Effective from FDK v9.5.0, all secure installation parameters (secure iparams) will be masked in the app configuration page once they are saved. This change enhances security by ensuring sensitive data is no longer exposed in the UI or network calls post-installation.
Deadline
By 31st December 2025, all new apps and existing apps must be built or upgraded using FDK v9.5.0 or above to comply with this update.
What this means for you
Secure iparams will no longer be visible in plain text after saving.
You must access secure iparams only through the Request Method using the iparam template.
Apps relying on secure iparams in plaintext on the installation page will no longer function correctly and must be updated.
Required action
Update your FDK to v9.5.0 or later.
Refactor your app code to retrieve secure iparams using the Request Method.
From now on, only apps built with FDK v9.5.0+ will be allowed for new submissions or version upgrades.
So, within six months we have to update the fdk version of all the existing apps?
Will this affect the existing application that runs on older versions?
So if we secure the API key we, we won’t be able to view it yet we can update it when we save the iparams?
There are several questions that this update leaves unanswered. The 2 major issues I have are presented below.
What is the need to mask a secure token that is configured in the already secure app settings page? Unlike AWS and other cloud service providers, the secure token is not being generated over here. It is only bing configured to be saved along with the iparams. The admin should be able to see the configured tokens at any time he/she chooses. Moreover, the admin is a privileged role that has access to the app settings page. Agent roles do not have access to the app settings. My Recommendation: Enforce app developers to mask the secure token at the time of display in the settings page, but provide a way to view it if required using the “eye” icon like shown below.
How can we ensure that secure iparams are saved without overwriting them with the “***************” that is returend at the time of editing the app settings?
When the app settings are edited, the platform replaces the secure iparams value with stars. Now, when the user saves the settings, the secure iparams value gets overwritten with stars. How do you expect app developers to handle this scenario? My recommendation: Do not mask the values of secure iparams when the app is fetching them from the app settings page.
A change like this should ideally be accompanied by a platform version change as it affects the core functionality of lifecycle of an app.
Making such changes mandatory with immediate effect for app upgrades and new app submissions is rather hasty.
I urge you to reconsider the changes made to the fdk version and possibly roll them back until the path forward is clear for above mentioned issues.
Answer: Only if your apps are affected by masking the secure iparam values and need changes to work with the new update, the apps have to be updated for the new and existing apps. If this change does not affect your apps, you can update as and when needed later for any other changes. As it is a security update, this change will be implemented for all the existing apps as per the announced date, if it is postponed later.
Answer: Yes, it will be implemented for all the apps on production regardless of the version. The latest FDK version provides this update for the local testing as well.
Answer: Yes, the secure iparam values cannot be viewed or used as plain text. It can, however, be modified and saved for updating the field. It can be used in the Request Method with the iparam template.
Please let me know if this answers your query and share if you have more questions or any other feedback. Thank you!
Yes, we understand that this changes as a sudden update. We had no other choice as it is viewed as security update to tackle security concerns of some customers.
The apps do not have a role-based access to restrict access to specific users. It’s a plain user access to all the admins and account admins of the product account. So, the secure iparams saved by an admin may not be wished to be viewed by another admin in the account.
This update ensures that the secure iparams are considered sensitive information that is write-only, like passwords and secret tokens. After they are saved, they cannot be viewed or used as plain text again.
You can still use the previously saved secure iparam in the APIs with iparam template. The fields can also be updated with a new value, and it doesn’t hinder any use case, hopefully.
Please let us know if this change restricts any use case for you and we can try to address it.
Our platform will ensure the secure iparams are not replaced with the hash value. You can safely pass the hash value, and it will update the field, and the old value will be retained.
Please share your questions. We will ensure all of them are addressed before the deprecation.
The secure iparams can be accessed in the SMI from the function arguments. Since, serverless function cannot be modified by other users and only the app’s intended actions can be done. It is considered a secure way to access the secure iparam.
Yes, this change will be applicable regardless of the platform version for all the apps.
Please continue to share your queries and feedback, Thank you!
So, if the exising apps doesn’t have a secure iparams or if it has no config page for the application or the secured key are not used in the iparams page again, do we need to update the application to fdk 9.5.0 or can it stay in the 9.3.0 or lower?
@Raviraj , thanks for the clarity. Really appreciate the effort taken to make apps more secure and compliant with Enterprise grade security. I’m sure this will lend a lot of credibility amongst customers who value security increasingly.
I have been trying to port one of my apps from 9.3.0 to 9.5.0. It makes use of secure iparams to store the Freshdesk API token.
Here’s the issue I faced while making use of a request template that makes use of the iparam placeholder for the Freshdesk domain.
I’d like to clarify some details regarding the recent update on secure iparams in FDK v9.5.0. If our existing apps don’t utilize secure iparams or don’t feature a configuration page for these parameters, do we still need to upgrade to FDK v9.5.0? Additionally, is it necessary to update the platform version alongside the FDK update to ensure compatibility?
Furthermore, what about older apps built on platform versions like 2.0, 2.3 or 2.3? Can these be exempted from the update?
