Update Password Succeeds Without Password Confirmation

[joelcdoyle]

I have created an API using devise. When creating a user, it is required that a password and a password_confirmation be provided, and that they match. However, I can't replicate this behavior when updating a user's password.

When updating a user's password, I would like a valid current_password, password, and password_confirmation to be provided

I'm whitelisting :current_password, :password, and :password_confirmation with strong params in my controller, and using update_with_password to update the password attribute on my user instance.

I have a gist here:
https://gist.github.com/joelcdoyle/9747192

[josevalim]

You need to give us more information on how to reproduce this issue, otherwise there is nothing we can do. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md file for more information about creating bug reports. Thanks!

[josevalim]

Reopening due to #1947.

[joelcdoyle]

I added my Gemfile.lock to the gist

[josevalim]

I still can't reproduce the bug though. Which data are you sending to the form when it fails? I mean, which fields are being filled with which value?

[joelcdoyle]

I'm calling update_with_password on the user instance with :current_password set to the users's current password, :password set to a new valid password, and :password_confirmation is nil

It's an API so there are no forms. All parameters are coming in from a JSON request body

See line #20. A PUT to users#update with password, and current_password params, and no password_confirmation

    #this test fails. Devise allows the password to change without providing confirmation
    it "should reject request if password confirmation is not provided" do
      user = User.create!(email: "bob@example.com", password: "validPassword", password_confirmation: "validPassword")
      sign_in user
      put :update, {id: user.id, password: "newPassword", current_password: "validPassword" }
      #actuall response is 200 (OK)
      response.status.should be 422
    end

[josevalim]

That's how password_confirmation is designed to work. If it is nil, it won't check for the confirmation because we don't want to force APIs, tests and so on to pass the confirmation. We only want forms to send the confirmation and you can do it by guaranteeing a blank value is sent (which is the default for html forms). Please check the second part of this post: http://blog.plataformatec.com.br/2009/08/do-not-burden-your-users-with-validations/

[joelcdoyle]

Yes, but in my case when the user is created, password_confirmation IS NOT NIL. The user is created by requiring a password_confirmation. So, it is indeed not nil.

Further, I am not testing the presence of password_confirmation. I am testing to ensure that the password cannot be changed without requiring three params (:current_password, :password, :password_confirmation)

[joelcdoyle]

I guess I'm not understanding why you would require a password confirmation on creation, but not on update or modification?

[josevalim]

If you write a test like this:

post :create, {id: user.id, password: "newPassword", email: "..." }

The password_confirmation won't be required by default too... i.e. it is not related to the resource status it is simply related to the fact password_confirmation is nil.

[joelcdoyle]

The comment above this method is misleading (to me, at least) by saying that the params are rejected:
Update record attributes when :current_password matches, otherwise returns error on :current_password. It also automatically rejects :password and :password_confirmation if they are blank.

"automatically rejects" to me, sounds like "returns false" or "returns error"

[josevalim]

Yes, update_with_password docs could be improved but that's not the issue here. The "issue" is just how confirmations' validation works on Rails: if the confirmation is nil, the confirmation is not validated.

[joelcdoyle]

Ok, I can accept that. That does seem to be correct.

[josevalim]

Thanks!

[TomasBarry]

Hi @josevalim,

Is there a way other than using validates_presence_of :password_confirmation, :if => :password_changed? to force Devise to require a password confirmation on all updates and to fail if the password_confirmation is nil?