bare <tag
_BLOCKED_TAG_PATTERN = re.compile(
r"<\s*/?\s*(?:" + "|".join(re.escape(t) for t in sorted(_BLOCKED_TAG_NAMES)) + r")\b[^>]*>?",
re.IGNORECASE,
)
# Plain-text boundary markers (OWASP structured-prompt guidance).
_USER_INPUT_BEGIN = "--- BEGIN USER INPUT ---"
_USER_INPUT_END = "--- END USER INPUT ---"
# Neutralized forms injected when the user's text already contains a marker.
# These look visually similar but do not match the real boundary delimiters.
_NEUTRALIZED_BEGIN = "[BEGIN USER INPUT]"
_NEUTRALIZED_END = "[END USER INPUT]"
# Matches either boundary token as a standalone line or embedded in text.
_BOUNDARY_TOKEN_RE = re.compile(
re.escape(_USER_INPUT_BEGIN) + r"|" + re.escape(_USER_INPUT_END),
)
def _escape_tag_match(match: re.Match) -> str:
"""Escape < and > in a blocked-tag match so it renders as literal text."""
return match.group(0).replace("<", "&lt;").replace(">", "&gt;")
def _neutralize_boundary_tokens(text: str) -> str:
"""Replace real BEGIN/END USER INPUT markers with look-alike inert forms."""
return _BOUNDARY_TOKEN_RE.sub(
lambda m: _NEUTRALIZED_BEGIN if m.group(0) == _USER_INPUT_BEGIN else _NEUTRALIZED_END,
text,
)
def neutralize_untrusted_tags(text: str) -> str:
"""Neutralize framework/injection control tokens in untrusted text.
Shared primitive for any content that originates outside the trust boundary
and is about to enter the model context as *data* — currently the genuine
user message (via :func:`_check_user_content`) and remote tool results
(web_fetch / web_search and friends, via
:class:`ToolResultSanitizationMiddleware`).
Applies exactly the two structural defenses, and nothing else:
* blocked framework/injection tags (e.g. ``<system-reminder>``) are
HTML-escaped to ``&lt;system-reminder&gt;`` so they lose their structural
meaning while staying human-readable;
* the plain-text ``--- BEGIN/END USER INPUT ---`` boundary markers are
neutralized so untrusted content cannot forge or break out of the
user-input boundary.
It intentionally does **not** wrap the text in boundary markers: that
framing is specific to the user message. Empty/whitespace-only text is
returned unchanged so callers do not emit marker noise.
"""
if not text.strip():
return text
text = _BLOCKED_TAG_PATTERN.sub(_escape_tag_match, text)
return _neutralize_boundary_tokens(text)
def _is_genuine_user_message(message: object) -> bool:
"""Return True for real user messages, excluding system-injected HumanMessages.
``hide_from_ui`` is also used by hidden UI replies from HumanInputCard, so
only skip hidden HumanMessages that do not carry a valid user response.
"""
if not isinstance(message, HumanMessage):
return False
if message.name == _SUMMARY_MESSAGE_NAME:
return False
if message.additional_kwargs.get("hide_from_ui") and read_human_input_response(message.additional_kwargs) is None:
return False
return True
def _check_user_content(text: str) -> str:
"""Sanitize user content: escape blocked tags, then wrap in boundary markers.
* Empty/whitespace-only → return unchanged (no marker noise).
* Blocked tags → HTML-escape ``<``/``>`` (e.g. ``<system>`` → ``&lt;system&gt;``).
* Boundary tokens in user text → neutralized so they cannot forge boundaries.
* Already wrapped (strict prefix+suffix) → return text unchanged (idempotent).
* Otherwise → wrap in boundary markers.
"""
if not text.strip():
return text
text = _BLOCKED_TAG_PATTERN.sub(_escape_tag_match, text)
# Idempotency: only skip if text is *exactly* wrapped (prefix+suffix),
# not if the user merely typed the begin token somewhere.
if text.startswith(_USER_INPUT_BEGIN) and text.endswith(_USER_INPUT_END):
# Still neutralize boundary tokens in the inner content — a user
# can forge the outer wrapping to bypass the neutralization below
# and inject inner boundary markers (break-out attack).
inner = text[len(_USER_INPUT_BEGIN) : -len(_USER_INPUT_END)]
neutralized_inner = _neutralize_boundary_tokens(inner)
if neutralized_inner == inner:
return text
return f"{_USER_INPUT_BEGIN}{neutralized_inner}{_USER_INPUT_END}"
# Neutralize any boundary tokens the user may have embedded, preventing
# both self-suppression (begin token skips wrapping) and break-out
# (end token creates a premature boundary inside the payload).
text = _neutralize_boundary_tokens(text)
return f"{_USER_INPUT_BEGIN}\n{text}\n{_USER_INPUT_END}"
class InputSanitizationMiddleware(AgentMiddleware[AgentState]):
"""Guardrail middleware that escapes prompt-injection tags in user input.
