internal/api/admin.go

@@ -160,13 +160,12 @@ func HandleResetAdminKey(dbPath string) {
 }
 
 // adminKeyOK reports whether the request carries the correct admin key via
-// X-Admin-Key header or ?key=. Constant-time compare; failures and successes
-// are both logged (#40).
+// the X-Admin-Key header only. The ?key= query fallback was removed (#137):
+// query strings land in access logs, browser history, and Referer headers,
+// so accepting the key there leaked the admin secret. Constant-time compare;
+// failures and successes are both logged (#40).
 func (a *apiServer) adminKeyOK(r *http.Request, key string) bool {
 	given := r.Header.Get("X-Admin-Key")
-	if given == "" {
-		given = r.URL.Query().Get("key")
-	}
 	return subtle.ConstantTimeCompare([]byte(given), []byte(key)) == 1
 }
 

internal/api/admin_test.go

@@ -37,11 +37,12 @@ func TestAdminAuth(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("wrong key: expected 401, got %d", rec.Code)
 	}
 
+	// #137: the ?key= query fallback was removed; keys must go via header.
 	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/admin/api/settings?key=test-admin-key", nil)
 	rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
 	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
-	if rec.Code != 200 {
-		t.Fatalf("query key: expected 200, got %d", rec.Code)
+	if rec.Code != 401 {
+		t.Fatalf("query key: expected 401 after #137 removal, got %d", rec.Code)
 	}
 
 	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/admin/api/settings", nil)

internal/api/cans.go

@@ -206,9 +206,6 @@ func (a *apiServer) handleGetCan(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 	if can.PasswordHash.Valid {
 		pw := r.Header.Get("X-Paste-Password")
-		if pw == "" {
-			pw = r.URL.Query().Get("password")
-		}
 		if pw == "" || !store.CheckPassword(can.PasswordHash.String, pw) {
 			writeErr(w, 401, "password required")
 			return
@@ -256,9 +253,6 @@ func (a *apiServer) handleCanItem(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	can, _ := a.store.GetCan(row.CanID.String)
 	if can != nil && can.PasswordHash.Valid {
 		pw := r.Header.Get("X-Paste-Password")
-		if pw == "" {
-			pw = r.URL.Query().Get("password")
-		}
 		if pw == "" || !store.CheckPassword(can.PasswordHash.String, pw) {
 			// fall back to the browser's unlock cookie for this can
 			c, cerr := r.Cookie("pw_" + can.ID)

internal/api/cans_flow_test.go

@@ -294,7 +294,8 @@ func TestCanItemCookieParity(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// item id from API (with password query)
-	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/cans/"+created.ID+"?password=pw123", nil)
+	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/cans/"+created.ID, nil)
+	req.Header.Set("X-Paste-Password", "pw123")
 	rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
 	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
 	var can struct {

internal/api/cans_test.go

@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ func TestCanPasswordInheritedByItems(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// get item id with pw
-	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/cans/"+created.ID+"?password=pw123", nil)
+	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/cans/"+created.ID, nil)
+	req.Header.Set("X-Paste-Password", "pw123")
 	rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
 	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
 	var can struct {
@@ -130,7 +131,8 @@ func TestCanPasswordInheritedByItems(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// item with pw -> 200
-	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/cans/"+created.ID+"/items/"+itemID+"?password=pw123", nil)
+	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/cans/"+created.ID+"/items/"+itemID, nil)
+	req.Header.Set("X-Paste-Password", "pw123")
 	rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
 	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
 	if rec.Code != 200 {

internal/api/issue81_password_ratelimit_test.go

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ package api
 
 // #81: ALL password verification attempts (GET query param, header, POST
 // form) must go through the per-IP unlock limiter. Regression: N wrong
-// passwords via GET ?password= must eventually yield 429.
+// passwords via X-Paste-Password must eventually yield 429.
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ func createPasswordPaste(t *testing.T, s *apiServer, pw string) string {
 }
 
 // TestRateLimitGetPasswordQuery: repeated wrong passwords via GET
-// ?password= must eventually return 429 (unlock limiter: burst 5).
+// X-Paste-Password wrong attempts must eventually return 429 (unlock limiter: burst 5).
 func TestRateLimitGetPasswordQuery(t *testing.T) {
 	s := testServer(t)
 	h := s.routes()
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ func TestRateLimitGetPasswordQuery(t *testing.T) {
 	var saw429 bool
 	// more attempts than the unlock burst (5)
 	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
-		req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/pastes/"+id+"?password=wrong"+string(rune('a'+i)), nil)
+		req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/pastes/"+id, nil)
+		req.Header.Set("X-Paste-Password", "wrong"+string(rune('a'+i)))
 		rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
 		h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
 		if rec.Code == 429 {
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ func TestRateLimitGetPasswordQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 	if !saw429 {
-		t.Fatal("expected 429 after repeated wrong ?password= attempts, never got one")
+		t.Fatal("expected 429 after repeated wrong password attempts, never got one")
 	}
 }
 
@@ -83,7 +84,8 @@ func TestRateLimitGetPasswordCorrectStillAllowed(t *testing.T) {
 	h := s.routes()
 	id := createPasswordPaste(t, s, "hunter2")
 
-	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/pastes/"+id+"?password=hunter2", nil)
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/pastes/"+id, nil)
+	req.Header.Set("X-Paste-Password", "hunter2")
 	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
 	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
 	if rec.Code != 200 {

internal/api/main_test.go

@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ func TestPasswordProtection(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// with password -> 200
-	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/pastes/"+created.ID+"?password=hunter2", nil)
+	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/pastes/"+created.ID, nil)
+	req.Header.Set("X-Paste-Password", "hunter2")
 	rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
 	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
 	if rec.Code != 200 {
@@ -97,7 +98,8 @@ func TestPasswordProtection(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// wrong password -> 401
-	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/pastes/"+created.ID+"?password=nope", nil)
+	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/pastes/"+created.ID, nil)
+	req.Header.Set("X-Paste-Password", "nope")
 	rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
 	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
 	if rec.Code != 401 {

internal/api/server.go

@@ -267,18 +267,17 @@ func (a *apiServer) handleGetPaste(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		return
 	}
 	if row.PasswordHash.Valid {
-		// #81: every password verification (header, query param, or empty)
-		// goes through the same per-IP+paste unlock limiter as the POST form
-		// path, so brute-force via GET ?password= or X-Paste-Password gets 429.
+		// #81/#141: every password verification (header or empty) goes
+		// through the same per-IP+paste unlock limiter as the POST form
+		// path, so brute-force via X-Paste-Password gets 429. The
+		// ?password= query fallback was removed (#141): query strings
+		// leak into access logs, browser history, and Referer headers.
 		if !rateLimitUnlock(row.ID, r) {
 			writeRateLimited(w, 60)
 			return
 		}
 		// require password via header or query
 		pw := r.Header.Get("X-Paste-Password")
-		if pw == "" {
-			pw = r.URL.Query().Get("password")
-		}
 		if pw == "" || !store.CheckPassword(row.PasswordHash.String, pw) {
 			writeErr(w, 401, "password required")
 			return