Refuse image requests whose Referer is on referer_blocklist (closes #90)

A new setting, referer_blocklist (PIXA_REFERER_BLOCKLIST), lists hosts
written and matched as allowlist_hosts are, with the same matcher and the
same entry check; a bad entry aborts startup naming the setting and the
entry. Both image routes check the Referer first and answer 403 with the
JSON error, so a blocked request fetches nothing and is refused whether or
not the image is cached. No Referer, or one that does not parse as a URL
with a host, is served; README.md and config.example.yml say this makes the
list easy to get around. The CIDR-list entry reader is renamed listEntries
now that host lists use it too.

Model: opus-5-5
This commit is contained in:
2026-10-04 18:59:29 +00:00
parent 7d2a9a2a96
commit d9fa7d9130
7 changed files with 141 additions and 34 deletions
+20 -6
View File
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ everything in this list without further settings. The reverse proxy must:
Routes);
- pass the `Host`, `Origin` and `Referer` headers on unchanged, as pixa refuses
a form from those pages unless `Origin` or `Referer` names the host in `Host`,
and builds encrypted URLs from `Host`;
builds encrypted URLs from `Host`, and checks `Referer` against
`referer_blocklist`;
- set `X-Forwarded-For` to the client's address, with `trusted_proxies` set to
the address pixa sees the proxy's requests come from, so the login limit
counts each client by its own address (see `trusted_proxies` under
@@ -175,11 +176,12 @@ path under `/v1/` answers 200, in maintenance mode too.
allowlisted (see Source Hosts). Answers: 200; 304 when `If-None-Match` matches
the image's `ETag`; 400 for a URL or parameter that is not valid; 401 for a
missing or wrong signature, a missing `exp` or an `exp` in the past; 403 when
the upstream host, or a host it redirects to, is `localhost`, ends in
`.localhost` or `.local`, or has an address in a blocked network (see
`blocked_networks`); 502 when the upstream answered with an error status, and
for 5 minutes after that for the same source URL; 503 when pixa is busy or in
maintenance mode; 500 for any other failure.
the request's `Referer` names a host in `referer_blocklist`, checked before
anything else; 403 when the upstream host, or a host it redirects to, is
`localhost`, ends in `.localhost` or `.local`, or has an address in a blocked
network (see `blocked_networks`); 502 when the upstream answered with an error
status, and for 5 minutes after that for the same source URL; 503 when pixa is
busy or in maintenance mode; 500 for any other failure.
- `GET` or `HEAD` `/v1/e/<token>/<name>` — an image through an encrypted URL
(see Encrypted URLs). Needs: nothing but the URL. Answers: 200; 304 when
`If-None-Match` matches the image's `ETag`; 400 for a token that does not
@@ -428,6 +430,7 @@ tell. With no file, pixa uses the environment and the defaults.
| `PIXA_DB_URL` | `db_url` | SQLite database URL; default `state.sqlite3` in the state directory |
| `PIXA_CACHE_MAX_BYTES` | `cache_max_bytes` | Disk cache limit in bytes; `0` disables it; default 75% of (free + cached) |
| `PIXA_ALLOWLIST_HOSTS` | `allowlist_hosts` | Upstream hosts served without a signature |
| `PIXA_REFERER_BLOCKLIST` | `referer_blocklist` | Hosts whose pages the image routes refuse with 403, by `Referer` |
| `PIXA_BLOCKED_NETWORKS` | `blocked_networks` | CIDR ranges never fetched from, on top of the built-in ones |
| `PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXIES` | `trusted_proxies` | CIDR ranges of proxies whose `X-Forwarded-For` is believed; default RFC 1918 |
| `PIXA_ALLOW_HTTP` | `allow_http` | Allow plain-HTTP upstreams, for testing only; default `false` |
@@ -456,6 +459,17 @@ Key settings in more detail:
that has no leading zero and is not the scheme's default. Any other value,
including another scheme such as a browser extension's, aborts startup
- `allowlist_hosts` — list of allowed upstream hosts
- `referer_blocklist` — list of hosts whose pages may not show pixa's images, to
stop other sites hotlinking them. Entries are written and matched as for
`allowlist_hosts` (see Allowlist patterns); one that is not a bare host aborts
startup. A request to `/v1/image/` or `/v1/e/` whose `Referer` header names a
listed host is refused with 403 before anything else is done for it, so it
fetches nothing from the upstream host, and it is refused even when the image
is cached. A request with no `Referer`, or one that does not parse as a URL
with a host, is served, as many clients send none. So this is easily got
around: a site whose pages send no `Referer` (for example with
`Referrer-Policy: no-referrer`) is not stopped. It does not apply to the login
and generator pages. Default: empty
- `blocked_networks` — list of CIDR ranges to refuse for SSRF protection,
added to the always-enforced built-in ranges (loopback, private,
link-local, CGNAT, benchmark, NAT64, and the like); an invalid CIDR