Blocked tags are HTML-escaped (not rejected) so the user's intent is
preserved while the tags lose their semantic significance. Clean input
is wrapped in plain-text boundary markers. Transformation is temporary
(wrap_model_call) — never written to state.
"""
@staticmethod
def _extract_text_from_content(content: str | list) -> tuple[str, list | None]:
"""Extract concatenated text from a plain-string or content-block-list.
Returns ``(text, extracted_blocks)``. *extracted_blocks* is None when
*content* is a string, or the list of text-content-block dicts when a list.
"""
if isinstance(content, str):
return content, None
if not isinstance(content, list):
return "", None
text_parts: list[str] = []
text_blocks: list[dict] = []
for block in content:
if isinstance(block, dict) and block.get("type") == "text" and isinstance(block.get("text"), str):
text_parts.append(block["text"])
text_blocks.append(block)
return "\n".join(text_parts), text_blocks
@staticmethod
def _rebuild_content(
original_content: list,
processed_text: str,
text_blocks: list[dict],
) -> list:
"""Replace text blocks with a single merged text block, preserving interleaved non-text blocks.
For ``[text, image, text]`` the image block between the two text blocks
is kept in place — only the text blocks are collapsed into one.
"""
text_block_ids = {id(b) for b in text_blocks}
first = last = None
for i, block in enumerate(original_content):
if id(block) in text_block_ids:
if first is None:
first = i
last = i
if first is None:
return original_content
result: list = [*original_content[:first], {"type": "text", "text": processed_text}]
# Re-insert any non-text blocks that sat between text blocks
for i in range(first + 1, last + 1):
if id(original_content[i]) not in text_block_ids:
result.append(original_content[i])
result.extend(original_content[last + 1 :])
return result
def _process_request(self, request: ModelRequest) -> ModelRequest:
"""Return a request with the last genuine user message sanitized.
Blocked tags are HTML-escaped (not rejected) so the user's intent is
preserved while the tags lose their semantic significance. Transformation
is temporary — the original request is never mutated.
"""
messages = list(request.messages)
for i in range(len(messages) - 1, -1, -1):
msg = messages[i]
if not _is_genuine_user_message(msg):
if isinstance(msg, HumanMessage):
logger.debug(
"_process_request: skipping non-genuine HumanMessage at pos=%d name=%s hide_from_ui=%s content_preview=%.80r",
i,
msg.name,
msg.additional_kwargs.get("hide_from_ui"),
msg.content,
)
continue
content = msg.content
logger.debug("_process_request: found genuine user message at pos=%d content=%.120r", i, content)
text_content, text_blocks = self._extract_text_from_content(content)
# No text at all (e.g. image-only message) — pass through
if not text_content and not isinstance(content, str):
logger.debug("_process_request: no text content in message — passing through")
return request
processed = _check_user_content(text_content)
if processed == text_content:
# Already wrapped — no override needed
return request
if text_blocks:
new_content = self._rebuild_content(content, processed, text_blocks)
else:
new_content = processed
# Preserve the pre-sanitization user text so downstream consumers that
# must see the genuine input (slash skill activation, regenerate) can
# recover it after the BEGIN/END wrapping. setdefault keeps an existing
# value (e.g. set by UploadsMiddleware or an IM channel) authoritative.
preserved_kwargs = dict(msg.additional_kwargs or {})
preserved_kwargs.setdefault(ORIGINAL_USER_CONTENT_KEY, message_content_to_text(content))
messages[i] = HumanMessage(
content=new_content,
id=msg.id,
name=msg.name,
additional_kwargs=preserved_kwargs,
)
logger.debug(
"InputSanitizationMiddleware: original=%r -> processed=%r",
content if isinstance(content, str) else "[content-blocks]",
processed,
)
return request.override(messages=messages)
return request
def _try_process(self, request: ModelRequest) -> ModelRequest:
"""Sanitize request; fail-open on unexpected errors.
GraphBubbleUp propagates; other exceptions return the original request.
"""
try:
return self._process_request(request)
except GraphBubbleUp:
raise
except Exception:
logger.warning(
"Input guardrail processing failed; passing original request to model",
exc_info=True,
)
return request
@override
def wrap_model_call(
self,
request: ModelRequest,
handler: Callable[[ModelRequest], ModelResponse],
) -> ModelCallResult:
return handler(self._try_process(request))
@override
async def awrap_model_call(
self,
request: ModelRequest,
handler: Callable[[ModelRequest], Awaitable[ModelResponse]],
) -> ModelCallResult:
return await handler(self._try_process(request))