Owners edit published listings via pending edit queue, not direct overwrite

Allowing listing owners to directly overwrite approved content gives any compromised or malicious owner account the ability to replace a legitimate listing with spam, phishing links, or defamatory text that goes live instantly. CWE-285 (Improper Authorization) and OWASP A01 apply — ownership of a listing does not grant the right to bypass editorial review. This is especially acute because a single bad edit can damage the directory's SEO and brand before any moderator notices.

Store owner edits in a listing_edits staging table and apply them only after moderator approval. The public listing record stays unchanged until the edit is approved:

CREATE TABLE listing_edits (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  listing_id INT NOT NULL REFERENCES listings(id),
  owner_id VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  field_name VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
  old_value TEXT,
  new_value TEXT NOT NULL,
  status VARCHAR NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending',
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW(),
  reviewed_at TIMESTAMPTZ
);

In app/api/listings/[id]/edit/route.ts, insert rows into listing_edits and return 202 Accepted — never PATCH the listings row directly. In the admin route, apply approved edits by copying new_value back to the parent listing and setting reviewed_at.

• ID: directory-submissions-moderation.spam-prevention.edit-approval-queue

• Severity: high

• What to look for: Examine the listing edit flow. Check that when an owner edits a published (approved) listing, the changes: (1) do not immediately update the public version, (2) enter a moderation queue as pending edits, (3) are approved by a moderator before taking effect. Look for an edit_queue or pending_edits table.

• Pass criteria: Enumerate all relevant code paths. Edits to approved listings go through a review process. Changes are not visible to the public until approved. A moderator can review and approve/reject the pending edits. with at least 1 verified instance.

• Fail criteria: Edits directly overwrite the published listing without review, or edits are immediately visible.

• Skip (N/A) when: The project doesn't allow edits to published listings, or owners cannot edit their own listings.

• Detail on fail: "Owners can directly edit their listings and changes show immediately. A malicious owner could completely change the business description or add spam links." or "Edit queue exists but changes are also pushed live immediately."

• Remediation: Implement an edit approval queue:

  CREATE TABLE listing_edits (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    listing_id INT NOT NULL REFERENCES listings(id),
    owner_id VARCHAR NOT NULL,
    field_name VARCHAR(50),
    old_value TEXT,
    new_value TEXT,
    status VARCHAR DEFAULT 'pending',
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(),
    approved_at TIMESTAMP
  );
  

  // app/api/listings/[id]/edit/route.ts
  export async function POST(req: Request) {
    const { listingId } = params
    const { title, description } = await req.json()
    const ownerId = req.auth.userId
  
    const listing = await db.listings.findUnique({ where: { id: listingId } })
  
    if (listing.owner_id !== ownerId) {
      return Response.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 403 })
    }
  
    // Create pending edits
    if (title !== listing.title) {
      await db.listingEdits.create({
        data: {
          listing_id: listingId,
          owner_id: ownerId,
          field_name: 'title',
          old_value: listing.title,
          new_value: title,
          status: 'pending'
        }
      })
    }
  
    // Similar for other fields...
  
    return Response.json({ message: 'Changes submitted for review' })
  }
  
  // Admin endpoint to approve/reject edits
  export async function POST(req: Request) {
    const { editId, action } = await req.json()
  
    if (action === 'approve') {
      const edit = await db.listingEdits.findUnique({ where: { id: editId } })
  
      await db.listings.update({
        where: { id: edit.listing_id },
        data: { [edit.field_name]: edit.new_value }
      })
  
      await db.listingEdits.update({
        where: { id: editId },
        data: { status: 'approved', approved_at: new Date() }
      })
    }
  }