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Reservation Mutual Consent

Security Requirement Statement​

Reservation requests must be mutually closed and cannot be auto-confirmed without both users.

Control Classification​

  • Timing Control Category: Preventive
  • Nature Control Category: Technical
  • Status: Identified
  • Date Identified: 2025-10-29
  • Date First Implemented: TBD
  • Date Last Reviewed: 2025-10-29
  • Date Retired: N/A

Compensating Controls​

  1. State-Based Workflow: Reservation requests follow a strict state machine pattern preventing invalid transitions
  2. Permission-Based Authorization: Domain-level permissions validate user authority for each reservation operation
  3. Bilateral Close Request Tracking: Separate flags track close requests from both sharer and reserver parties
  4. Business Rule Enforcement: Domain logic prevents direct state transitions without proper authorization

Context and Problem Statement​

ShareThrift's reservation system requires robust mutual consent mechanisms to ensure that reservation periods cannot be prematurely or unilaterally terminated. The platform must prevent auto-confirmation scenarios while maintaining clear workflows for both parties to agree on reservation lifecycle transitions, particularly for closing completed reservations.

Business Requirements Addressed:​

  • Mutual Consent Requirement: "Both parties must mutually close the request to confirm the reservation period is complete"
  • Prevention of Auto-Confirmation: Reservations cannot transition to closed state without explicit user action
  • Bilateral Agreement: "The reservation will only be considered fully closed once both users have confirmed the closure"
  • Status Transparency: "Closing - Awaiting Response" intermediate state provides clear workflow visibility

Success Criteria​

Implemented Security Controls:​

  1. State Machine Enforcement: Strict state transitions prevent invalid reservation status changes
  2. Permission-Based Operations: Domain-level authorization validates user authority for close requests
  3. Bilateral Tracking Infrastructure: Database and domain models support separate close request flags
  4. UI Workflow Components: Frontend interfaces provide clear close request functionality
  5. Business Rule Validation: Domain logic prevents unauthorized state transitions

Business Requirements Compliance:​

Documentation vs Implementation Mismatch:

  • Business Requirement: "Both parties must mutually close the request"
  • User Experience Design: "The reservation will only be considered fully closed once both users have confirmed the closure"
  • Current Implementation: Single-party consent sufficient for closure
  • Security Impact: Unilateral closure capability violates mutual consent principle

Workflow Status Analysis:​

  1. Request Phase: Properly implemented with permission validation
  2. Accept/Reject Phase: Sharer-only authorization correctly enforced
  3. Close Request Phase: Individual close request tracking functional
  4. Final Closure Phase: Missing bilateral consent requirement enforcement

Remediation Priority:​

HIGH PRIORITY: Update domain close logic to require both parties' explicit consent before allowing transition to CLOSED state. This aligns implementation with documented business requirements and prevents unilateral reservation termination.