Implementing secure user authentication in Django with legacy code
Could someone explain I'm a bit lost with While refactoring some legacy Django code, I've been tasked with enhancing the security of the user authentication process. The existing implementation uses a custom user model but lacks crucial features like password hashing and secure session management. My goal is to align it with the current best practices. I've started exploring the `django.contrib.auth` module, but I'm unsure how to integrate it with the existing user model without introducing breaking changes. Initially, I attempted to replace the custom user login view with Django's built-in `LoginView`. Here’s the revised view: ```python from django.contrib.auth import views as auth_views class CustomLoginView(auth_views.LoginView): template_name = 'login.html' def form_valid(self, form): # Custom logic before login if needed return super().form_valid(form) ``` However, I stumbled upon a challenge: the legacy database schema doesn't support the `User` model's expected fields like `is_active`. To manage this, I created a mapping function to adapt the legacy data: ```python def adapt_user_data(legacy_user): return { 'username': legacy_user.username, 'password': legacy_user.password_hash, 'is_active': legacy_user.active_flag, # Any other necessary mappings } ``` Additionally, the application uses direct string comparison for password validation, which raises security concerns. I’m considering replacing it with Django's `make_password` and `check_password`. My current implementation looks like this: ```python from django.contrib.auth.hashers import make_password, check_password legacy_user.password_hash = make_password(legacy_user.password) # Validate the password during login if check_password(input_password, legacy_user.password_hash): # Proceed to login ``` The idea is to shift the legacy users to hashed passwords without requiring them to change their passwords immediately. My concern is whether this approach compromises security or if the transition is safe. Has anyone tackled a similar situation while refactoring for security? Any insights on best practices or potential pitfalls would be greatly appreciated. For reference, this is a production application. What would be the recommended way to handle this?