Introduction to Sentinel

Welcome to Sentinel, a comprehensive security module for PrestaShop that protects your e-commerce site from malicious attacks.

What is Sentinel?

Sentinel is a web application firewall (WAF) specifically designed for PrestaShop 1.7.7 to 8.2.3. It acts as a protective shield between your store and potential attackers by detecting and blocking malicious requests before they reach your main application.

Key Features

• Real-time threat detection: Identifies malicious patterns in HTTP requests through signature-based detection
• Automatic request blocking: Immediately stops threats with HTTP 403 responses
• Comprehensive logging: Records all security events with detailed context for forensic analysis
• Vulnerability scanner: Manual scanning for known vulnerabilities in modules and PrestaShop core
• Auto Prepend File protection: Protects against direct access to PHP files bypassing PrestaShop
• Failed login logging: Detects failed back-office login attempts
• POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE request logging: Records all modification requests with their payload
• Zero configuration: Works out of the box with pre-configured threat signatures
• PrestaShop integration: Seamlessly and transparently integrates with PrestaShop

What threats does Sentinel detect?

Sentinel protects against a wide range of common web attacks:

• SQL Injection: Including blind injection techniques using SLEEP functions
• File Operations: Attempts to write malicious files or download remote code
• Command Execution: Prevents remote command execution attempts
• Module Exploits: Detects vulnerabilities in popular PrestaShop modules
• Parameter Manipulation: Identifies suspicious parameter manipulation

How it works

Real-time Protection

1. Early interception: Sentinel hooks into the PrestaShop request lifecycle before the dispatcher
2. Pattern matching: Each request is analyzed against pre-configured threat signatures
3. Immediate response: Malicious requests are blocked instantly with a professional error page
4. Detailed logging: All security events are recorded with full context (IP, URI, method, payload)
5. Automatic rotation: Logs are rotated daily and kept for 7 days

Vulnerability Scanner

1. Information collection: Sentinel collects information about your installation (PS version, installed modules)
2. API analysis: Data is sent to the Sentinel API which compares against its vulnerability database
3. Detailed report: A report is generated with found vulnerabilities, classified by criticality
4. History: All scans are kept to track security evolution

Auto Prepend File Protection

1. PHP configuration: A Sentinel file is executed before any other PHP file
2. Complete logging: All direct PHP file access is logged
3. Exploitation detection: Attempts to access vulnerable files are logged
4. Forensic analysis: In case of incident, logs allow reconstructing the attack

System Requirements

• PrestaShop 1.7.7.x - 8.2.3
• PHP >= 7.2
• Write permissions for /var/logs directory

Quick Start

Get started with Sentinel in a few steps:

1. Install the module
2. Activate it from your PrestaShop admin panel
3. Your store is now protected!
4. (Optional but recommended) Enable Auto Prepend File protection
5. (Recommended) Run a vulnerability scan

No additional configuration required - Sentinel works immediately after installation.

Protection Layers

Sentinel offers several complementary protection layers:

Layer	Protection	Activation
URI Signature Detection	Blocks malicious patterns in requests	✓ Automatic
Failed Login Logging	Detects brute force attempts	✓ Automatic
POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE Logging	Records all modifications	✓ Automatic
Vulnerability Scanner	Detects vulnerable modules/core	Manual via BO
Auto Prepend File Protection	Protects against direct PHP file access	Configuration required

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Ready to protect your PrestaShop store? Continue to the Installation Guide.